DIY: Axial Flow Engineering Short Shifter install.
 

Okay, here's my DIY on the Richard Paul (Axial Flow Engineering) Short Shifter install. Hope you enjoy it..... :)

First, undo the shift knob. It's a standard R/H thread, undo by twisting counterclockwise. If you have an illuminated shift knob, take extreme care not to damage the wiring, you may wish to release the shifter cover to check on the wiring layout underneath first.

Removing the shifter cover:

You have to gain access to the rear R/H tab of the shifter cover. Remove the small panel located forward of the cupholders. Check out the pic below.....

Edit: Tip for those with long fingers......If you release the handbrake, you can push this handbrake adjust access panel aft by reaching through the gap at the back of the handle and lifting the tang from inside. (Thank's Hymee for this tip)

Now having removed the small handbrake adjust access panel, you can get to the rear R/H tab securing the shifter cover. You need to reach in and use your finger to release the tab from the console base. Take care, this one tab is very fragile!!

Click on the pic for more detailed instructions.....

With the rear R/H tab released, you can now gently pry up on the rear L/H corner of the shifter cover and unclip it there. There are four remaining tabs centered around the shift boot, you can pull up on the shift boot to unclip them. If you have Audiopilot, Nav and/or seatwarmer switches, you'll need to undo these connectors now. I don't have them on my car.

This is what you now see.....

With the cover removed you now need to remove the upper rubber shift boot. There is another rubber boot under it. I found it easier to remove the ashtray to gain access to the two forward 10mm shift boot nuts, the ashtray is secured with the two screws indicated by the green arrows in the pic below.

You can hang the ashtray off to one side as I have here. This will also give access to the illuminated gear knob connector (so they tell me!).

Now you need to undo the four nuts indicated by the orange arrows. Two of the four nuts have wiring harness clips over the threads. These are a pain to get off. I used a small flat bladed screwdriver to separate the clip from the thread....others have had success using a straightened paperclip bent into a "U" shape.

With the four 10mm nuts removed, the upper rubber shift boot can now be removed. Gently twist and pry off by hand. Now you can see the lower shift boot, it is held on by love....remove by hand.

This is what you now have.....

To remove the stock shifter, undo the three bolts securing the plate seen here and then lift the shifter out of the housing. The bottom part of the shifter locates into the gearbox itself, take care not to drip gearbox oil on the seats when you remove the shifter.

The two shifters side by side....Richard's on the left. Note the white ring half way up, this seals the upper boot to the shifter as you'll see in later pics. Also note the reverse lockout tang which is pointing out on the right, without this there'd be nothing to stop you accidentally selecting reverse without pushing down on the shifter......

My shifter was supplied pre-greased. I just slipped it straight in taking care to locate the reverse lockout tang to the right. Bolt the retainer plate back on and refit the gear knob. Check you can select all gears. Marvel at the difference :D :D .

Remove the gear knob, and refit the lower and upper shift boots. The upper shift boot is secured on the white ring as in the pic below......

The rest is just a reversal of the disassembly. Secure the upper boot, refit the harness clips, connect up your illuminated shift knob (if you had one!) and replace the ashtray. Reconnect your seatwarmer/ Audiopilot connectors, replace the covers and knob......you're done.

Voila :D .

Sweet DIY, made it look like pie :D

Do you like the end results. How much and where did you order yours?

You get them through richard himself. www.axialflow.com
I cant post the price but you can PM me for it.

Man, best mod I ever did. Check Richard's website..... www.axialflow.com .

Or just send him a PM. Price to US customers is $249 plus shipping, I believe. Check with Richard. He's in the process of becoming a forum vendor, I think.

Cheers,
Gomez.

Awesome, thanks.

Once i get my swaybars i think this will be my next mod . :rolleyes: the wife wont know the difference between the shifters :cool:

cheers
michael

Oh yes she will.....

