Mazda 

How to make a gear shift lever. DIY gear number in the gear knob. How can the gear shift lever be positioned?

Now it’s time for a new blog, in which I want to tell you how to move the lever to four speed gearbox

This is done for convenience and a short stroke of the lever. In my case, the move remained the same, maybe a little less. But the convenience has increased significantly =)

This can be done either using a bolted connection or by welding. You will learn everything during the story =)

You need to buy the following:

1. Gear shift mechanism 2108 (I got it at a discount for 300 rubles)
2. Backstage cardan 2108 (170 rubles)
3. Bolt for cardan (8 rubles)
4. M6 bolts 5 pieces + washers + nuts (30 rubles)

You can see that this is not a costly business! Also, one of the positive aspects is that you don’t have to remove the box, everything is done from the interior.

So, we unscrew the plastic thing, remove the lever (by picking out the plastic circle from it), and unscrew the slide.
A spring will prevent us from removing it, returning the lever back

At first I grabbed it and secured it like this:

But this turned out to be a little pointless, since during subsequent adjustments I would have to remove and pull out the slide often, so I simply pulled out this spring.
After you have taken out the drawstring, you need to modify it as follows:

This is done so that the reverse gear is engaged without recessing; it will be automatically retracted when the lever is shifted to the right.
The picture shows an ideal cut, I didn’t get it very well, but everything works just the same

We also file down the lever and make an incision (2-3 millimeters) with a grinder as shown in the photo

It is done in the place where the bolt of the cardan will rest against the lever so that it does not jump off (drawn schematically, look at the place where to cut). That's all with the scenes)
Now a little work with the cardan itself.
Since it does not bend fully at 90 degrees, I had to make it bend

Then I removed the backlash by hammering in thin metal plates

Operations with the cardan are completed)
Then we position the gearshift lever as conveniently as possible, for me this place turned out to be like this:

I screwed everything back on from inside the car, so I didn’t have to crawl under the car.
We measure how many tubes need to be cut and cut them.
At the beginning, I decided not to resort to welding, to do everything with bolts. I found a suitable tube. In stores there is also a suitable tube called something like a traction finger. This one will fit better, although it will need to be sharpened in length, since it is a little thicker than necessary. If you decide to do it with bolts, then you need to drill everything very carefully so that there are no backlashes later and use a non-hollow tube as a connector!
And be sure to drill a hole and insert a bolt where the tube connects to the cardan, no clamp will hold it.
Also, the “U” shaped end, which is attached to the new lever, is not quite “U” shaped, it will also need to be slightly bent, in fact you will see and understand)

As a result, after driving, the connection became loose, since, apparently, the connecting tube was hollow. If it were solid and the holes were more precise, I think everything would work. So I brewed it. It turned out both with bolts and welding =) Double protection)

After driving a little, the cardan will most likely start to creak a little and everything that can creak)) So I removed this rubber band + lubricated the cardan + where the lever rotates. Now nothing creaks.
Finally, I decided to glue it with vibration and heat and noise insulation for pipes, so that I could hear less switching sounds:

The interior is still a mess, but by the season I’ll make everything better than it was!)

I'll probably answer some frequently asked questions.
1.Why the cardan 2108? Why not from viburnum? And not from the classic steering shaft? The driveshaft from the viburnum bends only 130 degrees instead of the required 90; there is no way to modify it so that it bends 90. I couldn't find the steering shaft driveshaft anywhere. So the best option turned out to be 2108, although it required so many modifications.
2.Is it reliable? At first I didn’t make a slot on the rocker arm for the cardan bolt and the following happened:

Because it was overstretched. Now the new cardan is holding up and working perfectly and is not losing its position yet!
3.Will the lever dangle without a return spring? Actually, I wanted to leave it, I thought it would be inconvenient. But as it turned out, everything works fine without it, the lever does not dangle due to the resistance of the structure, so to speak.
4. We cut off the limiter so that the rear gear is engaged without sinking, will we accidentally engage the reverse gear while driving? The answer is no. Firstly, 4th gear is much closer than reverse gear is engaged. Secondly, try to turn on the rear at least while moving 10 km/h, you will get nothing but terrible sounds, so it’s better not to try)
5.What needs to be done to have a short stroke? Just attach the “P” pattern higher. The higher you fix it, the shorter the gears will be, but it will take more effort to engage.

6.If I have a 5-mortar. What will change? Everything is much simpler here, you go to the store, buy a Chevy Niva rocker link, unscrew the original one and screw on the Chevy Niva one. The operations with the backstage described here will not concern you)

That seems to be all)

Thanks to such sites as vaz2101.ru, lada.ss and lada-vfts.ru for a lot of useful information!

