Okay, I installed the helix short shift kit and it has about 2000 miles on it. I have a problem with the short shift kit making ?tapping?/?clicking? noise, when I move it forward and backwards while in gear. It's most prominent in 1st-4th gear, but the sound can still be reproduced when I pull it toward me and wiggle it forward and backward in 5th and 6th gear. I'm not too sure if I've always had this problem since I got the car new, if the problem was there when I installed it, or if the problem just arose now, but I just now noticed it so I'm trying to see if other people have this problem. It could be the short shift kit or the ****, maybe the **** is loose due to the extra force required to shift with the SSK, highly doubtful, but a possibility.

 

my guess is that you're hitting the heat shield with the end of the shifter extention. not a big deal, but it is annoying.

 

I agree. I had my heat shield on & off about 5 times while i crawled out from under the car to shift it through the gears & make sure it was not hitting.

most likely just needs a little more clearance.

 

I hope you get it cleared up.
I dont trust myself taking my car apart, so I'm just going to wait and have Eric do it for me... i think i'll be safer that way.

 

That may be a possibility, but I'm thinking otherwise, because when I normally shift, I don't hear anything. I only hear the sound when I wiggle it after it's in gear. Oh well, I guess if it's an isolated case, then I'll just have to deal with it. I'll check it next week when I paint my brake calipers and come back with any information.

 

1st and 4th are both forward motion shifts. Bear in mind that the exit angle of the cable is now different than it was. The extension will now have it pointing in a more upward angle than it was.
That may impact heat shield clearance or clearances anywhere along the cable run.

Also the heat shields are easily bent and that may affect it as well.

To be clear I am talking about where the cable exits the dust cover box and forward, not below the dust cover.

 

Could it be that your set screw has backed out enough to create excess play between the SSK and the shifter? Might want to check that before the whole SSK drops out

 

another thing to check on is the plastic "guide" that fits into the end of the cable sheath coming into the box. when i popped my cable ball off, the guide came off at it's ball joint connector as well. it was a tight fit going back in, and now that angle is alot more severe, so it is very possible that it wasn't completely locked in place and has simply come loose.

 

That's what I'm actually worried about, but I used a healthy dose of loctite. Oh well, I'll do it when I get back to Austin. I just got back from a trip to an oil change place that said it wouldn't do the oil change on the MINI. I guess I'll have to do that myself also.

List of stuff to do:
1) Paint Brake Calipers and Tow hook
2) Change Oil
3) Check SSK
4) Clean inside of wheel

 

It's interesting that this SSK uses one set screw. I have the Rogue version which uses 3 set screws and then all three are captured in place by a shrink tube.

 

Extra weight to carry around.

 

mine only had one set screw too. maybe the new ones are like. didn't come with any shrink tube either.