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Best Answer SaulSpeedwell , 10-03-2014 06:35 PM

Inner shift boots:

Both NA and NB shift boots will fit all 90-05 transmissions.

 

Cheapest aftermarket option I've found is MOSS Miata's "Lower Insulator" part number 770-823, which is an NB type for ~$18.

 

I have SOME sort of NA-looking imposter boot that has a slightly different bolt pattern - I don't know what this is from, perhaps some RX or truck.

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#1
Jeff Wasilko

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Mazda lists two part #s for the inner (small) boot:

 

90-93: M514-17-480A

94-05: M513-17-480A

 

At the track this weekend, my wife's Miata had a torn inner boot. It's a 1993 but has a transmission from a 1999. The only spare boot we had was for the 90-93, and it seems to have fit fine.

 

Should I replace it with the 94-05 part? Any idea what the real differences are?

 

Thanks!



#2
Ron Alan

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Perfect timing! Sorry I can't answer your question but my guess is your fine.

My question is this...how do you get the bottom seal on the stick shift? Does the portion with the ball separate from the upper stick shift?

Ron

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#3
ChrisA

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Mazda lists two part #s for the inner (small) boot:

 

90-93: M514-17-480A

94-05: M513-17-480A

 

At the track this weekend, my wife's Miata had a torn inner boot. It's a 1993 but has a transmission from a 1999. The only spare boot we had was for the 90-93, and it seems to have fit fine.

 

Should I replace it with the 94-05 part? Any idea what the real differences are?

 

Thanks!

 

 

Odd, I was recently sent a 90 inner boot by mistake and it is significantly different from the '99s and not usable on my car.


Chris

 

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#4
ChrisA

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Perfect timing! Sorry I can't answer your question but my guess is your fine.

My question is this...how do you get the bottom seal on the stick shift? Does the portion with the ball separate from the upper stick shift?

Ron, put a little lube on the stick shift shaft and the boot will pull over it.


Chris

 

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#5
Ron Alan

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Ron, put a little lube on the stick shift shaft and the boot will pull over it.

The big boot is on still...does that have to come off also?


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#6
Jeff Wasilko

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Yes,  you take off the big boot (the insulator).

 

Cut off the old small boot, put a little oil on the new small boot and it'll press on.



#7
Jeff Wasilko

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Odd, I was recently sent a 90 inner boot by mistake and it is significantly different from the '99s and not usable on my car.

Huh. Weird. Wonder if we have a frankentransmission. Can the early shift lever fit in a 99 box?



#8
steveracer

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Huh. Weird. Wonder if we have a frankentransmission. Can the early shift lever fit in a 99 box?

Yes, but a 99 shifter won't fit an early box.

 

Early trans has 1 pin in the shifter tower, 99+ have 2 pins.


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#9
Andrew Stowell

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Yes, but a 99 shifter won't fit an early box.

 

Early trans has 1 pin in the shifter tower, 99+ have 2 pins.

I think you have this backwards. I have a '92 trans which has 1 pin and a '99+ shifter that has two slots machined in it. The extra slot doesn't cause any problems.

 

If you tried to put an older shifter in a '99+ trans, you would have 2 pins, but only one slot (with a nylon insert) for them to go in. I think the extra pin would interfere with the shifter ball.



#10
Ron Alan

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^^^ This. But im told in a pinch you just knock 1 pin back or pull it out. Not sure if right but it will work as I just did it. Question for the pro's...are all shifters supposed to be straight? 


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#11
steveracer

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I think you have this backwards. I have a '92 trans which has 1 pin and a '99+ shifter that has two slots machined in it. The extra slot doesn't cause any problems.

 

If you tried to put an older shifter in a '99+ trans, you would have 2 pins, but only one slot (with a nylon insert) for them to go in. I think the extra pin would interfere with the shifter ball.

You are correct...


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#12
SaulSpeedwell

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^^^ This. But im told in a pinch you just knock 1 pin back or pull it out. Not sure if right but it will work as I just did it. Question for the pro's...are all shifters supposed to be straight? 

 

Straight?  I'm not sure what you mean by "straight"?

 

Some bad info up above.

 

An NB (99-05) shifter will work in an NA (90-97) box, with a slight reduction in precision.

An NA shifter will work in an NB box if you "tap out" the other locating pin.

 

NA shifter:  One slot in the "big ball" fulcrum, with said slot having a nylon "bushing" that looks like a rocking chair or sailboat designed by BMW.  That would be a rocking chair without any place to sit, or a sailboat with no sail and a round pin for a keel. 

NB Shifter:  TWO slots, no bushing.

 

NA box:  Single pin in the shift turret to mate with aforementioned single-slot shifter.

