Buddy Club Short Shifter install question / Grindy 4th gear

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Philly Cheesesteak

Well-Known Member
2
0
Hey all, I've had a buddy club short shift kit install on my 2013 si coupe for about 6 months now and it has been great but with a few issues I'd like to see if anyone else is having as well. Whenever shifting to 4th, there is a grindy/notchy feel that the gear isn't going in smoothly and you can feel a vibration in the shifter. There also seems to be grindy feelings into other gears but it is most noticeable in 4th. I'm wondering if anyone else is experiencing this issue.

shift cable assemblies.jpg

(PS The pic above is not mine or any indication of bent cables, just a picture to show which cables I am referring to)

When attaching the shift cable assemblies, how much did you have to bend the black cables to get them to fit into the shifter cage? My cables had bent to the right to get them to fit, and I am wondering if that is normal as I'm not sure how the cables look when stock. Anyone else with this issue?
 
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Redrocket1

Redrocket1

Well-Known Member
149
70
Kalamazoo, MI
Vehicle Model
Civic Si
Body Style
Coupe
I had an issue getting into 4th with my BC ss. After installing MTEC springs, it hasn't happened since. But you also might want to try reinstalling your shifter to make sure everything is seated properly.
 
squiggy

squiggy

Cartographer
Super Mod
11,183
6,654
Michiana
Vehicle Model
'12 Civic Si
Body Style
DBP II Coupe
I just have an adapter, but the install is similar since you have to take the stock cage out and reinstall it.

You may have bent a cable. I don't remember them being too flexible nor having to move them very far to get them on/off.
 
323

323

Modifier
5,252
3,682
Chicago
Vehicle Model
Civic Si
Body Style
Sedan
I have an adapter too, but just like squiggy I don't remember having to move the cables much to get it to fit.
 
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Philly Cheesesteak

Well-Known Member
2
0
Here is a pic of my cables. Do you think they look normal or slightly bent? If anyone could check their own or have pics of their own that would be great. I havn't had time for a reinstallation, but I remember I had to struggle and use some force to get the cables to attach back in to the cage.
cables 1.jpg cables 2.jpg
 
Hella JDM

Hella JDM

Well-Known Member
95
89
Your cables are probably fine. I made a thread on the other 9th gen Civic forum regarding this issue, and I think more and more people are experiencing what I did, or to a lesser degree, and not noticing.

So my BB SS was the first mod I did to my car almost a year ago. I remember at the time liking it, and had good luck with it. Well little by little my driving experience started to suffer. Fast forward to probably 3 months ago, my shifting was so bad, I just couldn't figure out what was going on. Shifting was sloppy, inconsistent, and notchy. Sometimes I would grind a gear shifting very slow and pushing the clutch all the way in. I have done everything short of the CDV delete on this car (Hybrid Racing EM1 CMC, MTEC springs, Hybrid Racing cable bushings, TWM base bushings, BC SS). Here is the thread I started on the other forum:

So I have been really trying to clean up some sloppiness in my shifter feel. My shifts felt inconsistent, sloppy, and notchy. I installed a Buddy Club SS as my fist mod on the car, almost a year ago. Since then I have done MTEC springs, TWM base bushings, Hybrid Racing cable bushings, and a Hybrid Racing EM1 CMC. I have tried a few different fluids for the tranny as well (right now I am running a Torco MTF/RTF mix). Still frustrated with what I would call a "dead zone" in the shifter. I could wiggle the shift knob and there was a significant amount of slop in the short shifter its self. Well curiosity got the best of me and I decided to tear it apart to look into it. I kept my stock shifter (I have kept every stock part I have removed, glad I did), and upon looking at that, I noticed that there is no play in the shifter its self, it is very solid. Here is a video I took of the wiggle I am talking about with the BC SS:

View: https://youtu.be/SRbCKHzgGKE


This is certainly not normal. There is a lock ring on the top of the cage so you can remove the lever, and that was locked. On the bottom of the assembly, I could see that the plastic that supports the bottom of the pivot ball was broken. I have no idea how long it has been like this, but I have been chasing dragons forever trying to get rid of this. The car only has 11,000 miles so I figured it wasn't cables. I installed the stock shifter and what a WORLD of difference! Absolutely zero play, very precise and predictable shifting, and each gear feels the same. I am not sure if I should contact BC on this issue. @team3d do you think it is worth giving them a call? I don't think it has been a year since I bought one from you but maybe it has. Here is a picture of one of the broken tabs I was able to find:


You can see me effortlessly wiggling the lever back and fourth. Beyond the dead zone, you can feel the MTEC springs start to kick in. Once I took the interior panels off the damage was obvious. Here you can see the pivot ball of the shift lever, and how much play it has inside the cage:

View: https://youtu.be/bs8ExTYhg5g
 
Hella JDM

Hella JDM

Well-Known Member
95
89
So now I have my stock shifter back in with a CT engineering SS and the difference is night and freaking day! Shifts are perfect, feel great, no grind, very smooth and shifting feels the same every single time.
 
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