MGW shifter, notchy feel and reverse is hard?
 

I installed an MGW shifter in my '99 Cobra a few weeks ago, and since it was installed the shifter just feels notchy overall, especially trying to get it into reverse, which is near impossible. I'm mechanically inclined and took my time with everything, is there something I don't know or am missing here? I thought I'd read that it will be rather stiff at first but will loosen up over time, but the shifter felt stiff enough to where I thought it warranted asking a question.

Thoughts?

It will losin up, give it some time. I find if you put the car in 1st then put it in reverse it goes in a lot smoother.

of course it will feel somewhat notchy compared to the stocker. you just have to get used to it a bit. plus you've only had it for a week or two so it's probably not fully broken in.

reverse in mustang tranny's has always been somewhat of a bitch. +1 on the first then reverse.

You're "shift stops" might need to be adjusted...

If it's normal then that's all good, I'm still reading and learning about the car and just want to make sure I'm on the right track. Don't get me wrong, the shifts are shorter and it feels solid, just want to make sure what I'm feeling is normal. And if the reverse if typical of these trannys, no worries either, thanks for the tip about 1st to reverse. I'll check the shift stops, but I'm pretty positive that I got those spot on.

I'm coming from an Acura RSX, so the feel is much, much different.

Yea it's different. Let me know how the 1st to Reverse works for ya. That's what I always do now. Works like a charm.

Two forward gears then reverse... does anybody read the manual?

... and people wonder why there are so many fugged up t45 & 3650s

I had already read through the manual and saw nothing of the "two gears forward then reverse," so not sure what you're talking about.

Anyway, drove the car into the office this morning, and before I backed her outta the garage I shifted into 1st, held the clutch, and low and behold she went into reverse like butter!

Something I hadn't thought of before is that the shifter on my previous Acura was situated to where it was angled slightly toward the driver, so when would upshift or downshift, you were actually pushing or pulling the shifter toward or away from you slightly. Kinda hard to explain, but I this is where the notchiness in the MGW has come from, me still pulling and pushing away from me a bit. I gave it a solid effort this morning to try and shift in a more normal forward and backward motion and it felt a ton better. Just gonna have to get more seat time with the car.

Thanks again fellas.

No prob man! I'm glad it worked out for ya! What you buying next for your car?

Well, I've got an '01 rear bumper on its way via Greyhound, so I'm hoping I have that sometime next week. After that, the front and rear bumpers are gonna get a fresh coat of black. Once that's done, I'll take a break and do some suspension work this fall.