NB box:  TWO pins, to mate with aforementioned dual-slot shifter.

 


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#13
SaulSpeedwell

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✓  Best Answer

Inner shift boots:

Both NA and NB shift boots will fit all 90-05 transmissions.

 

Cheapest aftermarket option I've found is MOSS Miata's "Lower Insulator" part number 770-823, which is an NB type for ~$18.

 

I have SOME sort of NA-looking imposter boot that has a slightly different bolt pattern - I don't know what this is from, perhaps some RX or truck.


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#14
Jeff Wasilko

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Inner shift boots:

NB shift boots will fit all 90-05 transmissions.

 

NA shift boots will only fit 90-97 NA transmission.

 

Cheapest aftermarket option I've found is MOSS Miata's "Lower Insulator" part number 770-823, which is an NB type for ~$18.

 

You are my hero, Saul. Very good to to know.

 

Still wondering why the NA part (M514-17-480A) seems to have worked. Will have to pull it apart and see which shifter it is.



#15
Ron Alan

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Saul,

By straight I mean from the threads of the shift knob to the ball with the bushing...if you spin this, will nothing move off the axis? I was told yes but I tried on 3 different shifters and the all have a slight offset between the big ball and the small ball at the end. I did this by clamping the shift knob in a vise and unscrewing it. As I did so you can see the small ball swing off or around the axis. All 3 did the same. these were NB shifters so this offset was in plane with the 2 slots. depending which way you put them in it changes slightly the location of the shifter. Are these bent shifters or is this the way it is supposed to be? If they are slightly offset from the factory...is there a correct way to install?

The aluminum or brass pieces that people sell to replace the plastic piece wear out worse than the plastic! Yet to see a broken plastic one like in Sauls video but pulled out 3 junk metal ones!

Ron

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#16
SaulSpeedwell

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Oops, I mis-spoke.  Let me correct the above!  All the Miata inner boots I've encountered are interchangeable, except some weird ones with the wrong bolt pattern.  If someone knows of exceptions or corrections, let us know please!

 

Jeff Wasilko, can you further scrub my mistake out your parts of this thread?   


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#17
SaulSpeedwell

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Saul,

By straight I mean from the threads of the shift knob to the ball with the bushing...if you spin this, will nothing move off the axis? I was told yes but I tried on 3 different shifters and the all have a slight offset between the big ball and the small ball at the end. I did this by clamping the shift knob in a vise and unscrewing it. As I did so you can see the small ball swing off or around the axis. All 3 did the same. these were NB shifters so this offset was in plane with the 2 slots. depending which way you put them in it changes slightly the location of the shifter. Are these bent shifters or is this the way it is supposed to be? If they are slightly offset from the factory...is there a correct way to install?

The aluminum or brass pieces that people sell to replace the plastic piece wear out worse than the plastic! Yet to see a broken plastic one like in Sauls video but pulled out 3 junk metal ones!

 

Ah, now I know what you mean.  The NB shifters have more "bend" than the NAs.  I just spun several in a drill and they are all the same - so I don't think you are bending yours.  I can't say at the moment whether bent forward or backward is "correct", but I don't think it matters.

 

I think the metal bushing causes more trouble than it solves. 


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#18
Brandon

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I do not want not knock the supplier of these alternative metal bushings that are attached at the end of the shifter (they are a fantastic "customer support oriented" business!  No sarcasm!) but my experience with the bronze/brass one (don't recall the exact metal) resulted in horrendous shift feel & poor shifting performance.

 

The bushing ended up sliding down off the shifter (did not positively "friction fasten" itself) thus increasing the throw length to shift gears by a significant amount due to the shifter only engaging the top 1/3rd of the bushing.  And after hearing of shifting complaints from the wife after her first driver's school and my own first race weekend, R&R'ing the shifter made it plainly clear what was going on.

 

I went back to running "nylon everything" for bushings within the shift tower and won't attempt to use the metal ones anywhere again.  I've now made inspecting these nylon bits as part of my usual pre-season prep.

 

Saul,

By straight I mean from the threads of the shift knob to the ball with the bushing...if you spin this, will nothing move off the axis? I was told yes but I tried on 3 different shifters and the all have a slight offset between the big ball and the small ball at the end. I did this by clamping the shift knob in a vise and unscrewing it. As I did so you can see the small ball swing off or around the axis. All 3 did the same. these were NB shifters so this offset was in plane with the 2 slots. depending which way you put them in it changes slightly the location of the shifter. Are these bent shifters or is this the way it is supposed to be? If they are slightly offset from the factory...is there a correct way to install?

The aluminum or brass pieces that people sell to replace the plastic piece wear out worse than the plastic! Yet to see a broken plastic one like in Sauls video but pulled out 3 junk metal ones!


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