Minnesota Focus Owners Club

um, they are syn stock. Actually I don't know of a ATF/gear lube that isn't syn.


Anyways, the shift cables are probably the culprit. There is a thick grease inside them, and by thick I mean molasses thick. With the cable sliding back and forth many times the grease gets filled with metal shavings which add resistance to the cable.
Replace the cables and you'll have nice shifting again.

That is assuming they are adjusted properly and the shift linkage isn't binding.

I switched to synthetic in the gear box and have been plugging it in every night. The combination of the two seems to have fixed the problems.

The new problem is my MPG. I am getting about 20 MPG on average. I think it is due to the cold air intake. I used to get 30 - 40.

Winter blend fuel can be part of that as well, I know I get much worse mileage in the winter when I use winter blend fuel.

I found a place near my house that sells non-oxygenated premium which seems to help.