Auto Trans Handle
February-20th-2002, 10:47 PM
#16
Protege Newbie
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: CT
Posts: 38
Yeah they look nice! Those are the same one that i'm going to install. I called Option auto today, the guy said the ***** come with a "Brief" instrution. do u guys think Mazda dealer will tell us how? Plz help! I think they are too expensive, but they are the best looking one in the market right now.
February-20th-2002, 11:46 PM
#17
Show Layne some respect
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Long Island,NY
Posts: 2,458
Ok - I removed my auto **** today, and it was a pain in the ***. But I'll give some instruction to anyone who wants to do this:
Start by removing the center console piece - pull up on the cupholders, and it should come loose. If not, you can pull out the piece that surrounds the e-brake, and then get at the console piece from that end. It comes off easily.
Then, unscrew the two screws in the handle itself. Put the car in 1st to get at them easier, they are on the back side. Next, pull up the "silvery" piece that is left over - the one with the gear selector on it. There are several pieces to this - it is best to get them all loose. Under the "silvery" gear selector piece is a black plastic piece that is attached to the white main mounting bracket that covers most of the floor area around the shifter - it's a bit stubborn and awkward, but it does come loose with a little tugging. Now that you've got a loose mess jangling under the shift handle, you're going to have to cut wires - I found no other way to get the handle off. The **** is basically two pieces - the top shifter with the button, and a sleeve under that. This sleeve covers the steel rod that is actually the shifter. The OD button wire runs through a channel in this sleeve, on the outside of the steel rod. If you look at where your cupholders used to sit, you will see a small wire harness on the driver's side. It clips on to the main white piece, but I broke it off. Only half by accident - I couldn't get it loose from the rest of the white frame. This harness is for the OD button and the light for the gear selector. You should see two red (maybe one orange?) wires and a thicker black wire that is really two blue wires wrapped in black tape. You will see the blue portions near the harness. These blue wires are the OD buton wires. Mark which is which, because there is no way to tell one from the other. I cut one, put tape on both ends, then cut the other so I could put them back properly. Leave enough room on the harness side to re-strip and twist the wires back together. Once you cut these wires, it is just a matter of carefully pulling the shifter up, making sure the "black" wire (two blues in tape) is threading it's way out. There are a few places where it is held down by small pins in the white bracket. You might want to help it out of these areas before pulling it out completely.
That's about it. Be careful to remember which way the shifter button (the chrome one) fits into the handle - I put it in upside-down the first time and it got stuck - it only goes back in one way. I also kicked this small tab on the bottom of the steel rod out of alignment - not sure how, but for a while my car wouldn't shift into anything but Park and Reverse, and I couldn't take my key out. Freaked me out for about 20 minutes until I just popped it back by chance.
Come to think of it, you MIGHT be able to just disconnect the wire harness and still get the handle off. I'm not sure, but it might be able to be done, taking the sleeve and handle off at the same time, and not pulling the wire through the sleeve. Maybe. But I DID get it off today (it's still off - sitting in the passenger seat because I just got sick of messing with it for one day).
Basically, I don't know if this is even worth the trouble. Those Razos would look strange mounted up high like our stock *****, so what I described above is only half the process - then you'll have to cut down the steel shift rod if you want the thing to look good, and I'm just not sure what implications that may have as far as the plunger that allows you to shift (the chrome button actuates the white plastic rod inside the steel tube that allows you to shift). This might not be the mod for me, but if anyone does get an aftermarket **** installed, let us know how it went, I guess. Especially if you shorten the shifter itself.
Good luck, all.
Start by removing the center console piece - pull up on the cupholders, and it should come loose. If not, you can pull out the piece that surrounds the e-brake, and then get at the console piece from that end. It comes off easily.
