2013 Abarth - Shifter cable bushing fails at transmission

[mecheng]

**Edited for clarity**

I was planning this go the route of heim joints and modifying the arms to remove the balls and use bolts rather than spend $230 on the shifter assembly but my transmission started slipping out of third gear so I decided to avoid Chrysler of Canada denying a warranty repair on the grounds that I put an aftermarket part onto the tranny. Here's some pics of the pathetic bushings:





Seriously. This is completely unacceptable. I also think that installation was to blame, after removing it from the ball joint, the bushing housing's relaxed position was 90-degrees to what it should be, which is to say the bushing should have been threaded an extra 90-degrees on the rod. This put an inordinate amount of stress on the rubber and once it heated/cooled a few times in that spot it finally sh!t the bed. God I can't wait to sell this car.

[BigDaddySRT]

My transmission started slipping out of third gear so I decided to avoid Chrysler of Canada denying a warranty repair on the grounds that I put an aftermarket part onto the tranny. Here's some pics of the pathetic bushings:





Seriously. This is completely unacceptable. I also think that installation was to blame, after removing it from the ball joint, the bushing housing's relaxed position was 90-degrees to what it should be, which is to say the bushing should have been threaded an extra 90-degrees on the rod. This put an inordinate amount of stress on the rubber and once it heated/cooled a few times in that spot it finally sh!t the bed. God I can't wait to sell this car.

You installed an aftermarket Shifter/ ****ty adapter and you knew that FCA wouldn't repair the car under warranty... way to go!!!

[mecheng]

You installed an aftermarket Shifter/ ****ty adapter and you knew that FCA wouldn't repair the car under warranty... way to go!!!

I see now that my original post was unclear. I was contemplating buying heim joints and modifying the arms to remove the balls and use bolts instead (much cheaper than buying the whole shift linkage assembly for two bushings); however, before I could get to doing it the tranny started slipping. Obviously if I went with the modified linkage and brought the car in for repair they could have cited that adjustment as grounds to deny the claim. So instead I bit the bullet and bought the whole linkage.

[Birdseyeview]

I shot a home video of changing one of the hyme joint bushings. Here is the link:

https://youtu.be/kKP2DD047Qc

[mecheng]

And what annoys me most is the fact that the replacement bushing I got isn't even the updated part with the new green over-moulding on the smaller of the two bushings as seen in the above video. Balls.

[Loring]

It's normal for shift cables to generate a small amount of twist after some usage. The cables are twisted steel, so after some tension over time, the 'stretch' shows itself as 'twist'. For non threaded cable ends (automatics, typically), we recommend replacing the cable if there's more than 45° of twist. This isn't the case with threaded ends which can be adjusted for.

[mecheng]

So by this logic we (or the dealership) are expected to inspect and adjust these bushings periodically? Seems unnecessarily labor intensive...

[Loring]

No, that wasn't the argument I was making. The OEM bushings fail even on vehicles without cable twist. During service with our repair kit, adjust it out, where possible. No big deal.

[aelfwyne]

No, that wasn't the argument I was making. The OEM bushings fail even on vehicles without cable twist. During service with our repair kit, adjust it out, where possible. No big deal.

Did you guys ever release the revised Manual Trans Abarth bushing you were talking about? I seem to remember there was a problem with the initial design and you had to redo it, delaying availability.

[metahpor]

Hi, I'm in dire and ugent need to have the bushing replaced. I see on your website that the FM1 has been made unavailable, can you still sell one? Thank you very much.

No, that wasn't the argument I was making. The OEM bushings fail even on vehicles without cable twist. During service with our repair kit, adjust it out, where possible. No big deal.

[Loring]

We've got the FM1 bushings in stock, but we've only got the side to side cable. Just to avoid confusion, we've taken them down until we have model specific, complete kits. If you've got a failed side to side bushing out, contact us via the website and we'll get you set up. Abarth up/down kits will be in hand in a month or two, and non-abarth up/down kits are about ~3 months out.

[Thunderbolt]

We've got the FM1 bushings in stock, but we've only got the side to side cable. Just to avoid confusion, we've taken them down until we have model specific, complete kits. If you've got a failed side to side bushing out, contact us via the website and we'll get you set up. Abarth up/down kits will be in hand in a month or two, and non-abarth up/down kits are about ~3 months out.

Looking forward to a complete Abarth kit. Want to have a set of spare bushings in the garage before I actually need them.

[Klasse Act]

I just found this thread this evening because I believe my shifter cable or bushing failed, shifter was wobbling all over the place and I believe I was in 3rd gear on the freeway coming home, doing 55 mph I was around 3K. I'm having the car towed to the dealership tomorrow morning and I guess I'll have to wait and see what they say. I'm at 40K so the car is out of warranty and I really don't want the car sitting there for a week while they have to order the cable, if that's what it is and it sure seems like it, the busing inparticular, so I wonder if they'll just zip tie it and let me take my car and come back when the part is in and then replace the cable or just use the bushing off of the new cable, I guess I'll have to wait and see.

Thanks for the knowledge in this thread and for an aftermarket fix. Once I get my car back and find out what the actual failure was I'm going to order the upgrade and have my buddy replace it, can't seem to tryst OEM I guess.

[nyc eng]

I just found this thread this evening because I believe my shifter cable or bushing failed, shifter was wobbling all over the place and I believe I was in 3rd gear on the freeway coming home, doing 55 mph I was around 3K. I'm having the car towed to the dealership tomorrow morning and I guess I'll have to wait and see what they say. I'm at 40K so the car is out of warranty and I really don't want the car sitting there for a week while they have to order the cable, if that's what it is and it sure seems like it, the busing inparticular, so I wonder if they'll just zip tie it and let me take my car and come back when the part is in and then replace the cable or just use the bushing off of the new cable, I guess I'll have to wait and see.

Thanks for the knowledge in this thread and for an aftermarket fix. Once I get my car back and find out what the actual failure was I'm going to order the upgrade and have my buddy replace it, can't seem to tryst OEM I guess.

Factory warranty is 4yr / 50,000 miles

[Klasse Act]

Factory warranty is 4yr / 50,000 miles

Damn, how did I miss this!