Can you take a couple of good pics with the counsel out maybe this will help with an answer.

 

try taking off the console... and then make a few runs around the block and really take a look at everything when you start having the problem... make sure you greased everything too. if all else fails... and i mean ALL ELSE you can try fiddling with the cable lengths, you can twist the connections and it'll lengthen or shorten the cable... but i've NEVER heard of ANYONE needing to do this.... so... check everything thoroughly... lube everything... make sure you put in the return to center "spring" thing on correctly (that thing that looks like a long U that snaps the shifter back to center when in neutral).

 

I solved it. It was such a minor thing but who would have thought that it would have made such a big impact.

Apparently, Mitsubishi designed the shifter housing and its alignment down to the millimeter, because that was exactly what was out of alignment that caused my problem with the 1st gear.

The holes for the bolts that's on the blue bushings that come with the B&M short shifter are an EXACT fit for the bolts that hold the shifter housing down. The holes on the shifter housing, however, isn't. In fact, B&M, and I'm sure other companies and shops, designed their shifter housing bushings based on that difference.

When I installed the bushings on the housing, I put them upside-down. Here is what the bushing looks like right and wrong (excuse the unproportionate drawing due to ASCII limitations):
The narrower part of the bushing fits into the holes on the housing PERFECTLY, and aligns the holes for the bolts. When I put them upside-down, there was nothing to "lock" the housing down and prevent the housing from sliding around about 1-4mm as you shift, especially if you shift hard. Once I put the bushings correctly, I can shift into 1st gear with no problems and can finally and fully enjoy my new installation. BTW, this also explains why I could still engage 1st gear if I held the shifter firmly, since the misalignment was only a few millimeters.

This also brings up another thought. The stock bushing were rubber, very soft, very flexible. If you were to shift hard, the shifter housing would easily give away and the housing would slide 1-2mm. That could explain how sometimes when I shift hard, my gears grind due to lack of engagement (this was with stock shifter and bushings). With this thought, I HIGHLY recommend you get solid shifter housing bushings made out of urethane or brass or some metal (available at most Evo aftermarket shops and online stores), not just for more solid shifts, but for trouble-free reasons. I hope this advice helps for those that may be experiencing this problem.

If anyone else has anything to add, please feel free to do so. Also, I would like to thank everyone that offered any advice that they can come up with. Good luck and feel free to ask me any questions about this [since I practically know the whole shifter assembly from the get-go now).

 

Sorry if the post above was a little extensive. I tried to be as detailed as I can without talking "too" much.

Below is the picture of the bushings in place from evolutionm.net's tech section:

Notice the flat side of the bushings is facing up. This is the correct way to place the bushing. The narrower/divot side of the bushing should sit and fit firmly into the holes of the shifter housing. If it doesn't, the housing will slide when you shift which causes the shifter to move, causing gear disengagement and gear grinding.

I hope this helps.

 

Did you make sure the "Centering Spring" is re-installed correctly?

- Jason

 

Yep, I made sure of that 3-4 times during the install to make sure I got it right. It was the housing bushings after all.

 

Congrats on finally solving the issue! I wish I could of been more help sooner!