Stick shift won't return to center when car gets hot

I have a 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse, V6, 5spd, 91k miles. Only on hot days with temps >80 degrees, after about 30 minutes of driving (city or highway), the stick shift gets “sticky” and will no longer snap back to center. Also takes a bit more effort to switch from gear to gear This leads to a little delay (and frustration) while I fish around for 3rd while upshifting (or 4th while downshifting). Once the car has had a chance to cool off a bit (1 hr or so of not driving) the shifter behaves normally and will return to center during shifts… only to get goofy again after 30 min of driving. Anybody have an idea what’s causing this? Only does this when ambient temp is hot. On cooler days, no issues. Clutch not slipping at all. Thanks for your thoughts!

First thing I would try is greasing the linkages and checking linkage bushings for wear. That is the most likely cause of your problems.