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Shift cables are control cables used to link the gear shift lever with transmissions. Over time, these cables may stretch or break, making selecting gear difficult.
If your gearshift is failing to click into place, let our technicians inspect and adjust or replace your transmission as well as adjust or replace its shift cable.
Shifter Cable
A shifter cable, connecting your shift lever with the transmission gear selector shaft, is an integral component of your vehicle and essential to shifting properly and avoiding transmission damage.
Shift cables may not be cheap, but they are highly durable and should last many years. Their inner wire is constructed from steel for increased strength and resilience while silicone oil helps displace moisture away from its core.
Quality shifter cables should ensure smooth and firm shifting for the transmission, making sure it shifts into its appropriate gears smoothly and reliably. If your vehicle slipped out of gear or failed to shift reliably, it may be time for an upgrade in shifter cable quality or replacement altogether.
Installing a new shifter cable should be straightforward if the old cable is undamaged. To begin, remove the cover bolt from the shift lever in order to access and pull out the old cable.
Once the old cable has been unhooked, shorten each end to match its respective length in the new shifter cable by using Bowden cable pliers.
Once you have shortened one end of the cable, cut it to fit within its housing stop. Add ferrules before installing into its housing.
Before beginning to route the cable, apply a thin layer of chain lube to each strand to help displace moisture from within and prevent corrosion. This will ensure smooth passage.
As you route the cable through its housing, keep it on a straight trajectory without forcing it into any bends. If resistance arises at any bends, remove that section and straighten out before reinstalling.
Install cable doughnuts to reduce any rattling against the frame. These molded plastic donuts come in both large and small sizes to help with noise dampening.
Shifter cables typically break in either their housing or outer sheath. Frayed or worn-looking strands on a cable could be another telltale sign that it needs replacing.
Clutch Cable
Clutch Cables are an integral component of most manual transmission cars, linking the clutch pedal with its release mechanism to enable shifting of gears by pushing in on the clutch pedal.
The cable used on your vehicle should typically be constructed of braided steel with a protective sheath and may become stretched over time, necessitating replacement at some point during its lifecycle. Regular checks should be conducted on this maintenance item to ensure its optimal condition and ensure its safety for operation.
A clutch requires tension in addition to its cable for proper functioning; with cable-operated clutches this is achieved via tensioning of the cable itself; for hydraulic clutches this pressure is created through either a Master or Slave Cylinder.
Faulty cables can create difficulties when it comes to shifting gears, including pedal pressure that feels harder or may not spring back up after being released (this could indicate loose wires).
An improperly installed cable can easily break, necessitating its replacement immediately. Other causes for broken clutch cables could include damaged pressure plates, restrictions in movement or wear and tear over time.
As your cable is frequently subject to strain, improper care may cause it to snap under pressure and lead to problems like increased clutch pedal ‘bite point’ and changes in vehicle speed or even complete lack of engagement.
Professional mechanics can easily identify whether or not your clutch needs replacing, inspect for signs of corrosion or damage, and perform an overall check to make sure everything is operating optimally.
A new clutch comes with its own cable, making this an effective way of saving on clutch repair costs and keeping your car running optimally. Furthermore, replacing brake pads and rotors may help ensure that it stays in top shape.
Shifter Bushings
Shifter bushings are used in manual transmission vehicles to connect the shift cable to its linkages, enabling cars to transition between gears. If a bushing breaks or wears out prematurely, it could pose issues for its assembly, potentially hindering its proper function.
These components may also produce odd noises such as thumping, bumping, squealing or whirring sounds that should be checked immediately if they happen to make these sounds. It’s an indicator of gear bushing issues which needs replacing quickly so be on the lookout for any odd sounds coming from these components!
Honda and Acura shifter cable bushings are purposefully made quite compliant to give their cars a smoother, more tame driving experience; unfortunately this can have unintended repercussions as it distracts drivers from feeling transmission shifts during shifts and leads to missed or slow shifting during racing conditions.
ACUITY has designed this kit with stiffer Acetal and 6061-T6 Aluminum bushings than those found on OEM cables to minimize side-to-side and front-to-back compliance, along with a custom spherical bearing to eliminate binding common among solid shifter cable bushings on the market.
This kit comes equipped with self-lubricating polyurethane bushings that eliminate the need for grease to keep them in top shape and help increase shifting precision in your car, eliminating soft OEM rubber bushings that may lead to sloppy shifting. It provides an economical way of increasing shifting precision while decreasing costs associated with sloppy shifting.
ACUITY’s shifter base bushings stand out from their competition because they feature self-lubricating properties and come complete with high-grade spherical bearings to reduce long-term wear and tear. Backed by years of experience and designed specifically to fit with OEM shifter cables.
Shifter bushings are an essential component of transmissions. When they break or wear out, shifter operation becomes hard to use and dangerously sloppy – an issue which should be rectified immediately to ensure safety.
Synchros
Synchros are devices designed to convert mechanical rotational motion into an electrical signal, similar to potentiometers and encoders used for position measurement and control.
Synchros are used to send and receive angular data between locations with great accuracy, often used in aviation equipment but can also be very expensive.
General, they are transformers that contain both a rotor and stator – similar to an electric motor’s armature and field, respectively – bound together by a winding.
As soon as an alternating current is applied to the primary winding of a rotor, electromagnetic induction causes voltages to emerge between its secondary windings arranged Y-connected at 120 degrees to one another on the stator. These voltages can then be measured and used to ascertain what angle rotor has relative to stator.
This information is then sent to a receiver located at the station being controlled, who receives and processes it by turning its rotor in sync with the transmitter.
Based on its operating frequency, synchros can generate either an electrical signal or mechanical output. An electrical output may be used to drive a motor that rotates receiver rotor in unison with synchro. Mechanical outputs may be used to operate position servos such as dials or valves.
Synchro systems must use matching mains excitation voltage sources that match in both voltage and phase to maintain their integrity and ensure reliability of operation.
Some synchros are built to work on three-phase systems while others use single-phase power supplies. Either way, their five or six mains input/output lines from transmitter and receiver are combined and bussed together in order to supply power for interlocking of their shafts.
Some selsyns are specifically tailored for precision applications; these models feature a coarse transmitter slaved to a fine receiver for greater accuracy in readings. By rotating multiple times for every full rotation of the coarse transmitter, more precise values can be determined and read off more precisely.