Anybody know what would cause my shifter to not want to center itself from 1st/2nd position? It comes back to center from 5th but the other side is just sort of seems stuck. The shifter seems to go right into the top of the tranny from the underside and on the inside I gave up after I discovered the dash had to come apart to get any deeper into the shift boot area. IS it a spring or just a lube problem?
sticky shift lever
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fastford91
New Member
if its stock or not stock ! it sounds like a return spring is stuck or something! that would be my guess! is it a stock shifter? PS you dont have to take the dash out to get at it! you can pull the knob off the shifter! pull the boot! take out the 4 bolts hold the part under the boot on ! pull it off! then you should be able to see the top of the shifter! and you should be able to see the ground to! lol! if you wanted you could remove the 4 bolts holding the shifter in and take it out and have a look at it! this time would also be a good time to put in a B&M shifter or a shifter of your choice! you will notice a big difference in slamming the gears once you change that piece of junk factory one! hope this helps! if you need pics i can post a B&M install with pics that might help you! James
The boot and cover just pull off and then there's 4 bolts holding another boot in place. two of those bolts are easy to get to and the other two are under the middle dash peice. It just looked like a pain to get them out. I may ty again. So one you get that piece out can you see any shift linkage or anything else that might need lubing?
Maybe a pic or two if you have some might help. Thanks!
Maybe a pic or two if you have some might help. Thanks!
cenok is family
15 Year Member
no there's no linkage what so ever. the shifter is mounted directly to the transmission on a t5, via 4 bolts. once you get the rubber boot off, you'll see the shifter. here's a pic of how it's mounted:
hope this helps.
fastford91
New Member
wow lots of parrots around here! lol .....On late models you'll need to remove the shift knob, console cover, and upperboot. There is also a lowerboot attached with four hex-head screws, which can be tricky to get to. You don't need to drain the trans fluid to change the shifter. Start by removing the four 13mm bolts which secure the stock shifter to the transmission.
With the bolts out, use a screwdriver to pry the stock shifter off the case.
You can see the difference in construction between the Ripper and the stock shifters. The stock shifter base is stamped steel and will flex under heavy force. The Ripper uses an all billet aluminum design. The stick itself is stainless steel. View attachment 339169
Inspect the small plastic shifter cup. If it is in good shape (they usually are), it can be reused. Otherwise you'll need to round up a replacement, from Ford or a transmission shop. View attachment 339171
Scrape off the old silicone, and apply a bead of new silicone sealant or RTV.
Carefully place the new shifter onto the case, making sure that the shifter ball seats into the plastic cup. The new shifter comes with offset washers which allow you to position the shifter 1/2" fore or aft, based on your preference. Install and tighten the supplied allen head bolts. View attachment 339173
The shifter stops are an important feature of T5 aftermarket shifters. They will prevent overtravel of the shifter when your slamming the gears. One big problem with the stock shifter is that if bang the gear hard enough you can damage the internals and bend the shift forks. Set the stops by putting the shifter in third and turning the allen screw until it just touches the stick, then back it of half turn. Repeat for the lower stop with the shifter in fourth gear.
While holding the allen screw in place, snug up the lock nut. Go ahead and shift through all the gears and make sure all the bolts are nice and tight. View attachment 339175
View attachment 339177 View attachment 339179
The final step is to slip on the supplied boot and retaining ring. View attachment 339181 You're now ready to slam the gears with confidence! The B&M Ripper definitely changes the feel and action of shifting. The throws are shorter and thus faster. The shifter also offers more positive "cluncks" when engaging gears, without the sloppy feel and play in the stock shifter. hope this helps you !James
With the bolts out, use a screwdriver to pry the stock shifter off the case.
You can see the difference in construction between the Ripper and the stock shifters. The stock shifter base is stamped steel and will flex under heavy force. The Ripper uses an all billet aluminum design. The stick itself is stainless steel. View attachment 339169
Inspect the small plastic shifter cup. If it is in good shape (they usually are), it can be reused. Otherwise you'll need to round up a replacement, from Ford or a transmission shop. View attachment 339171
Scrape off the old silicone, and apply a bead of new silicone sealant or RTV.
Carefully place the new shifter onto the case, making sure that the shifter ball seats into the plastic cup. The new shifter comes with offset washers which allow you to position the shifter 1/2" fore or aft, based on your preference. Install and tighten the supplied allen head bolts. View attachment 339173
The shifter stops are an important feature of T5 aftermarket shifters. They will prevent overtravel of the shifter when your slamming the gears. One big problem with the stock shifter is that if bang the gear hard enough you can damage the internals and bend the shift forks. Set the stops by putting the shifter in third and turning the allen screw until it just touches the stick, then back it of half turn. Repeat for the lower stop with the shifter in fourth gear.
While holding the allen screw in place, snug up the lock nut. Go ahead and shift through all the gears and make sure all the bolts are nice and tight. View attachment 339175
View attachment 339177 View attachment 339179
The final step is to slip on the supplied boot and retaining ring. View attachment 339181 You're now ready to slam the gears with confidence! The B&M Ripper definitely changes the feel and action of shifting. The throws are shorter and thus faster. The shifter also offers more positive "cluncks" when engaging gears, without the sloppy feel and play in the stock shifter. hope this helps you !James
The 2nd and third photo look interesting but they are so small. So the ball of the shifter fits into the trans... now, does that part in the trans that moves around, does it ever need lube? Is it lubed automatically? If not then what would be causing the shifter to not be able to return to center under its own power? A return spring was mentioned, is that deep in the bowels of the tranny? If so I may as well forget about it 
Thanks for the photos fastford! I appreciate it
Thanks for the photos fastford! I appreciate it
Return spring is in the shifter itself. If your shifter is stock, consider an aftermarker shifter. It will be a night and day difference.
Nothing inside the trans needs lubing. ATF will be flung into that cavity and be enough lubricant.
Sounds to me like one of the return springs is either broken or stuck. If its an aftermarket shifter, it could have slipped. I had a hurt shifter do the same thing. When i took it out, i found i only needed to adjust it slightly to pop the spring back into place.
If your shifter it stock, just buy a performance one. The stocker is not worth messing with. MGW makes a GREAT t-5 shifter
Nothing inside the trans needs lubing. ATF will be flung into that cavity and be enough lubricant.
Sounds to me like one of the return springs is either broken or stuck. If its an aftermarket shifter, it could have slipped. I had a hurt shifter do the same thing. When i took it out, i found i only needed to adjust it slightly to pop the spring back into place.
If your shifter it stock, just buy a performance one. The stocker is not worth messing with. MGW makes a GREAT t-5 shifter
fastford91
New Member
your welcome for the pictures! like was said you dont have to lube anything inside its done automatically! sounds like your springs in the shifter are bad! if you can afford to buy an aftermarket one! its worth it! if you cant afford one right now! you ll just have to live with it for now! James
