neil07gt

Has your GT become hard to shift? Of course when my car is not moving, shifts are quick and smooth. When the car is moving, the shifter feels like its catching on something between gears. It's not a smooth 1-2, 2-3, 3-4 shift. It never really has been and I have always assumed it was the deflection of the rubber bushing on the stock shifter. A few days ago i installed a Hurst shifter and I think it may have made the problem much more noticeable. Now it seems that much more force is required to pull it out of one gear and put it into the next gear. And the little catch or stumble that I feel between gears if even more noticeable. Shift time is now longer (wtf?). I checked my bolts and all are tightened and I paid attention to the offset on the shifter arm during installation. What is the deal? I don't hear any grinding. My transmission only has 16,000 miles. Is something wearing out?

It's only been a few days with the new shifter and at this point i'm looking at putting the stock shifter back on and taking it in for service, which is something I really hate doing.

Does anyone have any answers?

freebass55

I have the same thing happening. I'm hoping the CHE k-member brace w/ torque limiters in my garage will cure my problem.

MustangRetribution

Seems odd, I have 34k on mine, dont have an issue with it, though I changed to synthetic fluid at 19k.

perhaps check the clutch fluid, could be your clutch isnt fully disengaging and the synchros are having a hard time with it.

Thats all I can really think of, unless you have added some additive to your tranny oil, that will cause the synchros to have trouble as well, depending on what you used.

Also make sure everything is adjusted correctly, and you have no leaks.

anthony05gt

If your clutch begins to engage at 2'' or less from the floor you probably have a bad slave cylinder/bearing combo. If your clutch begins to engage 3''-4'' from the floor then you don't have that problem. Are you talking about high rpm shifting or while driving normal?

MGW makes the only shifter that really works well at high rpm's from my experience.

neil07gt

Just normal shifting 2700-3500 rpm. It's been raining all week since I installed the shifter and so i haven't been able to do any high rpm shifting. The clutch feels the same, its about 3-4" from the floor. I'll get under it and take a fresh look in the morning. Thanks for the tips.

MustangRetribution

Just thought of this to, before you go replacing anything, try bleeding the system, its not beyond the scope of possibility that some air got trapped in the lines.

Dont know if you want to bother with it since your still under warranty( i know some ppl have issues taking their car to the dealer but I love abusing my warraty)

actually since its under warranty you dont have to pay for it anyhow, but its just a thought

steve-o

my 07 seems to do the same thing....smooth shifts while stopped, hard pulls when on the move....has any design of the tranny changed for 07???

scramblr

I think my synchros are fried or the slave cylinder. I can't shift above 6000rpms and above 5500rpms is a real PITA. I've blead the system, switched shifters, added/removed/added Che's T/Ls and nothing helps. Tranny is going to have to come out to check it out. Great time to replace the stock clutch and f/w though.

anthony05gt

Neil07gt, if your clutch begins to engage 3''-4'' from the floor then I doubt you have a hydraulic issue. Just to eliminate that possibility for certain try jacking up the driver's side of the car about 10'' or so and very slowly pump the clutch pedal for about 5-8 minutes. It should take you about 5 seconds to complete one stroke down or up with the pedal. This will allow any air in the system to escape through the master cylinder. Also check the feel of the pedal just as you begin to push it from the top. It should only have maybe a small soft spot like the first 1/2'' or so. After that soft spot it should feel very stiff the rest of the way down. If your hydraulics are ok and the shifter is installed correctly then it sounds like a mechanical problem which will require removal of the transmission.