BTW, my car is RHD...there is no difference to the LHD models as far as this install is concerned. Richard has apparently made a running change to the shifter since mine was shipped, so yours may look a little different to the one in the pics above.

Gomez.

what's did he change?

I forgot to mention that , SHE CANT DRIVE MANUAL SO UNLESS THERES A SIGNIFICANT VISUAL DIFFERENCE , i will be safe :cool:

cheers
michael

I think he's changed the Delrin polymer pivot box (the black cage covered in white grease)....

Why would he change it, better design?

Yep....!

Say Gomez what do you think of dan's method of "yanking" the shift boot to remove it? Two people have tried this and no broken tabs.
Also I think it was boxcar who showed a picture of using a needle nose plyers to remove the wire clips from the studs.
These are good tips if they work out. Well I know the plyers trick will work. The yanking of the boot might take a little balls to try untill some more people do it.

JUST received and installed my RP Shifter. Thanks Gomez for the DIY guide. Made it easier knowing what was holding the console top down...ie not having to worry about breaking a clip by pulling on it the wrong way.....

Install was butter. Have to hang around the house for a while.....waiting on paperwork for a house we are buying.....BUT after that I am going on a little cruise to check the feel. I can notice it just sitting in the drive way working the pattern though.....WooHoo!

Thanks again Gomez....AND Richard Paul.

Oh, and RP....this is the first Mod of any kind I have done to the car. Now, when I have your AFSC on I will be changing the trunk designation from "RX-8" to "RP-RX-8" That should be a nice little attention getter...haha. Hey, maybe you can have the " RP- " letters made up and ship with your SC WHEN it is completed and ready for sale. Just a thought.

Once the rear two clips are released, the method of removing the other four is somewhat moot. They come off fairly easy if you take care. Pulling up on the boot while applying upwards pressure to the just released rear edge of the console top works fine. The bastard is that right rear clip. It's different to the other five, and more fragile. You must follow the directions I posted on the photo, or it will break for sure.

With regards to the harness clips, you can see what you're doing and that makes it a heap easier. It's only 'cos you're impatient to get the shifter in that you feel frustrated about them!!!

Gomez.

I get a warm and fuzzy feeling when someone benefits from a thread of mine. I've learnt a lot here in the past, it's nice to give something back.

Thanks Kyle!!

Steve, theres definetely a place for you in RX8 heaven ;)

cheers
michael

Gomez: I see from the picture w/the 2 shifters beside each other that the stock one has a slight angle to it and the aftermarket one is perfectly straight. My question is do you noticed a difference in the shift pattern due to this or notice the shifter is in a different position (eg. neutral position). If so, does it may a big difference?

Yeah, what he said...but also...what is the benifit of replaceing the shifter?

Will it feel more silky?
Will it cut down on the travel needed to change gears? (hence might take a tiny bit off times)

Let me know, thanks for the DIY!

When Richard first indicated he was removing the kink in the shifter, I had a feeling I wanted it to stay as per factory. The kink is in-built by Mazda to position the shift knob vertically when neutral is selected. It's purely a cosmetic thing, however the end result is the knob is displaced about a half inch to the right. As I drive a RHD car, the knob is half an inch closer to me when I reach for the shifter with the original shifter installed.

Richard's shifter is now a little further away from me, but I have noticed no difference at all. Therefore, I don't think you LHD guys will pick the difference either. I notice no difference in the shift pattern, and no-one else who's fitted one has reported doing so.

Cheers,
Gomez.

I really should be getting a cheque (check) from Richard every month ;)

Check out my thoughts on this thread , starting at post 330.....silky is not a word I would use. Silky is feminine, this shifter is definitely a boys thing.

