[NickE]

It is possible that there is something wrong with the bearing in that little black bearing housing, or it is not aligned properly. At tempest 'n tampa this year, one of our shifter shaft bearings blew apart.

You could try removing the piston, shifter shaft and bearing housing from the robot, and seeing if it spins well when not on the gearbox. If it does, I would guess that its an alignment problem. However, if it doesn't it could be a bearing problem.

-Nick