And of course to the readers for their support and comments)

Added 11/11/2012! I converted the system to a driveshaft from a Subaru Impreza, and it also turned out to be short due to the upward displacement!

switching video

Just the first option, just moving the lever, the initial one:

Issue price: 600 rubles

Sometimes a motorist is faced with the question of why the gear shift lever dangles, but before answering it, you should clearly understand what this gearbox element is, its structure and what functions it performs.

Gear shift knob, or what is the design of the system?

A feature of all manual gearboxes is the need to manually operate the lever. We can assume that it is precisely this that performs the most important function in determining the speed limit of your movement. This means that without it, driving a vehicle becomes simply impossible. The principle of operation of the lever is quite simple: by tilting it in the longitudinal and transverse directions, you set it to a position that corresponds to a certain speed.

The gear shift lever handle is connected to the synchronizer via a fork, the position of which transmits information about the number of the selected speed. gearbox so that the generated engine power allows the car to move at a given speed. When the position of the lever corresponds to neutral gear, it is held in place by springs. The gear shift pattern is often depicted on the head of the lever.

How can the gear shift lever be positioned?

The location of the gearbox levers can be either floor-mounted or steering column mounted. And despite the fact that the latter is considered more convenient to use, nevertheless, in most cases, car manufacturers prefer the first option. This is due to some disadvantages of the steering column arrangement, including: low speed and clarity, the likelihood of incomplete gear engagement, the rods wear out much faster, sometimes they can jam, as well as “knocking out” the gear.

But in both cases, the design of the gear shift lever remains the same. The only differences can be in length, and if previously it could reach even 30 cm, today manufacturers strive to make it as small as possible, eliminating too much travel of the gear lever. Therefore, with a floor arrangement, nothing will change significantly in the design, but there will be noticeably fewer breakdowns.

Shift lever squeak and other problems

From all of the above, it is clear that this part is one of the most important in the entire system, and if it fails, then driving such a vehicle becomes life-threatening. The most common reasons why such an emergency can occur are either mechanical damage or the consequences of incorrect operation. Here are a few breakdowns that you can easily detect on your own.

You should know that The gear shift knob should move freely without jamming. If difficulties arise in performing this action, most likely the spherical washer or ball joint has failed. They need to be replaced urgently. The creaking of the gear shift lever also indicates a malfunction. If spontaneous shutdown occurs, then you should definitely check the spring; it is quite possible that it simply jumped off.

How to repair a gear shift lever?

In any case, no matter what happens, Gear shift lever repair involves replacing failed parts, and without completely removing it it will be impossible to do this. For this purpose, the plastic protective plate is dismantled and the hinge cage is released. After which it is necessary to move the jet rod to the side and remove the entire lever. But in order to free up access to all the plastic bushings and axles, it is necessary to remove the cover for the gear shift lever.

Check how the axle moves. If it is loose, then you need to change all the bushings, and do not forget to lubricate the new spare parts with special lubricant before installing them.

To replace the spring, it must be pulled out, and for this you need to dismantle the retaining ring and the hinge with the lever. If you cannot do without replacing the ball joint, you should carefully push the spherical washer apart with your fingers and remove the worn part. At the same time, when installing a new one, lubricate it.

The thrusts change as follows. There is a clamp at the bottom of the car; you should loosen it. Next you need to disconnect it from the hinges and, by unscrewing the fastening nut, you can freely pull out the rod. Installation of the new one is carried out in the reverse order. Thus, having replaced all damaged elements with new ones, you can drive safely. At the same time, do not forget that periodically it is necessary to adjust the gear shift lever.

To do this, you first need to remove the gear shift mechanism from the car. It is secured with two bolts. One bolt is located on the gearshift lever, and the second is located below, near the fastening of the rocker to the gearbox. After this, remove the retaining ring from the lever and pull the rocker into the interior.

To implement the plan, it is necessary to lengthen the two levers of the scenes.

To do this, you should cut the levers, as shown in the picture, and weld two metal rods, about 5.5 cm long, in the place of the cuts. The most important thing is that both rods are the same length, and the welding is done neatly and evenly.


Now let's put everything back together. To get rid of the rattling of the lever, you can make two washers from plastic bottle caps (beer bottle caps are ideal, mineral water bottle caps can also be used, but the quality will not be the same!). The washers are inserted at the point where the linkage is attached to the gearshift lever.


Well, if you are already here, replace the original gearbox driveshaft with a Kalinovsky one.

Now the final touch is the gear knob. It can be decorated with a piston from a Minsk motorcycle or something similar. The piston needs to be thoroughly polished, if it is not new, of course, and a nut must be installed to screw it onto the lever.

The lever housing can also be replaced. For example, one made of leather, so that the look is just right!


That's all. The result is a stylish look, short lever travel, clear gear changes, and a long and comfortable gear shift knob.

It will allow you to equip the gear shift knob with a small screen, on which a number will indicate which gear is currently engaged. The system also allows you to determine neutral speed. This addition will be especially useful for beginners who confuse gears. However, for a professional, such a homemade product will also not be superfluous, because such a handle makes the car stylish.

