Shifter becomes stiff after long highway drive

After putting my MGW shifter on, I've noticed that the shifter starts to give increased resistance after driving on the highway for a while (over an hour). The transmission goes into gear very smoothly (no clashing whatsoever), but it just feels like I have to apply an increased amount of force to move the MGW from gear to gear. It is difficult to say if this phenomenon happened with the stock shifter, because the stock one gave much better leverage and it is possible I just never noticed this.

Transmission fluid is Mobil 1 synthetic, 98 GT with 68,000 and stock clutch (no slippage). Any ideas? Thanks!

yea, my shifter gets a bit stiff on long highway drives too.

That doesn't help, but good to know

Shifters can be greased and need to be cleaned and lubricated periodically. Check with MGW for the procedure.

It's only been on my car for a month though, and the shifter was pretty well packed with grease when I installed it

Give MGW a call. I'm sure they will be more than happy to help you out.

Obviously the heat is tightening it up a bit. Do you have a gasket between the shifter plate and the tranny to help insulate it from the heat/vibrations? A CobraBobs gasket maybe?

GT

I used the RTV silicone supplied with the kit

My MGW shifter was quite stiff for the first few weeks. It loosened up some over time.

they sure do.....

Time to revive this thread. The condition I am referring to is not the inherent stiffness of the MGW shifter, but rather the fact that it gets harder and harder to move as I drive the car for an extended period of time. I was wondering if that is normal for these shifters, or if I should be looking for a replacement.

I take it the OEM shifter did not exhibit this issue.....

Did you call MGW? Seriously, give them a call and explain the issue your
having. They may just exchange the shifter and do a tear down & inspect yours for defects. A little "R&D", if you will.

I've heard nothing but good things about that shifter.

Order a CobraBobs gasket for ~$6 while your at it. When I installed the gasket on mine I found the silicone had leaked a small amount. Even though I cleaned the mating surface with alcohol. It seemed too smooth for the silicone to seal well.

GT

Well, I'm getting a clutch put in today @ Ford (I am no longer taking chances on small time mechanics after my gear install was botched twice). The tech that's working on the car is a Stanger and he knows his stuff. Turns out that the shop that did my trans fluid change a few thousand miles ago loosened a screw that was tied to the shift linkage (thinking it was the fill plug) and never bothered to tighten it. As a result, trans fluid has been leaking from that location, which probably isn't helping matters.

If after this work is done the shifter is still doing the same thing, then I'll give MGW a call. I had one on my '97 GT and never had this problem, so I know they make a quality piece. Thanks for the help

I had my clutch installed by Ford because I wanted it done right and it was a horrible experience.

Dimension Ford West in Fort Wayne, IN will never see my car again.

MAKE SURE YOU GET YOUR OLD TOB AND PB BACK!!! If you do not get them you cannot be sure they were repleced, they MUST BE REPLACED. Do not let them sell you a flywheel if you do not need one, they like to try...