Toyota GR86 Forum - GT86 Forum, Subaru BRZ Forum, Scion ... banner

Anyone resolve rattling Billetworkz short shifter?

20K views 70 replies 16 participants last post by  itr1078 
#1 ·
Mine is rattling when I rev the car above 4k rpm or when I cruise in 6th and give a bit of gas.. It's driving me crazy to a point where I want to sell the shifter and go back to stock. I'd rather try to get the rattles fixed and keep the shifter because I love it!

I've done some troubleshooting and the rattle seems to be coming from the bottom half of the reverse lockout mechanism. I see the top portion of the lockout has O-rings to absorb shaft vibrations, but that doesn't seem to help with the bottom portion rattling.

I tried adding more grease to the shaft where reverse lockout mechanism sits on. That made no difference unfortunately.

Anyone else have more ideas?
 
#2 ·
Glad I’m not the only one having rattles with the billetworkz short shifter.

I haven’t had time to look, but I think it may be with c-clip and washer that connects the shifter that’s causing my rattling. Again I haven’t had time to look. It drives me nuts and the car feels sluggish when it makes that rattling sound.

I did email billetworkz about the issue and he said he was going to send me some plastic washers since he mentioned it might be that part that’s rattling (reverse lockout plate). I never recieved anything by in the mail and I didn’t bother to email him back yet.

I still think it’s the c clip part since when I reinstalled mine the washer was slightly bent and the c clip wasn’t on there tight.
 
#3 ·
Glad I’m not the only one having rattles with the billetworkz short shifter.

I haven’t had time to look, but I think it may be with c-clip and washer that connects the shifter that’s causing my rattling. Again I haven’t had time to look. It drives me nuts and the car feels sluggish when it makes that rattling sound.

I did email billetworkz about the issue and he said he was going to send me some plastic washers since he mentioned it might be that part that’s rattling. I never reverence’s anything by in the mail and I didn’t bother to email him back yet.

I still think it’s the c clip part since when I reinstalled mine the washer was slightly bent and the c clip wasn’t on there tight.
Are you referring to the retaining clip that holds the bottom half of the reverse lockout? I thought that might be it and mine is currently completely covered in grease. 😂
 
#7 ·
@Shroomie @Subience Yes, mine rattles as well. I've taken it off the connector probably 10 times just trying to figure out the rattle. I've narrowed it down to inside the actual shifter. I'm still not sure what inside is rattling but it isn't the reverse lockout plate for me because that sucker is tight on mine. Now if only I can undo a stripped hex bolt 🙃🙃



Don't let this deter you from not liking it. It is a fantastic shifter and it feels really good
 
#5 ·
i installed the billet short shifter months ago. its such a big improvement from stock. i've had no issues, no noise so far.

if something rattles, possible something is loose or not tighten properly? i use very little lithium grease when i installed mine.

good luck, i hope whatever issue it is, it gets resolved. cause the short shifter shifter is such a joy to drive.
 
#10 ·
Kind of reviving this thread...but I emailed Billetworkz last week and told them about how it rattles. They changed their design of the shifters so if you purchased them before xx/xx/xxxx date (can't confirm as they didn't tell me when they did change it) then you have the old model. But they are shipping me a new one in the new model to help eliminate the rattle. Will update when it arrives and gets put on.
 
#23 ·
I bought replacement washers and retaining clip, but never got to installing it.
Not good hearing it didn't work for you guys either.

Whenever my shifter begins to rattle, I let off throttle a little and then get back on it, which seems to help.
Kind of sucks when your doing a WOT pull though.

Have any of you guys returned back to stock shifter and still see if it rattles (w/ stock shifter)?
I'm thinking of giving this a try, cause the rattle really kills the driving experience.
 
#24 ·
I bought replacement washers and retaining clip, but never got to installing it.
Not good hearing it didn't work for you guys either.

Whenever my shifter begins to rattle, I let off throttle a little and then get back on it, which seems to help.
Kind of sucks when your doing a WOT pull though.

Have any of you guys returned back to stock shifter and still see if it rattles (w/ stock shifter)?
I'm thinking of giving this a try, cause the rattle really kills the driving experience.
I have thought about it, I'm going to give the BW some more time. Maybe it will "break in" and get quiet. :LOL:

The owner of BW did post in a FB group that they are looking for more solutions to stop the rattle.
 
#29 ·
Hey, all. I too suffer from this mysterious shifter rattle. I have done some extensive testing with the linkage by swapping out parts from the stock shifter vs the Billetworks parts kit. No matter what combination of parts I use (ex, OEM bushings with BW retainers) no noticeable difference could be heard. In fact not even a tone change could be distinguished which tells me I never even made an impact to the problem.

