Hi All, the gear stick on my Stilo (53 plate 1.8 dynamic) has virtually stopped returning to the center after coming out of 5th gear and has to be done manually to get 4th, its as if it has lost it's spring action, does anyone know what the problem is and if it is an easy fix, Thanks in advance

also have at the moment
has the car stood for any length of time?mines only started due to lack of use lately
have a search on here for the gearbox end of the cable there is a shaft that pivots in an aluminium hole with plastic bushes, the ally corrodes and pinches tight on the bushes and shaft.
havnt got to look at mine yet just soaked in wd hoping for some improvement.
this was best thing I could find with pics
http://forum.alfa156.net/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=50169
not sure if its the same issue with your, if you look down in engine bay at gearbox you should see something like in that link(especially if someone else can move gearstick so you can see what moves)
if not maybe something else.
im struggling more with 2nd to 3rd(6 speed)
if yours is the same gearbox/pivot design there are plastic bushes for sale around a £5 I bought some just incase I knacker em up doing job.
not planning on doing mine for a while though.

Hi, no it is used daily by my wife but i noticed it a few days ago, i have just been out in it again and it is no better, i have looked under the bonnet and seen the linkages and they all seem fine and if there was anything wrong with them then the gears wouldn't engage as that pivot is for the gears, i'm thinking there must be a spring of some sort up at the gear stick end that is causing this problem, i'm sure i will be corrected on this if i'm wrong, hopefully !! Thanks anyway

Its not so much going in and out of gear its the neutral position, the gear stick just does not center itself,

Same thing, just used to coming out of 2nd and pulling itself into middle for 3rd now if i neutral push it left it stays there, push it right it stays there.
I beleive the pivot shaft in that link is the device that gives the spring, looks like a torsion spring on the other end where the guy removes nut with socket.
The pivot goes tight and hence stays wherever its left unable to return to mid position.
Have a search on here there are a few threads on gearshift not centering.
I had gaitor off and plenty of lube on plastic ball joint, under that from under car seems to be a cover that covers just cable ends, it doesnt read that theres any springs to center stick at the stick end.

on the 1.6... there are no springs 'stick side' or 'box side' of the cables. i think the self return is done by box internals alone. i suspect there is resistance either box end of the cables or the large ball joint accessible from under the gaitor. the stick side balljoints are incredibly well covered they're in a sealed plasic box with an exhaust heatshield, and exhaust in the way. theyre also bang in the middle of the car the chances of it being the stick side ball joints is neigh on impossible.

pop the cables off the box and check for free-ness in box mechanisms and the cables. (check the cables by wiggling the gear stick it should feel like nothing is connected to them. if theres any resistance of any notabe amount you will probably need cables.) my guess is either dirty box end ball joints or an internal fault with the box. check oil level, if its low top it up. clean both parts of the ball joints maybe put a dab of grease in the cups re connect and hopefully thats you!