Manual shifting harder as car warms

[2013FiestaS5speedSedan]

Hello, I have a 2013 fiesta model S sedan with a 5-speed manual. 102k. It shifts normally and easily when car is off or when I start my journey, after a couple of miles the shifter itself becomes a bit harder to move through any gear. They are all equally stiff. After say 5 miles it does take a bit of effort to shift the gears. Once the car cools it's back to normal shifting. There are noises no clunking at any point in the drive. It never slips out of gear. The clutch operation remains the same. The bite point stays in the same place and the pressure required to move it stays the same. I have my transmission fluid filled up to the bottom of the check hole. I have no leaks on the garage floor and I have nothing to wipe off the underneath of the transmission, engine, or at the halfshafts. Clutch fluid is at the level it should be. I will note that some clutch fluid had forced itself out of the container, not sure if that's because I had it filled when it was negative 5 out and right now it's 95 out, not sure if brake fluid /clutch fluid expands that much through a 100° swing. I've had this car many years and it always gets to be 95 in the summer and have never had this shifting issue until a few days ago. Any thoughts or ideas? Thank you very much.

 

[Handy Andy]

There is a pivot point on the main transmission under that box cover you used to change the (Or Fill Transmission) oil at.

The cover is supposed to protect the area from getting debris and dirt so the pivots and their gymbals can move freely.

When it rains, and there's deep water or very high temperatures, water entry is possible - the gymbals nylon guides can deform - affecting your ability to find the right gear. With the water, rust can form on a main pivot point the shifter uses like a balance arm - to help apply forces from your arm shifting - to the gears and help reduce fatigue when driving in stop-start traffic - keeping it from getting tedious - to a point.

That pivot looks like a E-clip on a shaft that contains that balance arm. It pivots those two cables onto a shaft that translates the motions of those two cables - your input - to a shaft - which slides and rotates to convert your shift pattern into effort the gears that are part of that H-pattern, use to engage and dis-engage from their positions to shift your vehicles gears on the gearbox shafts.

Might want to take that cover off and expose the main shifter-translation assembly so you can look for that E-clip - remove it. Pry the balance arm away - towards you - so you can place a few drops of oil in the hole of that arm to flow lubricant on that pin - then press the balancer arm back into position and re-attach the E-clip. Check shifter operation - if it still binds up - then there is a more serious problem internally and may need more inspection - so be sure to check and refill your oil level in the gearbox - for if it's leaking this hard shifting can lead you down an expensive rabbit hole you don't want to go down.