Roy

My new clutch won’t release, transmission grinds going into reverse, or shifts hard.
The first issue is determining if the clutch will release properly. With the clutch and flywheel out of the vehicle: bolt the clutch assembly( including the disc ) to the flywheel. Using an arbor press, hydraulic press, or other suitable means, depress the release levers or fingers and check that the disc releases cleanly and will move about between the flywheel and pressure ring. Note the amount of travel required to release the disc.
If the clutch releases properly, the problem lies in the mechanical or hydraulic release system. Refer to the vehicle maintenance manual for proper inspection and maintenance of the release system, or on older vehicles or racecars, disconnect the cable or linkage from the fork, then check that the pivot ball is positioned so that the fork is positioned perpendicular to the centerline of the driveline when the release bearing is resting on the release fingers. If necessary adjust the position of the pivot ball to get the fork into the optimum position. This positioning is critical for proper release action.
If you are doing an engine, clutch & flywheel, and/or transmission/ bellhousing swap make sure the pivot and fork position or hydraulic slave travel is correct , and there is adequate additional clearance to keep the bearing off the clutch fingers in the released position.
If you are doing an engine, clutch & flywheel, and/or transmission/ bellhousing swap we are unable to assist you with information concerning the engine, transmission, bellhousing, or aftermarket release system you may have, and may not be able to supply dimensions or technical data.
My clutch chatters when i engage the clutch in 1st or reverse gear..
All high performance clutch discs have friction material with a high coefficient of friction. They are more aggressive on engagement and can cause chatter. Chatter is aggravated by gearing and tire size. For example, a car with a 3.08 to 1 rear gear will have chatter. This car is essentially in second gear when pulling off and it will chatter with any clutch. Many factory performance cars have high gearing to meet emissions and gas mileage requirements that will tend to cause chatter. If you install a performance clutch in a car with less than 3.78 to 1 rear and 2.60 to 1 first gear ratios you probably will experience some clutch chatter . If you have this problem you may have to change your driving technique to minimize the chatter. Or better, change the rear gear.
I can’t shift the transmission at high rpm.
The clutch itself will not cause a shifting problem. Improper release adjustment, faulty operation , or a transmission problem are probable causes. To test the clutch system, put the car in first gear with the clutch disengaged and bring the engine up to the rpm where the problem occurs. If the clutch wants to pull or move the car, more release travel is required for the fork or slave cylinder. If there is no tendency to move the car, the problem is in the transmission.


source: http://www.ramclutches.com/Tech/perf_tech.htm

HAMRS_gt

I recently changed to the hurst, and it is not hard to shift at all

scramblr

Good info, thanks.

freebass55

Someone please explain this to me. Will the car try to move if at 5500 RPM's, and the clutch pedal pushed down to the floorboard? What would be normal operation?

Roy

yes & normal operations would be for it to do nothing - but if you cant shift at high rpm & it doesnt move then your trans is wore (could be syncros , input/output shaft or other parts inside the trans).

update - when you do the test if the slave cylinder is worn you will feel the clutch pedal push on your foot. very noticable.

mine is wore out with 36k mile

Roy

your welcome

SONICBOOST

Like butter.... 20k miles

MustangRetribution

I have another question, you made no mention as to reverse, can you get it into reverse without grinding it?

neil07gt

Yes there was never any grinding. It was just difficult to get it into a gear when the car was moving, 4th was worst.

Today I loosened everything up and retightened everything. I applied a copious amount of marine grease to the stem of the linkage arm. I took it for a test drive and it was a world of difference. No problems getting it into the gears and the "catch" between gears was almost non-existent. I think its going to be fine. I feel alot better about it now. And yes the Hurst is a big improvement over the stock shifter.

One odd thing that I noticed during my online research is contradictory information regarding the offset on the bottom of the shifter arm. The Hurst instructions clearly state that the long side of the connector be on the passenger side. However all of the online writeups that I found say to put the long side on the driver side. I decided to follow the Hurst instructions and put the long side on the passenger side.

MustangRetribution

Glad you got it feeling better, strange issue.

I dont know why I didnt ask about reverse to begin with, but generally, since there are no sychros for reverse, if you cant get it into reverse without grinding the gears you dont have full disengagement of the clutch. which would mean you have other problems.

scramblr

I have a slight problem with reverse as well. More times than not, I have to roll forward a bit so I can get into reverse.