Hi, I am looking at buying a 2008 Mitsubishi Triton MN. I took it for a test drive, and the gear stick was super loose, it just flailed around in neutral with no self-centring. Trying to find first and second gear was very difficult as you had to move the stick in about an inch to find the gear. What could be causing this and is it a major concern?
Like anything mechanical, the gear-shifting mechanism in a car can become slack, or sloppy, over time and kilometres. Play can develop in the linkages and levers that select each gear, or in the part where the gear-shift itself is joined to those selectors. Also, the actual selectors that disappear into the gearbox and physically shift the gears can also develop excess movement or play.
You can probably remove the shifter boot and centre console inside the cabin and check for looseness in the upper part of the shifter mechanism, but to check the whole thing, you’ll need to climb under the car and feel for play and look for broken clips, missing springs and worn out bushes. The good news is that it’s probably an external wear issue and not something inside the gearbox itself.