I recently (last week) purchased a 2004 SVT cobra coupe, to replace my 2000 mustang gt that i've had for a few years. The car itself is in great condition, w/22k miles, with only one or two minor paint probs on the rear bumper. I've spent the last two days getting acquainted with the car and have noticed a problem with the shifter and would appreciate some feedback.
Shifting the car is mediocre at best. It doesn't seem to grind going in to any gear, but it is difficult to shift into 2nd and 3rd gear when the rpms are up, under a full throttle type condition. If you take it slow it shifts fine, but if you try to shift it quickly it will often refuse to go into 2nd or 3rd, which kind of ruins any thoughts of running hard with it.
I've noticed that the shift throws (where you feel the sides of the gates as you shift) are longer in the 1st,3rd,5th gears, where as the 2nd, 4th, and 6th only have short travel from neutral to the stops. This leads me to believe either the shifter is worn out, or misadjusted. I imagine a previous owner replaced the shifter and swapped the stocker back in when he sold the car. Its possible they didn't adjust it properly when reinstalling it. Are the factory shifters adjustable? (can the stops be adjusted) Since it doesn't grind going into any gear, i doubt the synchros are trashed, but something needs to be done.
I am used to using the 5spd shifter in my older GT, but never had any problems getting it into gear like this one. It took some finesse to do it right, and I found that using a T-handle helped reduce the throw length some and made hard shifts easier to locate, but this hasn't helped much with the newer cobra. stock handle or t handle, getting it into 2nd quickly isn't working. I can always replace the shifter, if so, which ones are recommended for these cars? I've seen the B&M, steeda triax etc for 200.00 or so, but would like to see if the factory shifter can be salvaged first.
Thanks all
LordWarlock
2004 SVT Cobra coupe (black)
Shifting the car is mediocre at best. It doesn't seem to grind going in to any gear, but it is difficult to shift into 2nd and 3rd gear when the rpms are up, under a full throttle type condition. If you take it slow it shifts fine, but if you try to shift it quickly it will often refuse to go into 2nd or 3rd, which kind of ruins any thoughts of running hard with it.
I've noticed that the shift throws (where you feel the sides of the gates as you shift) are longer in the 1st,3rd,5th gears, where as the 2nd, 4th, and 6th only have short travel from neutral to the stops. This leads me to believe either the shifter is worn out, or misadjusted. I imagine a previous owner replaced the shifter and swapped the stocker back in when he sold the car. Its possible they didn't adjust it properly when reinstalling it. Are the factory shifters adjustable? (can the stops be adjusted) Since it doesn't grind going into any gear, i doubt the synchros are trashed, but something needs to be done.
I am used to using the 5spd shifter in my older GT, but never had any problems getting it into gear like this one. It took some finesse to do it right, and I found that using a T-handle helped reduce the throw length some and made hard shifts easier to locate, but this hasn't helped much with the newer cobra. stock handle or t handle, getting it into 2nd quickly isn't working. I can always replace the shifter, if so, which ones are recommended for these cars? I've seen the B&M, steeda triax etc for 200.00 or so, but would like to see if the factory shifter can be salvaged first.
Thanks all
LordWarlock
2004 SVT Cobra coupe (black)