The DosDog has a first impressions thread, read that one too. We're all happy campers.... :)

Damn it, Gomez I told the accountant to send those checks to you each month on the first. Are you telling me you're not getting them?? I'm gonna give that guy a good boot in the butt.

gomez,

thanks for the work, i would have broke that tab for sure. i ended up using a covered screwdriver between the silver part and the consol to get it free.

the trick i used for the wire looms was jewlers screwdriver on one side neddle nose pliars on the other.

btw, the shifter rocks.

beers

Thanks swoope. I would have used needle nose pliers, but I'd left mine at work! Two jewellers screwdrivers would work fine too....and yes, the shifter does rock :) .

Just installed mine...
 

Received my shifter on Thursday, and just got through installing it. Thanks, Gomez, for this excellent DIY. Was a major help, and armed with this info, it took me all of 45 minutes to install it, including the time to find the right sockets.

Have only done a short test drive at this point, but man oh man, I love it! Much more precise through the gates, and slicker feeling than the stock shifter. I've put about $2k worth of stuff on this car since I bought it, and this shifter is the best money spent yet (IMO). For any of you with MT's, this is a strongly recommended upgrade. Very easy to install, and the improved shifting is totally worth the (low) cost that Richard is charging.

Best,
Bill

No doubt Rotario! No matter how much I end up doing to this car, Richards Shifter will be one of the best, if not THE best mod I can make. Quick, easy, cheap, and makes a HUGE difference. Gotta love it.

Added some info to the first post. If anyone wants a pic of something I haven't covered, just ask!

I found this DIY thread useless :o

Coz I have the man install it for me ;)

Thanks Mez. Hope you enjoy Jim and Coke tonight :D

Not tonight, Josephine.....5am start tomorrow!

Mine came in today, install was a snap.
I have removed the panel around the shifter and ashtray before,
(Aux input by PIE, lighted shift knob, XM sat radio, ext.)
Boy does this mod work well!
Shifts are precise, short (duhh)
I hardly recommend this shifter!
Best mod so far!

I just finished installing mine. It's been sitting in my office for a few weeks waiting for the car to get back home from the audio shop. Install was a breeze, though getting the main shift boot off was tougher for me than it probably was for most, due to the absolute maze of electronic wiring I have going through that area now. Thanks for the great DIY, Gomez.

Thanks for the DIY Gomez, worked a treat and love the precise and short shifts!

P.s. As mentioned, needle-nosed pliers made removing the wiring harness clips on the nuts a breeze.

P.s.s. I spent the first half an hour attempting to unclip the wrong clip under the shifter cover... There's a big one and then a smaller one closer to the handbrake, it's the small one guys :)

No worries, mate! Glad you figured it out in the end.... :)

Gomez,

A really good DIY. I reckon it will go down in RX-8 forum folk history as a classic, one of the best.

I have a slight modification, if I may, to one of your steps. I cringe at using a screw driver to remove anything plastic. That small cover in the first step - I found I could remove it by poking it out (towards the rear of the car) with my finger, accessibly via the handbrake slot in the console.

Cheers,
Hymee.

Thanks for the boost :) . I added your tip to the first post a few weeks back. The edit of that post a few days ago was me trying to rename the thread. You can see what I wanted to rename it at the top of the first post.

Gomez.

I realized something about a week ago, renaming the thread reminded me. Now I'm very greatfull to Gomez for his support and this diy. BUT he is the one who named it the RP shifter. There are parts being marketed by Rotary Performance who use the name RP. Therefore I think it is not fair to them or myself to start confusion by using the same name.
So from now on where possable lets use my full name or Axialflow Engineering. Both long I know but I'm stuck with them.

YoumentwellGomezyoushiftybastard

RP -- a little marketing advice -- neither of those names will ever stick :(

Better take the bull by the reins and come up with something good before someone else comes up with another acronym that is also already "taken" (ex. AFE would be good BUT it is already taken by AFE filter).

p.s. -- my shifter is going to be installed today :D

Gomez' fitting instructions, now on one document (sort of, had to split it to put it on here), in PDF format.


Cheers,

Fabrice

And page 4 :