Sticking shifter

A couple of weeks ago I noticed that going from N to D had a lot of resistance. It was a cold day. Seemed to go away, but the last couple days it is stiff going all the way through the gears and even a little stiffer than before. Also cold 30*F.

it did not seem to get better as the cab warmed up, however, not sur i ran it long enough for full heat soaking and possibly warm up the floor shifter mechanism.

is this more likely to be grease drying up in the shifter assembly or problems with the cable? Guessing i am not the first to have this issue. It is stiff enough that i am worried about breaking something.

thank for any guidance you can provide.

i now see that they sell shift shaft bushings, which seem to be for the cable. That kind of points to wear issues with the cable.

 

It's probably the range sensor on the passenger side of the transmission. They get corrosion inside and get sticky. Sometimes they get stuck on the shaft and have to be cut off

 

Thanks

can they usually be cleaned or do they usually need to be replaced?

 

Sometimes you can take them apart and clean them but first you have to get it off without breaking it