Notchy Hard Shifting

I've got a B&M SSK in my car and I've recently started getting progressively harder/notchier shifts. My clutch only slips if you rev it high and dump it from a start. Other than that, it's rock solid. I've searched and read about missing clips, etc. I'm not sure what I'm looking for or if I'd notice it was gone either at the shifter or back on the trans-axle where the cables connect. Any tips, pics?

How are your motor mounts?

Probably original from 2001 that have traveled 62,000 miles.

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It wouldn't hurt to replace those considering your notchy shifting just started recently. It will be unlikely that your bushings are worn since B&M has metal bushings. It's possible your shift cables could've stretched out ever so slightly but I would visually check your shift cable retaining clips on the transmission to make sure they are snug. After that you can try the most economical option(if you diy) by adjusting your shift cables. Or you can get some new mounts if yours are original. How old is your tranny fluid? Also does it feel more notchy when it's really hot outside?

I'll check the clips at the trans-axle. That should be easy enough. I'm a DIYer, so I have no problem tearing into the center console to adjust cables. I'm assuming this is what I'll be adjusting? I'll have to go through my records to see if the PO changed the trans-axle fluid. The shifting has gotten progressively harder over the last month or two and we've been experiencing a bit of a heat wave here in Mississippi, so it's hard to say. We've been knocking on the door of 100 degrees everyday not including the Heat Index. There is definitely correlation, but maybe/maybe not causality.

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If the clutch slips, even under that usage, it is not rock solid. And no wonder, if you make a habit of doing that. As for the shifting, I can tell you a while back I experienced a degradation in clutch feel and shifting smoothness with my Boxster. When I learned that it had been 2.5 years since I had the brake/clutch fluid flushed/bled I had the car in for this and afterwards the clutch and shifting were transformed. While braking action was ok before and as best I could tell unchanged after the flush/bleed the clutch was once again very easy to release smoothly and the notchy hard shifting -- sort of like I was not pushing the clutch in all way though I was -- was gone. You can replace the transmission/engine mounts if you want. You can at least check them. I had an engine mount on my Boxster go bad but it never affected shifting. In fact I didn't know it was bad until the tech called me over and showed me the rubber in the mount was clearly cracked and split and the rubber was degrading and would have eventually come out as the engine moved the alum post about inside the mount bracket.

If they are original mounts I was experiencing notchy shifting with my car as well. After changing the mounts the shifting is smooth as butter now.

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Yes the cable pic you listed is what can be adjusted. Even a couple turns can yield big changes as I've found out. As for transaxle fluid, it would only get notchy in cold temps usually so even though it would be good practice to change it out if original, I wouldn't consider a direct correlation to your notchy shifting in hot weather. Cables can stretch just enough to create a different shift feel when it gets real hot as the cables will expand from the heat and the reason why I asked about hot temps.

There is a special tool (really just a small piece of plastic) that you can use to properly adjust your shift cables at the shifter end. You do have to remove the console (easy) to use it. Also you can drive around with the lower center console out and make adjustments to the shift cables on-the-fly. On the other end of the shift cables (at the transmission), there are brackets that hold the cable ends in place. The shift cables are know to come loose in the brackets and many use cable ties to properly retain them.

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Actually I don't make a habit of doing that. My nephew did that when he was driving and it stalled the car. For the next 30 minutes afterwards it slipped just a bit if you accelerated hard. After parking the car at the end of that little ride, it has seemed fine since. I guess it cooled off.

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My understanding is that the alignment tool doesn't work with the B&M.

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That seems reasonable.

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Interestingly, I also have a short shift kit in my car. I've had it since around 16k miles (37k now) and it has never loosened up. It's still "notchy" but it gets much smoother when the weather is HOT and the car is warmed up. I am considering changing the tranny fluid and seeing what happens.