Shifter return springs

[kaur]

While looking for different shifters I found a shifter return spring upgrade kit. These are the springs that center the shifter lever. There are a few videos on Youtube about an identical kit from P2M. Since the shifter on my 30A is quite sloppy I figured it might be a good thing to try. Shipping from Australia is expensive, though, so I ordered some OEM springs first.

I got one of the stock Z31 30A springs (32852-01G01), the other (32852-01G04) had a lead time of 2 months. All of the Z32 30A springs (30P##) were NLA. I got one of the R chassis 30A springs (05U00), the rest were also NLA. I also got the S13 71C spring (32852-B4800). Lastly, I got the Z33/Z34 springs 32855-CD001 and 32855-CD011, but these are a lot longer and would definitely not fit.

In the second photo there are two springs outside of the bags. These I found pretty randomly at a hardware store where they had a box of assorted springs.

I haven't had a chance to try the different springs yet, but I'll post the info for reference.

Dimensions

All of the 30A and 71C springs have an OD of 11.5 mm. The Z33/Z34 springs are 12.5 mm OD.
01G - 22 mm long, 1.2 mm wire diameter
05U - 25 mm x 1.19 mm
B48 - 30 mm long

New springs (hardware store) - OD 11.5 mm, length 27.3 mm, wire diameter 1.27 mm.


Stiffness

I took some very rough measurements of stiffness by compressing them on a simple digital scale
Half length compressed
B48 2 kg
01G 3 kg
05U 3 kg
New 5kg
Fully compressed
B48 3 kg
01G 5 kg
05U 5 kg
New 7-7.5 kg



Some part numbers

Z31
32852-01G01 LH
32852-01G04 RH
R
32852-30P11 LH
32852-05U00 RH
32852-21U00 RH
Z32
32852-30P00 LH
32852-30P10 RH
32852-30P11 RH
Z33/Z34
32855-CD001 RH
32855-CD011 LH
S13, etc.
32852-B4800 both sides

[jdmlegends]

I always thought upgrading to a short throw shifter solved the vague/sloppy feel of the Z31 shifter. I guess this is if you want to keep your original stick shift. Also, it doesn't list Z31 on the vehicle compatibility list.

[kaur]

I always thought upgrading to a short throw shifter solved the vague/sloppy feel of the Z31 shifter.

The slop originates from different sources. These springs affect how it moves from side to side. Other factors are the plastic socket it sits in, the wave washer under it, the bushing on the tip of the lever, and possibly the rubber bonding the two parts of the lever. A 30A short shifter usually only changes the pivot point and the dampener inside the lever itself.

This video describing an upgraded 30A shifter for the R chassis explains most of it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imEoJrujWb8

Also, it doesn't list Z31 on the vehicle compatibility list.

It doesn't list Z31, but neither does any of the short shifters used on Z31 30A transmissions.