Warm gear shift???

So i took my 97 V6 5 speed (262,000 miles) on about a 2 hour trip on the interstate this week and noticed after driving for a while, the metal on the gear shifter was actually warm to the touch. Has anyone else noticed such a thing? I guess that means my tranny was actually running hot enough to radiate heat all the way up to the top of the gear shifter. No problems or anything...just a general question. Thanks.

 

that happened on my 99 taco a few times - never was an issue though..

 

mine does it as well. and I also use to have a 92 toyota that did the same thing. i believe you can feel the heat because of the combo of the shifter being on the floor directly above the tranny and the lack of a decent heat shield/barrier. I wouldn't worry about it.

 

Thanks guys, I appreciate it. Glad to know that I'm not the only one.

 

My '91 does the same thing