I recently had my selector cable break which forced me to buy a new one. I bought from Rodney Dickman and I was shocked by what a difference it has made. I've had my Fiero for 12 years and it has always been tough to shift. It now shifts easier than most cars I've driven...it made a huge difference. Before I had to muscle it into reverse, but now I can use one finger.

I bought an 86 Se with a 4 speed muncie last year and i've been havin troubles with the shifter as well. I bought two brand new ones for the car and they seem to be alot longer then the stock shifter and selector cables. I don't know if i want to use them or not because of it. I was told from the fierostore.com that i could use them like that i just need to route them differently, just wondering if anyone else out there has experianced this and could help me out.
The reason i was replacing the cables was because the guy i bought it from said it needed to be replaced. The problems that i was experiance was it wouldn't shift into gear all the time, 3rd and the 4th gear were fairly easy to get into gear but 1st 2nd and reverse were a struggle to get into gear. Sometimes I would have to push the shifter all the way to the right to get in so it would go into first.

I broke my Getrag select cable too a couple of years ago, the outer metal tore. From day one, side to side shifter movment was difficult, but I was used to it. Once it finally gave up, I bought a select cable from Rodney. It was like seeing the light of day for the first time. Shifting became effortless. I wondered why I didn't do it before. What was funny was trying to explain that my shift pattern is a normal 5 speed to the guy dynoing the car.

Ive got an 86 gt with a getrag. When I shift it I have to use A LOT of muscle to select gears. Sometimes its a bit better thatn others, but once in a while it is so bad that if Im leaving a stop I must put it in second, let the clutch out a hair and then move to first, far from optimal. Do these symptoms sound like changing the cable will help?

Dont mean to steal your thread, just hoping we are having a similar cure...

If you want to know if your cables are bad, pop them off of the transmission. You should be able to move them by hand using only your finger tips. Your shifter will be moving all over the place in the car. I had a selecter cable that was stiff but I was able to lubricate it with an oil that's made for fishing reels that has a long narrow tip. I just slipped it inside the rubber boot and gave it a few drops every day for a couple weeks. It's like butter now. It may or may not work for you but it's a lot cheaper than the new cables.

Also, it doesn't matter how long the cables are. What's important is how far the ends protrude from the casing. If those are the same as your originals, you're good.

Thnaks for the tech on if they are bad. Popped mine off at the trans and they are very tight, feels like hitting dry spots. What product should I be looking/ asking for (the only fishing I do is at the seafood counter at the grocery store! lol)

quote Originally posted by GT2efiero: I bought an 86 Se with a 4 speed muncie last year and i've been havin troubles with the shifter as well. I bought two brand new ones for the car and they seem to be alot longer then the stock shifter and selector cables. I don't know if i want to use them or not because of it. I was told from the fierostore.com that i could use them like that i just need to route them differently, just wondering if anyone else out there has experianced this and could help me out. The reason i was replacing the cables was because the guy i bought it from said it needed to be replaced. The problems that i was experiance was it wouldn't shift into gear all the time, 3rd and the 4th gear were fairly easy to get into gear but 1st 2nd and reverse were a struggle to get into gear. Sometimes I would have to push the shifter all the way to the right to get in so it would go into first.

They sold you 4 cylinder 4 speed cables. I have V-6 4 speed cables on my web page that are the correct length.

------------------
Rodney Dickman

Fiero Parts And Acc's Web Page:
www.rodneydickman.com
Rodney Dickman's Fiero accessories
7604 Treeview Drive
Caledonia, WI 53108
Phone/Fax (262) 835-9575

I have bought a lot of stuff from Rodney over the years and teh quality is great, service is fast and excelent and price is reasonable!!! If I end up buying cables there is no doubt that is where they will be coming from...

quote Originally posted by 2002z28ssconv: If you want to know if your cables are bad, pop them off of the transmission. You should be able to move them by hand using only your finger tips. Your shifter will be moving all over the place in the car. I had a selecter cable that was stiff but I was able to lubricate it with an oil that's made for fishing reels that has a long narrow tip. I just slipped it inside the rubber boot and gave it a few drops every day for a couple weeks. It's like butter now. It may or may not work for you but it's a lot cheaper than the new cables. Also, it doesn't matter how long the cables are. What's important is how far the ends protrude from the casing. If those are the same as your originals, you're good.

Do you have to do anything special to take them off and put them back on? Mine are sticking when its cold as well.. Below 20 you cant even move the stick side to side until the engine warms up, and driving with just 3rd and 4th sux ( not that it matters much this winter, its parked this year )

I didnt beed anything special..it was pretty easy, just a cotter pin at the stick, and a bolt at the transaxle. You'll have to remove the center console to get full access to the cable, but all in all it was a 20 min job. HUGE difference.

they really made THAT MUCH of a difference?

Rodney i've looked through your website and it would be 280 for a set of cables not including shipping. The place i bought these other cables from won't return them, and it's hard for me to rationalize another 280 for the cables. I know for some people 280 isn't a big deal but i'm struggling to get through college and i really want to keep my fiero. I'm just wondering if it's safe to use these other cables on my car?
Sorry if i'm hijacking this thread.

it truely made that much difference. I normally wouldnt of created a thread , but it was such a difference that i felt that i had to.

quote Originally posted by gold430: they really made THAT MUCH of a difference?

Sure did on my '85 4cyl 5spd. Some of the best money I've spent on that car.

In addition to a good set of shift cables, don't overlook a couple of other things that can greatly improve the shifting of your Fiero.

Check the transaxle fluid - if it's tinted red, it's the factory fill. Replace it with Sychromesh fluid (available at GM and Chrysler dealers and AutoZone) - this is what GM recommends for all Fiero manual transaxles.

Check for play in the shifter mechanisms - at the shifter and back at the linkage on the transaxle. These get loose with wear and make shifting tricky - Rodney Dickman makes kits for the shifters and shift linkages that tighten things up and restore the mechanisms to better-than-new.