Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting Intermittent stiff shifting problem

I just bought a very nice 1999 Contour SVT with 17,000 miles on it. It has a stiff manual shifting problem on occasion. It seems to be more prevalent after a short drive of 5-10 miles. Typically, when restarting then pulling it into reverse with the clutch fully depressed, the force required to pull it into reverse is abnormally high. Not extremely high, just very noticable compared to normal.

I have noticed that if I switch the engine off, it slides into reverse easily. The other thing that I notice is that if I (on purpose) leave the clutch about 1" or so off the floor, I get the same difficult shift.

Any advice on this issue would be appreciated.

Thanks

You should check out the FAQ on the main page. in fact This is the link that you want. If that doesn't work, I think a lot of people with SVT's have gotten their tranny replaced under warranty. Some have said that the replacement was worse than the one it replaced. I don't know too much about it because I have a ATX but you might want to do a search to get more information.

It sounds as if your clutch is not fully releasing under some conditions. It would be wise to bleed the clutch and see if it helps.

It may also help to change the trans fluid. The most popular mix is the Mobil 1 "cocktail" as outlined in the FAQ. It also helps to use dino fluid (Mercon spec) with the same 2 oz of Ford friction modifier. I personally use Chrysler spec ATF+3 which already has a higher level of friction modifier. If the problem is from the clutch not fully releasing at times, the fluid change will not make much if any difference for the exact problem you are describing, but the overall shift quality will be greatly improved. It is well worth the effort.

I checked the FAQ but it does not seem to address my issue. Thanks.

My problem never shows up at cold start. It shifts fine when first started. If I drive about 5 to 10 miles and then let it sit for 10-20 minutes, that's when the problem shows up. My wife has said that at times, it has been almost impossible to shift into reverse while the engine is idling.

Also, if the engine is off, it shifts easily.

I'd go for the clutch bleed first,after that if it persits go for the 'tranny cocktail'.Anyting more could be internal to the box.For example,some of the MTX75's do tend to stiffen on shift when hot due to the selector forks binding.Have had instances where 'some' snake oil additives cause the bushes in the forks to drag and stick more.PTFE additives tend to build a film on the parts and make them tighter on the selector shafts...my 2 cents!

Thanks for your inputs. I am going to do some simple checks this weekend, then if I do not find something easy to fix, I will take it in to a dealer as long as it is under warranty. I will post what they find out.

As a side note, I was surprised to find that my alltime favorite dealer for service (Palmer in Chelsea, Mich) is NOT an authorized Warranty service center for SVT vehicles. I have to take it to a huge dealer in Ann Arbor with whom I have not heard good reports.

We'll let you know what the problems were and what it cost me.

I've always been suspicious that the clutch slave cylinder is the culprit. I bled the livin' snot out of my clutch and it didn't help.

// Chris Root
// '99 SVT

Do I access the clutch slave cylinder from under the hood?

yes. it's a slave to the brake "master" cylider. it uses one system. but obviously different plungers. (someone correct me if i'm wrong).

get a haines manual and/or the ford service manual to help you out with this kind of work. if you've bled brakes before then you can do this too, or easily learn how.

i think it would always be best to tinker around oneself first before one just drops it off at the dealer only to have them bend one over because one didn't arm oneself with info before-hand. (i am trying to get my AC fixed under warranty)

best of luck!
-eric

Any ford dealer is authorized to service SVT vehicles. Experience-wise they may just be less familiar with any SVT specific problems.