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Hey guys, I noticed my shifter sits too low compared to other rx8s I've seen. The bottom of the shift **** is about a 1/2 inch below the silver ring in the center console (so the shifter is recessed into the center console). In every other rx8 I've seen it sits about an inch or so above the ring. I've had difficulty shifting because the shift ****, due to its height, physically hits the outer ring when shifting, especially in reverse.
Car has a new clutch and the shop could've screwed something up putting the transmission back in the car. If this is the case, what should I look at adjusting to fix it? Front subframe? Engine mounts? Other potential cause would be the car has a short shifter that I don't know about. Seems unlikely a short shifter would hit the center console though.
Bizarre. They might not have lined up the power plant frame correctly but that doesn't exactly have a ton of play to it. Maybe they forgot the PPF entirely and your trans is held up by the driveshaft? Probably want to get under there...
Just got done figuring out how to check the power plant frame and that looks like the issue. You can see marks where the nuts used to be (completely opposite where they are now). I should be able to lift the back of the transmission until the studs are back in their original position. But I think there's a specific alignment measurement from Mazda that I should probably follow.
How bad/dangerous is driving the car with the power plant frame misaligned? Should I not drive the car until this is fixed?
I understand, but my thought process is to eliminate assumptions and be sure. Loosening the rear is not usually a big deal though. Because unlike the front, it has the additional lateral positioning bolt to aid alignment.
those nuts generally take a strong impact gun or big breaker bar. I use a long HD 3/4” breaker bar on them myself. The cordless impact guns they offer now can likely handle it though.
it could be they were never properly tightened the previous time though, then came loose and moved.
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That x-member can become bent up after a few scrapes so :
Better than Mazda's instructions ...actually align the gearbox and diff by setting them at the same angle. Easiest way to do that is to set the whole car at an angle such that the diff is at zero degrees . Then just set the transmission to zero degrees also.
not at all, if you’re going to teach somebody then educate them properly is all.
if anything, the perfectionist response is from Brettus seeing as how the actual spec in the photo clip from the service manual I posted has an 8mm / 0.3” tolerance range
I actually ended up with a vibration after setting to Mazda spec. Wasn't till I realised the aftermarket engine mounts I was using were much lower than stock that I thought to do it the above way . Fixed my issue plus have seen vibration issues on race cars solved the same way as well.
If we were doing it right then we’d explain in detail that the setting has a more urgent consideration than shifter height; as Brettus mentioned, the drivetrain alignment between the engine/transmission and the rear differential. It’s also a good point that changes to the mounts between those two points; even extreme sagging, may need to be given consideration in setting the height. I’m not sure we need to go this far though
