Cobb STS problem?

Okay i just installed the Cobb Double Adjustment short throw and its giving me problems. At first, the shifter didnt want to move anywhere so I reassembled the shifter and now it moves, but when i go in the rear gears (2nd and 4th) it doesnt feel like it shifts. Much like if your shift stabilizer were to fall off.

 

Anybody know what this could be? A 10 minute install has turned into almost 2 hours. :/

I had the same thing happen to mine. It was the throw-adjustment set screw sliding down a bit. Made 2nd and 4th gears feel like they dissapeared - even though I was in them/driving it in those gears. I took it home, popped it off, adjusted the throw and tightened it firmly (not overly so) and it was fine.

 

 

I had a ton of problems with my install as well, but here's what you do until it feels totally right (I'm not making this up):

 

1. Put the shifter adjustment to about mid-way on both throw and height.

 

2. Make SURE all the foam/rubber is not binding anywhere

 

3. Make sure your ball bushing (shift ball sits in it) is well greased

 

4. Tighten your shift knob only slightly - do not tighten firmly.

 

See how it shifts. If still unpleasant/binding anywhere, lightly cut some of the foam/rubber out from around the shifter to give it more room.

I called Cobb earlier and it was indeed the ball side of the lever needed extended for good clearance. Everything is fine now. Thanks for the input!

Would you say you are happy with the shifter? I was debating on this type of shifter or new poly bushings...

Im happy with it and im getting used to the more solid feel. I do notice the tranny whine is much louder.

Good to know I think I am going to do some more reading. Thank you for your opinion MooKz

No problem. I installed both shifter bushings as well as the rear stay. They are really hard bushings to Terminate slop in the shifts but I must say i miss some of the slop. I love it at the same time though. The tranny whine is reeally annoying and quite embarrassing but I guess thats a sign to turn my music up. I also took the rubber piece under the boot off so now i hear air. But ill put it back on soon.

With a Cobb shifter if you set it too short it will hit the cuff and not go firmly into 2 and 4. I noted this long ago. Just lift it a hair. It can be set for a throw too short too and pull or tear the rubber boot going into the tunnel.

 

Set up right it is my favorite still.

I love it. Just if I could somehow mute the whine

Thats because of the materials used. OEM is far heavier and denser. So, it mutes the noise. I know exactly what you are talking about. Unfortunately in order to block out all the noises in my SpecB the stock radio was inadequate. Performance and luxury dont always go hand in hand.

im hearing a whine as well but that doesnt bother me. However, im hearing a scraping noise from outside the cabin when decelerating. Is sounds like metal scraping on a metal disc. It doesn't happen when i accelerate and when i have the shifter to the right on neutral. Any ideas. ?

Its tranny whining/grind. Normal for high mileage LGT.

40k miles so far

Hmmm. You bully your tranny?

My 05 developed that noise when I switched from the stock dual-mass flywheel to a single-mass flywheel - they don't soak up the noise. I think it's just that the gears in the transmission have a tiny bit of play, so when there's no load on the drivetrain they chatter a bit. It's annoying but I don't know of a fix.

turn up the radio.

+1^

I am about to install this as well as the Frt/Rear Bushings (impatiently waiting on msprank ).

 

Does anyone have a pic of the installed shifter (without the boot). I'd like to use it as a point of reference to set the right height.

 

Thanks

the noise you guys are hearing is quite normal on subaru's, it called gear backlash and every subaru ive had did the same.

 

Here is an explanation on what is actually making the noise

 

Originally Posted by wickawack http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/images/buttons/viewpost.gif

I agree. I'm just curious as to what is physically going on to create the noise.

This comes from my expierence working with gear systems as an Engineer;

 

It is caused by the tolerances allowed in the design of the transmission gears (backlash). For the sake of efficiency and reduced heat build-up (not to mention cost of manufacturing), virtually all gears are designed with clearance between the teeth of the drive gear and spur gear.

