Got in the Rover yesterday morning and it was excessivley hard to slide the Shift Handke back and forth into gear.The Tranny is shifting of and it goues into gear fin but pushing/moving the handle now takes mor effort than it should (this was not gradual either)

Any insights would be appreciated

 

My DiscoII has the same problem. Is the shifter "creaky" when it goes into gear?

The cable that goes from the shifter to the transmission probably has some gunk/moisture/no lubrication in it. I periodically remove the plastic cover around the shifter (the one that says P/R/N/D...) and put some grease on the cable and work it back and forth. Also, you can get under the truck and put some grease on the cable at the transmission (make sure you set the parking brake, block the tires and you don't have the engine running for safety, as you will need to set the shifter in first gear to expose as much of the cable as possible).

Work the grease into the cable and do this a couple of times, shifting will be much easier.

- Keith