cliffyk

Did you read this, it explains why the after market shifter is noisier--in short it's because the makers of STSs place precision shifting at a higher design priority than NVH.

You shouldn't use sealant with Cobra Bob's gasket, not needed and will just gum things up. I have had my MGW on and off a half dozen times with CB's gasket, and no sealant, doesn't leak a drop...

TRUEBLUE3934

You have simply removed some of the cushy material between hard surfaces and the end result is more noise/vibration transferred from the moving parts into your personal space.

It really isn't too bad, and if it is too objectionable for you... I would STRONGLY suggest that you don't mod your car. Every performance gain comes with some compromise, expense, or both. Almost every "upgrade" come with a trade off of some sort (noise, fuel economy, emissions, comfort, etc).

Give the MGW a little time and I am certain that you will love it.

04BlueGT

The rubber boot tears. I have a Tri-Ax and mines toast. I just don't care anymore.

I had one of Bob's gaskets on mine until last week. First, the cut was a bit off and it didn't want to fit right. I massaged it and got it in, but last week, I noticed I was leaking tranny fluid from around the shifter. I removed the gasket and used Permatex blue RTV. No more leak and no louder than it was with bob's junk.

As for this shifter, if your transmission is acting up, I'd verify that it's the correct model. Also, with the Tri-Ax, I had to transfer the plastic cup to the new shifter ball. Does the MGW come with the cup or do you have to move it? No way the shifter should be causing any vibration issues. I'd think it wouldn't bolt up or wouldn't shift at all, personally.

SpartanStang14

So just to clarify, could you guys describe what sounds you hear while driving? I just want to make sure that my transmission is making the RIGHT noises. When I'm accelerating, I don't really hear anything at all. I assume this is because the gears are accelerating, causing them to be in constant contact, smoothly meshing.

When I'm going at a constant speed, it's not as smooth of a sound, there is some clanging/rattling (?), it's hard to describe. It's this sound that alarms me sometimes. This is when it's the loudest. I guess it's just that maybe sometimes the driven gear is going faster, and sometimes the driver is going faster, so this alternation results in some noise?

There isn't really that much noise when shifting other than a whirring sound from the gears when I press in the clutch and the click when I pull on the shifter.

Does this sound about right?

cliffyk

How loud are these noises? If you have to listen intently to hear them then it's all just normal noises a relatively high torque capacity manual tranny would be expected to make--no longer being masked by all the rubber bushings of the stock shifter.

Also, other than passing through more of the transmissions operating sounds there is nothing the MGW shifter could possibly be doing (you did remove or completely back out the stop bolts--right?) to cause the noises.

They were there with the stock shifter, you just did not hear them...

SpartanStang14

yep, I took the stops out. The sounds are loud enough to be noticeable with the windows down and the radio on (only when it's at its loudest, when I'm just going at a constant speed), but not loud enough that it hurts my ears or anything. I'm just always aware of it. It seems to get louder or more noticeable as I drive longer. When I first start up the car, it's pretty quiet, but as it warms up, I hear it more.

SpartanStang14

I took some videos of the sounds. I figured that it would be the best way to relay what I was hearing and to see if it sounds normal. The first video is driving up a parking deck at low speed in 1st gear. The other two are driving on open road at pretty much constant speed. When the car is cold, it's just about as quiet as it was before I put the new shifter on. When it warms up, I start to notice these strange sounds. Are these the same sounds that you hear coming through on your car?

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smashten

Is the recorder touching the console? It sounds amplified like a mechanic stethoscope. Are fluid levels right? There is a bulletin stating the fill hole level is too full.

SpartanStang14

the camera was sitting in the cup holder, but in the car it sounds pretty much the same. when I get my CobraBob gasket I'm gonna swap the old shifter back on and try it to see if it damps out the noise (not that I'm going to keep it that way). Also, I might do a transmission fluid change. I don't know when the last one was or if it has even had one. I haven't ever done it and I bought it a year ago.

cliffyk

The very first thing you should when buying a used car is to change all the fluids, I don't care if the seller swears they were just done and has receipts--do it anyway.

The recommended fill for the 3650 is 3.2 qts, per this TSB. The TSB says 2001 to 2003, but the 2004 is also affected. Your owners manual will say 7.8 pts (3.9 qts), it is incorrect.

It is important to do this as the 1-2 and 3-4 synchros can be damaged by hard shifting with overfilled tranny.