For what it takes to replace the Hurst with the stock shifter I will do that. Plus it gets me under the car to look things over and see if there are any other obvious problems anywhere.

Getting the dealer to change the oil and look for metal bits is the way to go I think. I am currently looking for a winter beater so I can put my car away for the winter. I would like to have this transmission issue fixed before then.

 

The shift gate is in the transmission, not the shifter. When you move the shift lever all you are doing is rotating, and push pulling on that single shaft that goes into the trans. If you are missing the gate it could be your aim? The internal gate is designed to allow some offset of the shift rod, else you'd never be able to hit it. If there is a lot of slop in the ball pivot the shifter lever goes thru or at the attachment of the shift rod to the lever, shift will be more sloppy.

Shifting from 1 -2 does not even involve changing gates, you are already in and just moving the 1 - 2 slider from 1 - 2.

Slick oil degrades blocker ring performance, because when the slider engages the blocker ring, the blocker ring then clutches the idler gear on the output shaft, causing the speed of the input side to match the output, thereby allowing the slider to fully engage the gear. If the slider can clutch the input gear can't clutch it, the slider is not able to engage the short spline teeth on the idler gear because the speeds will be mismatched and it will grind between the slider and the input gear.

If the slider is grinding incessantly (on the idler gear), it could be the blocker ring but more likely the slider / spline interface on the input gear being engaged by the slider.. No way to know until the trans is pulled apart.

Pedal to the floor is your best shot for a clean shift. A lot of grinding events will take its toll on the service of the slider and the spline teeth on the input gear being engaged.

Diaphram clutches, though with higher clamping force are non linear and must be full disengaged to get a clean shift which meads consistently getting pedal to the floor.

The composite lined blocker rings suck IMO. The result of some genius deciding to fix a design that already worked well for a 100 years.

Seeing as you are having a problem that seems to be getting worse(?), it might be worth your while to take the car to the dealer before you mess with using a non Mercon oil and draining out any of the material that is collected at the bottom of the gear box.

Anyway, my 2 cents.

 

I wonder why my 3650 is "fine" in 2-5 gears but is finnicky between 1 and 2?

 

Its hard to say for sure. What I have noticed is the crispness (speed) of the shift has an influence on the smoothness of the engagement. The quicker and firmer (not harder) the smoother the shift seems to be. Granny shifts tend to drag more or even catch. With the quicker shift you are applying a little more force, which should make the blocker ring clutch the engaging gear better. Anyway, my theory.

 

I installed the hurst shifter and after a few days it seems that shifting from 3rd to 4th is alot more difficult. It seems that more force is required to pull it out of one gear and then put into the next gear. It sometimes seems to catch midway between gears but right now going into 4th is the worst. I know a short throw shifter requires more force, but I gotta believe something is not right. I'm not hearing anything grind but I'm still worried. Yes I did pay attention to the instructions regarding offset underneath the shifter arm. I checked my bolts and all are tightened.

What could be the matter? Is something wearing out? I only have about 16,000 miles on the transmission, and almost all of them are highway miles. Help.