Auto Parts: Stick shift sticks, steering wheel lock, nissan altima

Question
I have a 1993- GXE- Nissan Altima. It has an automatic transmission. The stick shift on the car is sticking and it is very hard to shift from park to drive or any other setting. My question to you is. Is there a cable that is attached from the stick to the transmission or motor that control these settings? If there is a cable, is there a proper name for it and what is it called? I am having a problem trying to locate it.
Any help will be appreciated. Thanks William

Answer
    There is a cable, called the shifter cable, that links the shifter to the transmission.  If you look under the hood, you should easily see the transmission end of the cable anchored to a bracket and operating a little lever on the side of the transmission.  The end of the cable at the shifter is much harder to get at; you would basically have to remove the console and the shifter quadrant to get at it.  You should give good look at the end by the transmission and see if there are any signs of fraying or damage of any other sort.  If everything looks OK, then it might be worthwhile to get the cable lubed.  Most big shops (and all motorcycle shops) have a gizmo that can force lubricant back up into the cable.  I would try that before I did anything else.  Then I would take apart the console and the shifter and see if the fault didn't lie there.  The solenoid that prevents the shifter from being moved if the ignition isn't unlocked may be malfunctioning, or the linkage between the shifter and the steering wheel lock (some have this, some don't) may be bad as well.  It could even be that enough wear has accumulated between the shifter and the transmission that the detents in one don't line up with the other any more.  There should be some method for adjusting this at one end or the other.  I would try the lubrication of the cable first, though.