I think I may have some bad mounts somewhere, but thought I would ask the experts. When cruising along, say in third gear ( 5 speed), if I am going from slight acceleration to slight deceleration, or visa versa, I can feel a distinct movement in the gear shift- about 1/4" as measured by eye while driving. It is a sharp movement( front to back), with some amount of force. I'm suspecting I have 1 or more mounts that are bad, allowing the engine/trans to move front to back. The small shock dampner at the lower front of the engine was broken when I got the car ( Had pulled the weld apart where the pushing goes through. I re-welded it, and re-installed, but don'r really expect it to last long ( help, Rodney!). I did a cursory inspection of the mounts when it was on the lift a few weeks ago, and other than the dampner, everything else looked OK. I just don't want to get into replacing a bunch of parts without knowing they are bad. So I guess the question becomes "Is there a way to inspect the engine/trans mounts to see if they need replacing? Or am I chasing the wrong issue, or maybe there is no issue, and this is normal?
Replacing them is not a big deal, but I just wanted to be sure that might be the issue. I guess it could also be cradle mounts, or .... Just hate throwing away money, as it's a new vehicle to me, and I don't yet know all the quirks. PO may have just changed the mounts, for all I know, or movement in the shifter might be normal. Just trying to learn as I go.
I don't remember the shifter ever moving like that on any manual tranny fiero.
How is your top dog bone? You can also remove and inspect the mounts. I would think if the cradle was moving enough to move shifter, you would hear some noises...
Oh, I would check your cables and end mounts to make sure they are not bad...
[This message has been edited by jaskispyder (edited 12-19-2014).]
Sorry for a delay in getting back. Had a death in the family that took some time. Replaced trans and engine mounts, and took for a test drive today. No change in the shifter movement- if anything, it is more pronounced.
The shifter ( short shifter), moves front to back ( or visa versa) when switching from acceleration to deceleration. You can really notice it if you are just cruising along, and having to feather the gas to maintain a speed ( like 45). The movement is about 3/4" to 1", and quite sharp. I have another symptom that may be related. Since I'm new to Fiero's, it may be common, but when driving down the freeway, any small movement in the steering wheel results in immediate "wallowing" of the rear end. 2 or 3 quick movements can really get exciting! Don't know if the cradle mounts might be involved, or other suspension bushings. All looked reasonably good when I was under the car changing the engine mounts, and a test with a long bar produced no visible movements.
Since it is a front to back movement, guess my next step may be to replace the dogbone ( looks OK, but definitely old).
Originally posted by darbysan: Since I'm new to Fiero's, it may be common, but when driving down the freeway, any small movement in the steering wheel results in immediate "wallowing" of the rear end. 2 or 3 quick movements can really get exciting!
I can't say it's common, but it has been the subject of more than a few threads on this forum....and it is dangerous. Cradle bushings, ball joints, wheel bearings, all may be the cause. See if you can wiggle the wheels by hand when the car is up in the air.
Thanks for the ideas and the link. I'll throw it up on the lift this week and see if I can see anything. Car was supposedly aligned just before I bought it, and it tracks straight , so don't know if that might be an issue.
The shifting cable sheaths are solidly mounted at each end; to the shifter and the transmission. The cables are attached to the shift lever and the shifting arms on the transmission. Cradle bushings, transmission mounts, etc., will not cause the shift lever to move. Take a look to see if the mounting clips on the cables are tight. If they are, chances are the shifter movement is due to wear in the shifter, cable ends, transmission shift mechanism or internal to the transmission.
BTW, every manual trans Fiero I have owned does this......
[This message has been edited by olejoedad (edited 03-01-2015).]
The shifting cable sheaths are solidly mounted at each end; to the shifter and the transmission. The cables are attached to the shift lever and the shifting arms on the transmission. Cradle bushings, transmission mounts, etc., will not cause the shift lever to move. Take a look to see if the mounting clips on the cables are tight. If they are, chances are the shifter movement is due to wear in the shifter, cable ends, transmission shift mechanism or internal to the transmission.
BTW, every manual trans Fiero I have owned does this......
