5 speed, 86 4 cyl, it resists the movement of the shifter after driving for a while. When I first get in and go it shifts smooth and easy. Later it becomes sort of stiff and difficult to shift fast. Any ideas?

clutch bleed is first suspect in fiero manual,internal problems like shift fork and syncronisers cause ,, are difficult to diagnose ,if works O K with slow shifting could be internal some chance of throwout bearing or fork lever

[This message has been edited by uhlanstan (edited 10-24-2007).]

It is well bled, and re bled, never grinds in any gear, but stiff to shift after driving a few minutes. It can't be teh gear lube since it is fine in the beginning right? Would the cables get better after sitting overnight and worse after some use again?

I heard that old nasty clutch fluid will cause what you are describing.

------------------
1984 Fiero SE, White, first love, sold...
1986 Fiero SE 2M6, gold
1988 Fiero 2M4, the Fox
1987 Fiero GT, Blue, 3.4/4T40
Still looking for that perfect CJB 88 GT...

Izzie transmission? I suspect the cables are swelling after they get warm. They pass within about 6-8 inches of the catalytic converter. They are at least 20 years old. I am going to pull mine in the morning to see if I can get some lube, ATF maybe and gwt them to work a little better. Rodney Dickman is working on replacements for the Izzie 5 spd. I have heard that the rest of the replacements are poorly made junk.

My post will not register! joseph is correct never remove transmission shaft lever cable ends.. these will give many years of service but hate to be removed, the stress of release bolt pressure separates ball from socket..move gear shift to expose maximum amount of cable,spray inside with brake cleaner ect let dry and lube then shift to pull cable inside sheath do both cablesfind highest part of cable split cable sheath and apply lubricant I build a small reservoir to hold fluid so it drains into tightly wound outer cable,or I make tight circle to separate strands,, you can separate cable under console and hold up and lube but problem area is heated cable,,NEVER remove the ball socket cables unless absolutely must do rodney dickman kit works great,, and you know how I know,,also you can wrap these cables with some insulation from home depot

My post are not register properly.. not so important as 88 87 but did you use fiero method to bleed where you have front end much higher than rear, no clutch pedal push,or very little.let fluid flow to rear, and push slave rod in all the way ??? if these do not repair I will list the items that heat will effect in trans and clutch hope for easy fix,, if synchronozer it will be noisier in some gears.if clutch release lever or bearing or dry pilot bushing or loose bolts on pressure plate it will be noisy all the time and you will not notice untill gets loud. a bent or worn shift fork makes no noise you can hear.. these transmissions are 20 years old and shift fork problems and synchonizers are begginning to fail more often,, im confused about cable runs by cat

I thought cables as well. Anyone else have tips on lubing Izzy cables? Maybe someone posted a success story before?

2.5 I read somewhere , dont remember who wrote it , about a fella who put the inside the car end into his shop vac hose. Wrapped it good with tape, then used some "3in1" brand oil on the other end and sort of drizzeled it down the outside end with the vacume on. He also moved the cable up and down while doing this. I removed my cables from my car just now and I am going to try this tomorrow morning. I also found a bend in the inside cable just in front of where in slides in to the outside part. I straightened out the bend and I have a whole lot smoother and effortless shift from that one. I took a picture for you , but forgot to put the memory chip back in the camera first. I am also going to lube the shifter real well before I hook every thing back up. I'll let you know if this works out or not.

Joe

Joe thanks! I hope I can still see some pictures, as I have never had anything apart as far as shifter cable access goes. Keep me informed!

The rodney dickman kit is only needed if the ball socket separates from cable end , this happens frequently (it why there is a kit) It is why I said do not remove the bolts that attach the cables to the transmission levers ,, you can pull the retaining clips that hold the cable to the transmission to obtain more cable movement,they look like arc de triumph,paris.. the placement of the cables is obvious and you do not need photo,,the cables need insulation around them long term,, the cables should be routed for the least bends and easiest pull..,not so sure about vacuum cleaner, great story tho,,if you remove console disconect cables and hold them up in air to let fluid run down this should do the job if you also lube cable at transmission..you can remove cables from cab to hold in air to let fluids fully penetrate to bottom end.. pulling the cables thru the cab is easy more difficult to pull console and disconect..You can build funnel at cable entrance,this will hold fluid so it better flows to lowest point,better than vacuum cleaner< I love ingenuity ,, you can pull cable when loose and compare if one cable is more resistant,, these cables move very freely..never ajust an old fiero transmission cable unless certain, positive,100% it must be done

uhlanstan , yes I am not sure if the vacume will work. I am going out to try it now. I need some lube inside these cables

Ok the vac thing did work for a while in one cable. Onec it was about half way lubed I guessthe vac started laboring real bad so I took it off. Started the gravity drip , letting it rundown into the cabel while I had it nailed to a stud in the garage. I started to vac the second one and my shop vac started smoking. pretty quickly.
So I switched back to the gravity drip of the "3in1" oil on it to. After about an hour I had an oil spot on the floor of the garage from the first cable. I moves in and out real smooth now. About 1/4 of the effort it took before.I will go out about every 30 min's or so tonight and apply some more oil into the inner cable.

Both go back in the car in the morning.

Joe

Ok so if I were to do the drip method. I need to remove the cables, how do I do this, are there just the 2 cables? Sounds like a no-no to disconnect the "shaft lever cable ends". I would like to know where to connect and disconnect, etc.
Thanks for documenting your procedure, are you using 3 in 1 oil?

I took them off of the car, but some say this is unwise. 3 in 1 was my choise. Be sure and take photos first so you can get them back correctly. The inside plugs come out threw the cabin side firewall with a flat blade screwdriver real easy . Then the cables cross each other going to the shifter.
You got to have the correct ones on the correct sides.
Also I worked them in and out many time during the course of the day.

Mine are real smooth now.

You can remove cables it is just that they easily separate ,I had both separate on my most recent fiero purchase adding to my joy,, they can come off many times with no problem I have been bitten twice recently so am cautious,use pb blaster first it will help loosen crap on cable and outer sheath..if you do remove at transmission mark possition of bolt itself on each shift lever ,, these levers move easily by hand if not you may have internal problem.. just use care in removal and you will probably have no problem,,just build a small funnel as a holder for the blaster at top end of cable.use tape or rubber band to hold funnel tight ,"this works" I have worked with cables often as a scooter mechanic.. 1 I would pb blast 2 brake cleaner 3 lube to much lube will attract dirt wipe down exposed cable,once cable moves freely very little lube is needed,you can do one at a time if worried..

[This message has been edited by uhlanstan (edited 10-25-2007).]

After an overnight hanging and many dripping oil onto the inner cables, I had a nice puddel of oil on the ground under the two cables. I am gonna put these back in the car now. They were slick as glass when moving them in, and out.

Joe

I have installed them back into the car. It feels like the shifter in my wifes 2004 Elantra now. Man this is great. I can feel every little click through the shifter knob. I couldnt feel that before.

If I can just get the clutch to work correctly I'll be in good shape.

I would recommend this to all are up to the task. I am sure these cars almost all have 20 year old cables. Any lube that was put on at the factory is long gone. Be sure and mark the shifter arms on the transmission before you remove the nuts and washers so you can get them back in the same place.

Joe Crawford
Texas

If one were to not remove the cables from the car, do you oil them from the tranny side, or the shifter side?