Loose shifter, missing coolant!
 

Sup guys. I did some searching and found a few threads on the topic but not a definitive answer or anything. Anyways, my first question is if the Supra 5-speeds shifters are all generally loose? I had a 97' 5-speed maxima and even my moms 5-Speed Jetta both shift alot 'easier.' An example of this is when im in a gear i can slightly move the stick from left to right, where as on any other stick I can't. Can this be tightened? I'm not that mechanically saavy yet and is this something i can do myself?

The second problem is that Im loosing coolant, and i dont know where its going. Its not being pushed out the overflow and I have no leaking what so ever. There is also no white puff of smoke when i start the car, oily dipstick or milky oil. I also do not overheat. The only mod that I've done to this car is shimming the wastegate a bit. But the car was losing coolant before that. It's at the local import repair shop and has been for a few days, he can't seem to find the problem. I think he's just been trying to replace stuff and see if it helps it. Any ideas?

yea i've got both of those. i'm not really worried about the shifter, but the coolant is beginning to get my attention

After being at the mechanic for 3 days they ruled it is just a BHG. really kinda sucks LOL. Pay $1700 for the car and going to have to double it on a repair. But all for the love of the supra!

The shifter kinda bugs me, its really hard to get into second sometimes and its just very very loose. Doesnt feel tight.

Replace the bushings on the shifter, should fix that.

Is there a writeup on how to do that? Is it something i can accomplish in my garage with just basic tools? tia

here's the closest I could come to finding a write up on short notice...

http://www.supras.com/06/techcenter/display.php?QID=30

It's for a short shift mod, but should help you with what you want to do.

You know i saw that and I was actually debating on whether or not to do it or not.... Im deffinetly capable of doing it, and i dont like how tall the stock shifter is but im worried that the short shift mod will be way too short too. So if anyone has done this mod already and has some pictures i would really, really appreciate it. Thanks Murd!

While we're on the topic of losing rad fluid I'll step in here for a second. Mine is losing a bit of fluid as well, and sometimes I can smell anti-freeze. I don't have any milk in the oil, no bubbling, no strange smokes out the exhaust. Could this be a leak in the heater core? I had a heater core leak in another car and the floor/mats were always soaked and smelling like anti freeze but this isn't happening. My oil pressure regulates fine, and I see no signs of BHG. The only sign of a BHG I observe is the "water-fall" sound at start up but I read that can just mean the rad needs a good burping? Any ideaS?

i found out why the car looses so much water per day, well on my car it was a bad water pump, so i gotta get that replaced, its like 45$ for a new pump, so u may wanna check that. if u see water dripping when ur in neutral, look under the car near the main pully, if u see water dripping, its the bad pump. hope i can help

actually, i have a short throw shifter on mien and i lvoe it, it is short tho. not too short, but hsort. it really alows u to throw it into the gears, and get reallllllly fast shifts off. ill show ua pic tommroow when i can take it in the light.