BF9/BF11 alternative?

[makinao]

Hi. This is my first post. 

 

Is there are robust alternative for the BF9/BF11 shift rod for a Hilux High Lift transmission? It's so thin and weak that it often pops apart when shifting, even with the shift servo EPA properly adjusted. 

Thanks in advance. 

[one_hit]

I’ve never had it pop off nor pop apart in my high lift. Maybe the adjusters are worn, I’d replace those first and see if the problem persists. 

[WillyChang]

Grab a roll of plumbers Teflon tape. 

put a layer or 2 between ball & cup when you snap them together. 

[makinao]

2 hours ago, one_hit said:

I’ve never had it pop off nor pop apart in my high lift. Maybe the adjusters are worn, I’d replace those first and see if the problem persists. 

It's brand new, so doubt they are worn.

 

1 hour ago, WillyChang said:

Grab a roll of plumbers Teflon tape. 

put a layer or 2 between ball & cup when you snap them together. 

I'll try. Thanks. 

[makinao]

Sad news. I took it out for a shakedown today. Not only did the linkage come apart, but I lost one of the adjusters on the road, and couldn't shift into any of the gears. I'll really have to look for a more robust alternative to the whole assembly. Wish me luck :-(

[one_hit]

Something is definitely not right, the shift linkage shouldn’t come apart like that at all. The linkage shaft and adjusters are the same size as the steering tie rods on old Tamiyas like the Hornet, Wild One, Sand Scorcher, and those don’t ever come apart even after hard crashes. 

[makinao]

29 minutes ago, one_hit said:

Something is definitely not right, the shift linkage shouldn’t come apart like that at all. The linkage shaft and adjusters are the same size as the steering tie rods on old Tamiyas like the Hornet, Wild One, Sand Scorcher, and those don’t ever come apart even after hard crashes. 

Sadly, all parts of the Hilux High Lift transmission linkage (rod, adjuster, ball connectors) are half the size/thickness of steering ones. Really fragile. 

[alvinlwh]

.

[one_hit]

1 hour ago, makinao said:

Sadly, all parts of the Hilux High Lift transmission linkage (rod, adjuster, ball connectors) are half the size/thickness of steering ones. Really fragile. 

I just looked at my High Lift now, I think I might have had issues before because there is a zip tie on my linkage. I built this over a decade ago so I can’t really remember but I did run it a couple of times this year and didn’t have any issues with the zip tie on there

EDIT: I might have placed the zip tie in there because I flipped the servo horn and linkage to make way for the steering servo being relocated beside it

[makinao]

1 hour ago, alvinlwh said:

I have the same in the Frog for steering I think. Didn't even try to use it but swapped it out immediately for some metal ones. You may need to get some M2 screw bars or turn buckles as well.

https://a.aliexpress.com/_Eybh2Aj

Is the screw/thread type of the BA16 transmission shift ball an M2? 

 

[alvinlwh]

.

[makinao]

2 minutes ago, alvinlwh said:

I do not have your kit but according to your instructions, BF11 is 2 x 39mm, so should be M2. If you got a caliper, you can double check. If not, these things are so cheap, get M2, M2.5 and M3 all and try. Good thing is M3s can also be used for steering turnbuckles.

OK. Will try that. 

[makinao]

Hello to all those who replied. Fixing my problem turned out to be twofold. 

 

First, I changed the puny shifter rod to a standard 2M steering rod. 

 

Second, I noticed the transmission was jamming when shifting. So I disassembled the transmission for the nth time, and found that one of the gears would wobble during shifting even if I followed the instructions exactly. So I added a c-clip to anchor the gear, and it works perfectly now. I can even shift effortlessly when the car is in motion. Sorry though that I didn't take any pictures. The only problem I encountered in yesterday's shakedown was the servo horn screw came off. A new screw and some thread locker will hopefully remedy this forever. 

 

My next project will be an axle mount steering servo kit. It'll arrive in a couple of weeks.