In order to make such a homemade product, you will need some skills in working with a microcontroller; specifically, the AVR microcontroller is used here. The system turns on when the ignition is turned on, and power is supplied to the controller from the lock. The data from the shift knob is read through the reed switches. There is a magnet in the cake and when it approaches one of the reed switches, it activates it (closes it) and then, based on this data, the system determines which gear is engaged. If none of the reed switches is closed, it means that the handle is in the neutral position, while a snake runs on the indicator screen. Let's take a closer look at the process of creating a homemade product.

Materials and tools for assembly:
- LED indicator with a common anode;
- ATtiny2313 microcontroller;
- reed switches operating for short circuit (6 pieces);
- voltage stabilizer type 7805;
- capacitors of 100 and 10 microfarads;
- current-limiting resistors for 10 kOhm (1 pc.) and 100 Ohm (7 pcs.);
- two magnets;
- a set for the gear lever made in Turkey by SAHLER (costs about 300 rubles).




Homemade manufacturing process:

Step one. Creating a board
The author made the board from foil PCB, and the reed switches are located on it. As for the magnets, they are attached to the drawstring.


Step two. We install an indicator in the handle and assemble the electronic part of the system
The purchased kit for the gear knob, which the author recommends using, is completely disassembled and very promising for various kinds of homemade products. The digital indicator needs to be placed in the handle, it fits perfectly. To install the indicator, you need to remove the round plastic cover from the handle, and in its place put a piece of plexiglass, which you can cut out yourself. To tint glass, a film is used, it is glued from the inside.

In order for the indicator to sit properly, you need to make a seat for it in the handle with a file. Next, eight wires are laid in the handle, which are then connected to the controller.






Now you can begin attaching the board with four reed switches. One board is attached to the plastic tunnel under the ashtray using self-tapping screws. You need to make a hole at the end so that the board can fit through. The second board is also attached to the plastic with self-tapping screws; they are connected together using a black wire. The reed switches can be positioned in another way, for example, by placing them on glue. The most important thing is that the reed switches clearly respond to the magnet.



Step three. Let's start programming the controller

When you turn on the system without programming, it will not work, but this process is not so complicated; for these purposes you will need:

1. A programmer is a device that connects a microcontroller to a computer. Using the programmer, the firmware is downloaded to the controller. There are a variety of programmers; you can even make simple ones yourself. The author uses the AVR910 USB programmer, you can buy it or assemble it yourself, the circuit diagrams and firmware are available on the Internet.

2. Software with which the programming process will take place. The author uses CodeVision AVR software.

3. Well, you will also need firmware, it is included.

An SPI interface is used to connect the controller to the programmer. In the photo on the left you can see the debug board, on the right is the programmer.


The development board for ATtiny2313 is very simple, here is its diagram.


Once the programmer is connected to the computer via a USB port, and the microcontroller is connected to the programmer via a development board, you can launch the CodeVision AVR software. In it you need to go to the Settings section and select Programmer. You can see in the photo what settings to enter.


Next, you need to open the Tools tab and select Chip Programmer in it.

The gearbox is an important link between the car's power unit and its wheels; with its help, the nature of the torque changes. This happens due to a change in the gear ratio between the gears in the unit housing. In most cases, the driver himself decides when which gear should be engaged, that is, he mechanically changes the position of the lever and thereby changes the position of the driven gear relative to the drive gear. Let's figure out why the gearshift knob rattles on such front-wheel drive cars, as well as similar 13 and 15 models of this family.

GEARBOX DEVICE OF THIS MODEL

First, we need to understand why this happens, where the vibration comes from, and why it’s actually not that bad on this particular car. To do this, we need to remember which drive is here and how it works with the gearbox. The car is front-wheel drive, so the gearbox is located perpendicular to the direction of travel, that is, the lever in the cabin does not fit directly into the box; a rocker is used. In the classic series with rear-wheel drive, the lever is directly inserted into the box, and if it starts to rattle there, then this is a sure sign of problems with it.

  1. We remove the outer plastic braid of the bushing to free its iron body.
  2. Now we need to see if there are any signs of friction on it. Their presence will indicate that the size is incorrect. They will be especially pronounced if the sleeve is slightly longer than necessary. If this is confirmed, then these extra millimeters are the reasons why the lever is rattling. In this case, you need to try on how much excess is in the hole and simply grind them off with a file, usually there are only 1-2 millimeters there.
  3. Now you need to select some kind of gasket according to the shape of the part, or simply wrap it with electrical tape so that it fits into place more tightly and then does not move.

So it became clear how to eliminate the rattling of the VAZ 2114 gearbox lever and why this generally happens. After our simple manipulations, the vibration should completely disappear, now the lever will always be in a calm state.

The described methods do not require any special knowledge and can be performed by an ordinary person in his garage with a minimum set of suitable tools.