Automatic gear selector hard to move

[nitrous9200]

2005 Acura MDX, 86K miles. A few days ago, the gear shift started feeling a bit weird - it doesn't click into place like it used to and has a fair bit of resistance.

The car is being brought to the dealer tomorrow for some recalls, and I want to know if it's safe to actually drive the car to have them look at it. We'll see what they say but I'm curious what ATG thinks could be the problem.

I moved it up and down the driveway and didn't hear any weird noises nor experience any trouble moving. It seems that V6 Hondas of this generation have lots of transmission related issues, but is this "sticky" gearshift a generic problem for all cars? If so, does it point to an actual transmission problem or something with the shifter/linkage?

 

[NutBucket]

I would guess linkage myself but I'm no expert.

 

[phucheneh]

Should be operated by a cable. Best way to diag it would be to unhook the cable; probably at the transmission end. If it moves free, you know it's trans side. If it still doesn't, it's probably in the shifter assembly.

You may also want to try the over-ride for the shift lock. On the plastic surround for the shifter, there should be a little rectangle with a little recess for a small screwdriver. Pop that off and poke straight down again what should be some light spring tension. If that frees it up, your bind if somewhere in the shift lock mech.