[Sti491]

Looking for help please.

Purchased Subaru STi short shifter (6 speed, part number C1010FE000) from Langston and had my local Subaru dealer install it so I would get the warranty. My dealer mechanic is a good guy I trust... he only charged me 1 hr labor even though it took him more.

The shifter works really well... not a whole lot shorter shift throw front to back but much shorter side to side and the "spring effect" from second into third, and all the shifts is really nice, firm & harder to miss shifts. This shifter comes with all the linkage and bushings, which are harder than the stock bushings - polyurethane vs rubber I think.

BUT, there is a problem. The OEM shifter was quiet, like you would expect. Right after the short shifter install now you can hear transmission noise "rattling" up through the shifter. Mostly in 1st & 3rd... if you rest your hand on the shift knob and slightly push it to the left in 2nd it "rattles" reasonably loudly. This is clearly transmission vibration coming through the new linkage/shift lever.

My mechanic (and unfortunately I tend to agree) says there is not much of a way to mess up the install as it it just bolts in place of the OEM unit. I took apart the consol and it all looks good with no obvious metal to metal contact that you can see anywhere from that view. We are speculating that the harder polyurethane bushings in the new shifter are transmitting the transmission gear-mechanical noise.

Subarau of America Tech Service has authorized a new short shifter that is on order, to be installed this Wed. which they will install for free. I like the shifter a lot but not the darn rattly operation that sometimes you can hear over the sound system (500W two 10" subs!)... well you can't hear it with volume up but a passenger asked me what that noise was the other day with the music on.

Even though Langston and Bob Dunn Subaru gave me as good a deal as I have found on this piece, I'm $400 into this shifter that makes too much noise in my view.

Any thoughts you guys? Is there anything I can advise my Suby mechanic to watch for when he installs the second shifter. Am I doomed to have spent this money for a nice but noisy shifter?

BTW, the Subaru Service Manager says Subaru of America, or Fuji Heavy Industries nor anyone else at Subaru makes this part, despite it being an "original STi" part. Instead an aftermaket company makes it for them. He thinks they'll use my complaint to get them to go to a softer bushing compound. He also offered to put the stock, softer bushings in my new short throw shifter. I like the stiff shorter shifts, just not the noise so that doesn't seem like a good solution.

Please give me some good advice besides giving up on this shifter. Do I need to live with the noise?

[cnstman]

i would expect anything with harder bushing to be louder.

[salisburyv]

change bushing...kartboy...cobb too i think...i've driven an sti with a short shift and no stereo...i didnt hear anything i normally dont...my two

[jagcars26]

After I installed mine,,no increase in noise,and the shifter had actually less vibration then the stock one that tended to vibrate under load.Loosing the harder bushings will actually defeat some of the purpose of the new part.
New part=shorter throw,bushings=crisper shifts.
My two cents
Rudy

[thermobox]

only thing i can say is don't touch("slightly push") the shifter at all unless shifting or downshifting

[Sti491]

Thanks for feedback, everyone.

For clarification, it makes noise even if your hand is completely off the shifter.

I agree you shouldn't put pressure on the shifter... I only did this as part of the diagnostic process when it was rattling.

Well, tomorrow we'll see if another short shifter will be any different as Subaru is replacing it for free.

Maybe the fact that some other installs don't make noise bodes well for something being out of whack with the original install on mine.

I'll post the results later this week. Thanks again for resonses!

[Sti491]

Just had second short shifter installed for free by Subaru. Watched entire installation. I am convinced it was done correctly both times. The new short shifter rattles too, maybe a little less so.

I am going to live with extra noise. At least on my transmission, it seems inherent with the stiffer bushings the STi 6 mt comes with. Not a totally happy outcome. But, I think the Subaru service manager, mechanic and tech service dept did about all they could.

I spoke with Mark at Kartboy about their bushings. He said theirs are even harder than Subaru's. Installing those would only make the noise worse, in theory.

Thanks to all who tried to help me out.

[cnstman]

Thanks for the info.