ey guys

just noticed that on my 04 MCS that it takes an extra amount of effort to get it into 5th, usually happens in low speeds. not only that, sometimes the lever "gets stuck" on 5th gear. happened 2 times already. while parked, shifted into 5th gear (extra effort) and when i tried to put it back to neutral, it felt stuck. took about 8 pulls to get it back to neutral

i've yet to try putting it into 5th after redlining 4th so can't comment on the situation in high speeds

any suggestions?

 

was the engine running while you were parked?

either way it sounds like it could be the shifter cable not properly moving to the 5th gear position or some internal problems (shift fork, shift rod).

the new 350Z's had this problem with 6th gear. found to be caused by the driver using the shifter as a arm rest. the heat from driving and the pressure from the shifter being used as a arm rest caused the aluminum shift fork to bend.

 

using the shifter as an arm rest? shifting must be a chore then having the shifter so close to your elbow

anywayz, yes, the car was running when it was parked

 

i guess you could say that its more of a hand rest than an arm rest. the shifter is in relitivly the same distance from the driver as it is in the MINI but the center console is higher and you sit lower in the car. it is pretty comfortable using it as a hand rest so its understandable why people do it.