In November 2010 I bought a 20 year old Volvo 740 to use as my daily driver, so that I can stop putting so many miles on my 2005 MC. Between then and now, I've driven my Cooper less than 1,000 miles. Over the winter I garaged it and only drove it once a month or so, and I was an idiot and didn't research adding crap to the gas or doing other things that you should do when storing a car. The battery died (it was 6 years old anyway), and I replaced it. This winter I'll be better.

Anyway, I've been driving it more again, and it feels like driving a Porsche 911 compared to the Volvo. Here's the problem, though. The manual gearshift is extremely sticky and tough to manipulate. If I move the stick all the way to the left or right, it stays there rather than returning to neutral position. I was hoping that it would loosen up with use, but no dice. It was fine before and during the winter, even up until this spring.

Any idea what the issue might be, and whether it's something that I might be able to address on my own?

 

Do a search for lubricating shifter cables.

 

Thanks! Most of the posts I saw were from MCS owners; any idea if the shifter cables are just as accessible under the MC hood? I wouldn't even know where to look for them.

 

You have to pull the air intake box. They're underneath.

 

OK, cool. That I can do, and have done. Thanks again!

Maybe this is a good time to stick a cone filter in there...

 

similar thing happened to me.
it was rust on the connecting brackets.

WD-40 fixed the problem. =)

 

I agree that WD-40 can handle some quick-fix lubrication issues. BUT...

The "WD" part is for water displacement, not lubrication. I always advise against using WD-40 for lube. (I tried it once for my squeaky blower motor fan and almost caught the car on fire!)

PB Blaster might loosen the rusty/stuck brackets you speak of, but the shifter cable assemblies need grease to fight the elements - that's all there is to it.