I did record some tolerance variances between the OEM linkage parts and the BW parts. I took some measurements of all the stock hardware and compared it to the Billetworkz hardware too see if there were any discrepancies in tolerances with the bushing flanges, snap ring thickness etc in order to see if gapping was an issue. Turns out there are thinner materials being used in the billet works parts kit which creates some space for play in the linkage. This could lead to rattling. To eliminate this issue I reinstalled the OEM bushings which create a tighter seal to the linkage arm vs the newer designed BW dual O ring bushing and then installed a neoprene washer in between the gear select rod and the shifter to create a rubberized dampener between these two metal on metal contact points. This Washer is also slightly thicker then OEM which created the need to press firmly on the C clip in order to compress the assemble and click into its retaining slot. In theory this should eliminate all gaps and play in the system as well as provide a buffer for dampening rattle. Right? Nope. Not even a tone change. Same rattle, same rpms. For me that starts at 2700 so I pretty much have to listen to this butt hole all the time. All this testing leads me to believe the rattle is not in the linkage at all but must be in the lockout assembly. I will begin testing this theory when the feelings of defeat leave my body and I have the energy to take apart my console for the umpteenth time.

I have been working in contact with Austin, the owner at Billetworks and they are aware of the issue and working on it diligently. Currently they are working on a new “call in gen 3” bushing that more closely resembles the OEM bushing that has a swelled section in the middle to help with fitment. Unfortunately I am not so sure this will solve the issue as it seems my testing has now moved me away from the linkage and to the lockout assembly.
Automotive tire Automotive design Hood Personal luxury car Tints and shades
 
#30 ·
Hey, all. I too suffer from this mysterious shifter rattle. I have done some extensive testing with the linkage by swapping out parts from the stock shifter vs the Billetworks parts kit. No matter what combination of parts I use (ex, OEM bushings with BW retainers) no noticeable difference could be heard. In fact not even a tone change could be distinguished which tells me I never even made an impact to the problem.

I did record some tolerance variances between the OEM linkage parts and the BW parts. I took some measurements of all the stock hardware and compared it to the Billetworkz hardware too see if there were any discrepancies in tolerances with the bushing flanges, snap ring thickness etc in order to see if gapping was an issue. Turns out there are thinner materials being used in the billet works parts kit which creates some space for play in the linkage. This could lead to rattling. To eliminate this issue I reinstalled the OEM bushings which create a tighter seal to the linkage arm vs the newer designed BW dual O ring bushing and then installed a neoprene washer in between the gear select rod and the shifter to create a rubberized dampener between these two metal on metal contact points. This Washer is also slightly thicker then OEM which created the need to press firmly on the C clip in order to compress the assemble and click into its retaining slot. In theory this should eliminate all gaps and play in the system as well as provide a buffer for dampening rattle. Right? Nope. Not even a tone change. Same rattle, same rpms. For me that starts at 2700 so I pretty much have to listen to this butt hole all the time. All this testing leads me to believe the rattle is not in the linkage at all but must be in the lockout assembly. I will begin testing this theory when the feelings of defeat leave my body and I have the energy to take apart my console for the umpteenth time.

I have been working in contact with Austin, the owner at Billetworks and they are aware of the issue and working on it diligently. Currently they are working on a new “call in gen 3” bushing that more closely resembles the OEM bushing that has a swelled section in the middle to help with fitment. Unfortunately I am not so sure this will solve the issue as it seems my testing has now moved me away from the linkage and to the lockout assembly.
View attachment 20191
Can you please keep this thread updated with any improvements or responses from Austin?

I emailed him and like others have reported after a couple exchanges, he simply stopped replying.
He even flat our said "I'm not exactly sure why yours is rattling". :confused:

I was also thinking of doing a plastic/ neoprene washer but looks like you thought of that. :cautious:

Listening to this thing rattle for 45 minutes on my commute is great, money well spent!

I'm very close to removing the shifter and going back to stock.
 
#38 ·
I wanted to upload a video of this rattle for you all so we could compare the sound and scenario in order to identify if we’re all experiencing the same situation. Let me know if this is the sound you all are hearing. I’m new to forums so I’ve uploaded the video to my Mt biking YouTube channel. Hopefully this link works for you. Please turn you volume up as it’s a little quiet. Thanks.

Billetworks Shifter rattle
 
#45 ·
Today I went through a series of steps breaking down the shifter piece by piece starting with the upper colar of the lockout and working down the assembly toward the linkage. Ever time I disassembled and removed a piece of the shifter I went for a drive to see if the vibration stopped. I eventually had the whole lockout removed until it was a bare shifter shaft. Still it rattled all the same!