 

The noise you are hearing is the engaged pair of gears bouncing back and forth rapidly within this space. Each gear is subject to load under decel; the drive gear sees forces from the motor, while the driven gear sees forces from the inertia of the vehicle. These forces cause the engaged pair of gears to collide within the designed clearance allowed for backlash. This collision is pretty elastic and causes rapid boucing back and forth. Since the force seen from the engine is widely inconsistant due to the compressive cycle of the pistons, you end up with some really strange sounds.

 

I am assuming that under the designed gear tolerances the noise will tend to be minimal in 95% of produced transmissions, but with any manufacturing process, you always get those outliers that have just the right tolerance match up to cause such un-desirable results.

In my head this made sense: whine = rapid vibration coming from the tranny transmitting through the shift linkage. Dynamat = vibration reduction = hopefully whine reduction... does that make sense?

 

After finishing my speaker install, I had some extra dynamat laying around so I tried putting some on my STS+ reverse lock out cable + linkage. I didn't smother it, just a couple 4cm x1cm strips here and there.

 

Now no more random rattle from the shifter being too low and having the reverse lock out cable hitting the driveshaft (6mt issue). Whine has gone down a bit, but I still hear it with the radio off. Can't hear it if the radio is above a 4. Dunno if it made that big a difference, or if i just want to hear less (placebo effect).

 

If anyone else has extra dynamat and can confirm if it made a difference for you, lemme know. In the meantime I'll just try putting more on haha.

In my head this made sense: whine = rapid vibration coming from the tranny transmitting through the shift linkage. Dynamat = vibration reduction = hopefully whine reduction... does that make sense?

 

After finishing my speaker install, I had some extra dynamat laying around so I tried putting some on my STS+ reverse lock out cable + linkage. I didn't smother it, just a couple 4cm x1cm strips here and there.

 

Now no more random rattle from the shifter being too low and having the reverse lock out cable hitting the driveshaft (6mt issue). Whine has gone down a bit, but I still hear it with the radio off. Can't hear it if the radio is above a 4. Dunno if it made that big a difference, or if i just want to hear less (placebo effect).

 

If anyone else has extra dynamat and can confirm if it made a difference for you, lemme know. In the meantime I'll just try putting more on haha.

 

im about to install a sts so ill let you know if it bothers me bad enough to try this. this could be worth the trouble at least!?

 

-Brett

Thats because of the materials used. OEM is far heavier and denser. So, it mutes the noise. I know exactly what you are talking about. Unfortunately in order to block out all the noises in my SpecB the stock radio was inadequate. Performance and luxury dont always go hand in hand.

 

To start off I have a 08-12 STI 6 speed in my car.

 

I thought I might add to this thread and by far, IMHO, the best setup is stock STI bushings and the Cobb STS.

 

I had the spec B STI STS and it was not short enough throw for me. I also had kartboy front and rear stay bushings which made the tranny whine into the cabin fairly loud. Not excessive but first and second was fairly loud.

 

I recently installed the Cobb Double adjustable STS with factory 08-12 STI front and rear stay bushings.

 

Too me this is the the best of both worlds. With the stock bushings it is quiet as a mouse.

 

With the Cobb STS set about as short as the throw will go without ruining the boot, the shifts are firm and crisp.

 

In fact I dont notice the kartboy bushings gone at all other than the noise.

 

Two things I recommend if you put the Cobb or any 6 speed Shifter for that matter in your car.

 

If you adjust it for very short throw, put some light grease on the boot where the shift rod goes through the floor. Mine does not touch just barely (I set it that way) but if it does during any shifting the grease keeps the rod from 'grabbing' the boot.

 

Secondly, a lot of people have complained about the reverse lock out spring and knob rattling.

 

The solution (not in the Cobb directions) is to take the small rubber washer in the stock shifter out where the spring rides for the reverse lock out.

 

Remove that rubber washer from the stock shifter and slide it on the cobb, then the spring and then the reverse lock out knob.

 

Here is the thread where I found pics and the 'fix' for the rattle

 

See post 36

 

http://www.iwsti.com/forums/how-install/44442-hspn-install-cobb-short-shifter-4.html