noticed, recently on my 2006 HHr LT with a manula 5-speed that the shift linkage flles like it's getting tighter...harder to engage into gear. already pulled the shift boot off and sprayed some silicane lube oound the ball at the bottom of the shifter. helped for awhile but back again....any ideas..??

 

May have one of the cables binding up. Could be that some of the lube you sprayed in there got on the cable end and freed it up for a while.

 

 

anyone, out there, have a blow-up of the manual shifter assembly where the shifter ball rotates..?? already checked the cables, they move freely but the shifter moves(even in the neutral gate) with some resistance, as if it's in need of some lubrication. i have already tried getting some light silicone lube to flow down, around the ball. this helped slightly but is not solving the problem. i have not been successful finding a diagram of the shifter assembly on-line nor a diagram in my Chiltons manual. i would have to imagine that a dealer's service dept has such info.

 

Looked at some old posts and found this. Didn't see a good pic of where the ball sits in the assembly.
Aftermarket on top. Stock on bottom.

 

 

found this specific instructions for a short throw shifter install for the 2.2 LT......these instructions explain alot about the stock shifter....thanks, everyone for your help....happy holidays to one and all.

https://www.twmperformance.com/image...ion-manual.pdf

 

ok, yesterday, with the great help of the manual for the TWM shifter, i took out, broke down and rebuilt the shifter mechanism in the console. not such a bad deal. come to find out that the mechanism is fine. reassembled for plenty of white lithium and TLC.....now that i knew that there's no binding, etc problems there, looked at where the cables connect to the top of the tranny. nothing evident there either but considering that even after doing the shifter all five and reverse still feel sluggish i decised to lube twhere the cables attach to the trans controls. this seemed to have fixed things. all shifts are now crisp and feel smooth. glad i first broke down the mechanism first to prove no problem there.....

 

 

me too.....was like rowing gears thru mud.....especially 2nd and 4th(both on the same cable).....