Any adjustment for sloppy shifter? (B&M)

I installed my B&M about 5 years ago when I first purchased my car. Over the years I have noticed the the shifter doesn't feel as laser sharp as it used to. It has a little "slop" from side-to-side (not much, couple of mm maybe). Not much end-to-end play though. I've tried adjusting the set screw on the B&M bushing to no avail. I can make the shifter difficult to move side to side but the play is still there. Play exist in Neutral and while in gear. Would the solid cable end that EVOMS, Vivid, Paragon, Schnell, etc. help with this? Thanks P.S. I searched for a while. If the answer is out there then I couldn't find it.

I am not certain about this but I think you are probably correct that the cable ends may be causing the shifter to have some "play" in it. You could get the aftermarket cable ends, but even though the exterior of those pieces are billet aluminum, I believe the material inside socket is plastic and will still be subject to the same wear traits. The OEM replacement cable ends are available. I don't know how much they are, but they are probably cheaper than the bullet aluminum aftermarket parts. Here is a diagram from the PET showing the cable ends. Note that there are two #8 parts available. #8 - 996 424 145 00 - fastening part for cable - adjustable - model year 1999 #8 - 996 424 145 01 - fastening part for cable - adjustable - model years 2000 - 2004 #9 - 996 424 147 00 - fastening part for cable - adjustable Hope this helps.

Thanks Tim. I didn't know you could buy just the cable ends. I'll guess I'll try changing those out and reporting back.

You are welcome.

Resurrecting this back from the dead...I just picked up a 2002 996 C2 that has a BandM short shifter, and there is more side play than I would like -- feels sloppy. Did you ever resolve this by replacing the cable ends? I am considering replacing the plastic shims that come pre-installed on either side btwn the silver shifter rod and blue housing with some thicker shims from McMaster-Carr, as this seems to be contributing to the sloppiness.

My car has the same problem and I think I've tracked the problem down to the white "lever" on the left side of the shifter housing that one of the cables connects to (not the parts labelled 8 and 9 in the diagram above, but the part that 8 connects to on the side of the shifter). I've noticed there is a lot of play in there. I have the new parts, I just haven't had a chance to tear everything apart yet.

True, there's some slack in that connection as well (white lever controls the left shifter cable). Is there a collar that fits btwn the shifter and the white lever that can be enlarged/replaced to reduce the tolerance? ***Also important to note - refrain from reducing tolerances btwn parts too much, as this may lead to the assembly binding up due to material swelling in higher heat conditions

On the factory shifter, there is a piece that snaps onto the ball end of the shifter that takes up the slack in the white lever. My car had a B&M installed when I bought it, and I noticed that piece is not present on mine. My spare shifter assembly has one though, so I'm hoping that will fit on the B&M.

Glad to see this thread. I installed the B&M Short Shifter about a year ago, and so far have not had any issues . I will save this thread in anticipation of eventual problems. Thanks to you all Gotta love Rennlist

When I installed the B&M in my car 5-6 years ago I also replaced the plastic shift link with the Agency Power metal link. The plastic ones wear fairly fast and can lead to lots of slop. The B&M shorten the throw of the shifter but don't have much impact on the sloppy feel. I got min from Vivid Racing http://www.vividracing.com/catalog/a...e-p-15560.html Here is a link to one on eBay. http://www.ebay.com/itm/AGENCY-POWER...2e2234&vxp=mtr A little expensive, but the thing will never wear out and get sloppy.

I gotta tell you you that this is a terrible design to begin with. Thank god for entrepreneurs and invention!

I am ordering my SSK and based on what I am reading here, will go ahead and pick up the billet aluminum shift linkage. Getting mine from Bumperplugs since it seems they have he most competitive price on the pair.

Got the B&M SSK and EVO Billet Aluminum linkage in today. Given what I have read in prep for this DIY, want to make sure I get the alignment down the first time. I have heard the instructions that come with the B&M are very detailed and having reviewed them, would agree they look thorough. So, key concern I have is with the aluminum linkage and what that changes to the instructions. The B&M instructions have me marking the cables so to get them back in place, but this would not apply with the linkage change. Anyone? This is my first DIY (outside of aluminum pedal installation and simple air and cabin filter changes). Just want to make sure I get this right.

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I noticed that my stock and replacement aluminum linkage had exactly the same measures, so in my case the marking on the cables worked just fine. I guess other replacement linkages also have the same measures as the stock one, but measure it just in case. If the measure is not the same, you have to adjust the fitting appropriately (move the cable the same distance as the difference in measure between the stock and the replacement linkage). Robert