Then, unscrew the two screws in the handle itself. Put the car in 1st to get at them easier, they are on the back side. Next, pull up the "silvery" piece that is left over - the one with the gear selector on it. There are several pieces to this - it is best to get them all loose. Under the "silvery" gear selector piece is a black plastic piece that is attached to the white main mounting bracket that covers most of the floor area around the shifter - it's a bit stubborn and awkward, but it does come loose with a little tugging. Now that you've got a loose mess jangling under the shift handle, you're going to have to cut wires - I found no other way to get the handle off. The **** is basically two pieces - the top shifter with the button, and a sleeve under that. This sleeve covers the steel rod that is actually the shifter. The OD button wire runs through a channel in this sleeve, on the outside of the steel rod. If you look at where your cupholders used to sit, you will see a small wire harness on the driver's side. It clips on to the main white piece, but I broke it off. Only half by accident - I couldn't get it loose from the rest of the white frame. This harness is for the OD button and the light for the gear selector. You should see two red (maybe one orange?) wires and a thicker black wire that is really two blue wires wrapped in black tape. You will see the blue portions near the harness. These blue wires are the OD buton wires. Mark which is which, because there is no way to tell one from the other. I cut one, put tape on both ends, then cut the other so I could put them back properly. Leave enough room on the harness side to re-strip and twist the wires back together. Once you cut these wires, it is just a matter of carefully pulling the shifter up, making sure the "black" wire (two blues in tape) is threading it's way out. There are a few places where it is held down by small pins in the white bracket. You might want to help it out of these areas before pulling it out completely.
That's about it. Be careful to remember which way the shifter button (the chrome one) fits into the handle - I put it in upside-down the first time and it got stuck - it only goes back in one way. I also kicked this small tab on the bottom of the steel rod out of alignment - not sure how, but for a while my car wouldn't shift into anything but Park and Reverse, and I couldn't take my key out. Freaked me out for about 20 minutes until I just popped it back by chance.
Come to think of it, you MIGHT be able to just disconnect the wire harness and still get the handle off. I'm not sure, but it might be able to be done, taking the sleeve and handle off at the same time, and not pulling the wire through the sleeve. Maybe. But I DID get it off today (it's still off - sitting in the passenger seat because I just got sick of messing with it for one day).
Basically, I don't know if this is even worth the trouble. Those Razos would look strange mounted up high like our stock *****, so what I described above is only half the process - then you'll have to cut down the steel shift rod if you want the thing to look good, and I'm just not sure what implications that may have as far as the plunger that allows you to shift (the chrome button actuates the white plastic rod inside the steel tube that allows you to shift). This might not be the mod for me, but if anyone does get an aftermarket **** installed, let us know how it went, I guess. Especially if you shorten the shifter itself.
Good luck, all.
February-20th-2002, 11:56 PM
#18
Protege Enthusiast
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Regina, Canada
Posts: 307
great post. That is a lot of work. I think I'll take a pic of my **** and do some photoshopping to replace it with a pic of the RAZO ****. I'll have to do a little bit of size guessing but I'll know how it looks to be set that high. If anyone goes through with this be sure to post lots.
February-21st-2002, 01:51 AM
#20
Registered User
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Toronto
Posts: 494
Went to a couple of shops today, not even looking for ***** and what did I see in the counter ? Both of those shift ***** the chrome and the other one. The other one looks like it will match our interior. they were asking $200 Cad for them. A little too much but they also had some other Razo ones that were just straight with the overdrive function for $150. Still too much if the shifter is gonna sit that high. Why is that **** so expensive around here?
February-21st-2002, 10:37 PM
#22
Show Layne some respect
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Long Island,NY
Posts: 2,458
I never thought it would be so hard either - freakin Japanese cars. It is a pain, but with my directions I think someone could do it - probably even on their own, just using some caution and common sense. I think the worst part would be cutting the shifter to make a new **** look good. I never investigated actually removing the steel shift lever.
I'd love one of those Razos. Maybe I'll look into it a little deeper (uh oh, stuff's gonna get broken, for sure) and let y'all know.
I'd love one of those Razos. Maybe I'll look into it a little deeper (uh oh, stuff's gonna get broken, for sure) and let y'all know.
February-28th-2002, 11:11 PM
#23
Protege Newbie
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Vancouver, Canada
Posts: 5
Originally posted by Shawn
[/B]
[/B]
I usually go between gas and brake by pivoting my heal. The gas pedal is wider than stock, good for matching revs, but when you have to stop hard in traffic, the brake pedal goes down quite a bit and I hit the gas at the same time. Of course I couldn't stop while on gas and brake and ended up hitting the guy in front. Just thought you'ld like to know
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