Now that I had eliminated the linkage and the lockout as the source of the problem there wasn’t anywhere else I could think to look into. That’s when it occurred to me that what if the rattle is always there? What if the stock shifter is just better at dampening the sound. I reinstalled the stock shifter to test this theory, and sure as the morning sun, there was the rattle. Very, very faint, but you can 100% hear it when you put your ear to the shifter. The stock shifter has a lot more heft to it. The shaft itself is at least twice the diameter in the mid section that passes through the lockout as it is at the base. All that extra mass will inherently dampen a lot of the vibration that runs through it vs Billetworks slimmer, single diameter design. Not to mention the BW shifter looks to be a made from a single billet of steel and the OEM seems casted of a softer steel. I’m no alchemist but these are just my observation.



The BW bushing theory turned out to be a red herring for an OEM issue. If we are going to solve the mystery of the shifter rattle it’s going to be a matter vibration dampening to the Billetworks shaft, or a deeper dive into the gear select rod and transition linkage. I don’t have the best car lift or garage situation so not keen on looking into the latter. Anyone with more knowledge in the realm of tranny work “not the drag show variety” you’re welcome to chime in. I’d also be inclined to assist if there is a user in the Southern California area with a lift or access to a more ideal garage setting. In the meantime I will be experimenting with vibration dampening and enjoying a quiet cabin for a while. Too bad because the shift feel was so so tasty.
 
#46 ·
Today I went through a series of steps breaking down the shifter piece by piece starting with the upper colar of the lockout and working down the assembly toward the linkage. Ever time I disassembled and removed a piece of the shifter I went for a drive to see if the vibration stopped. I eventually had the whole lockout removed until it was a bare shifter shaft. Still it rattled all the same! .......
Damn! Thank you for digging into this with all the research. 😳🙌
It will be interesting to see if BW revises anything in future shifters.

Thanks again and keep us updated if you try anything else.
 
#49 ·
It definitely helps confirm it is a stock issue so ya, thanks for sharing. I feel like this is something that can be located and solved considering the sound is heard at different levels of intensity from none at all to yours or my case where it’s elevated and consistent. The inconstancy tells me theres variables that can be altered to change the condition. I just can’t get under my vehicle to identify those variables.
 
#53 ·
Update guys. Dealership had the car for more than a week and opened a tech line case with Subaru. The rattling in my case was traced back to the reverse lockout collar/sleeve rattling. Subaru has no fix for it at this time - they used a heavy grease on both the reverse lockout and shifter joint which they believe helped but didn't resolve the problem. There is no other fix from Subaru at present.

Note that my car has the OEM STI short shifter.

I will say that the dealership really tried to resolve it for me, so I appreciate them for that.
 
#54 ·
Interesting thanks for sharing. Did they replace your shifter for you? Since not all BRZ/86 shifters rattle I feel they could have replaced it and solved this for you instead of just grease the old one and stick you with it. Then you would also know if it’s the lockout collar or something else.
 
#56 ·
No, they did not replace the shifter - and we don't know if a new shifter solves the problem, truthfully. Maybe the tolerances are quite loose for these parts and some of them come together at assembly tighter than others, but there is no way of "ordering a tight one."

The dealer is going to check on me in a few weeks to see what I think about the repair. Maybe there will be an update from Subaru by then.
 
#58 · (Edited)
Honestly, having had a closer look at it I wonder if felt tape can be applied to either of the surfaces. I haven't seen the shifter apart myself, so I don't know what parts are contacting to make the rattle. There has to be some play in it for the reverse lockout to work.

It's too early to tell on the grease; I just got back from the dealership. I also don't know if the grease is going to stay where it was put.
 
#59 ·
Honestly, having had a closer look at it I wonder if felt tape can be applied to either of the surfaces. I haven't seen the shifter apart myself, so I don't know what parts are contacting to make the rattle. There has to be some play in it for the reverse lockout to work.
I believe you’re issue may be different or just not realizing it’s the same. Until we can test your scenario to see where it falls in this debócale we can’t be sure it’s relatable. I was hoping the dealership could tell you more or do their diligence to figure this out instead of slapping grease on it and sending you on your way. If your comfortable with some basic mechanics I would encourage you to remove the lockout and go for a drive to see if it still rattles. Just don’t throw it in reverse instead of first on accident. Use second gear starts. No rattle then you got a lockout collar problem. Rattle then you’re in the same boat as us. Somewhere in the gear box that’s sending vibration up the chain.
 
#60 ·
If I end up taking the shifter apart myself (or hear anything back from Subaru) I will definitely update this thread. I don't think there is anything wrong with the gearbox; vibrations are expected and the only shifters where I didn't feel vibrations through them were on cars that were operated by long cables - the cables dampened the vibrations but as a result the shfiters feel much less direct. So I expect the shifter to vibrate, and it's down to clever engineering to make the shifter itself silent.

The fact that the shifter has a lockout assembly in it predisposes the design to this problem I think. I'd probably try an aftermarket billet lockout if it's got o-rings or other means to keep plastic or metal parts from clattering.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top