Bought my son a 1997 civic EX 5sp . Car is in very nice condition. This is my first MANUAL Trans Honda. Shifter feels kind of loose.Seems to me that it is in rod assy. Replaced bushings and saddle under car,no help! How much side to side movement is normal when in gear? No shifting issues but this just seems sloppy! Is ball socket mid-rod Repairable?: Any Other places to Look? Trans end seems fairly tight also

 

Did you check the rods on the tranny itself to see if anything was loose?

 

Checked linkage from under with friend operating shifter. a little bit of movement at trans end but nothing i thought was excessive,shifter feels loose up top,Side to side in gear maybe 3 inches

 

No 3" is not normal. Replace 7, 4, 5, 23, 14, 22. If they're rusted or pitted replace 11 and 19 as well.



http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com/...y5=SHIFT+LEVER

 

^ #5 and the related parts are a very likely culprit. You can either buy those from Honda or try measuring and finding them in a mcmaster catalogue

Or....buy a different shifter. A quality short throw shifter costs between $60-100 on ebay.

 

those cheap aluminum shifters are junk.... I recommend buying something decent if u get a short shifter... I have a sk2 shifter and it has been great so far with es bushings