Hyundai Repair: 2002 Hyundai XG350, defective alternator, 2002 hyundai xg350

Question
This concerns my 2002 Hyundai XG350 automatic transmission. The transmission PRND  selector is very stiff to shift into various positions, i.e., drive, reverse, etc.when first starting car.  I tried cleaning the slider plate as was suggested...it was clean and didn't help. The stiffness doesn't happen till I let the car sit for many hours (like overnight). Then it only happens once (going from P to D, only one time) and the stiffness is gone till it again sits overnight. This is a stretch...can it possibly be related to vacuum? Is there any vacuum assist involved and when the car remains parked overnight, the system looses vacuum? Coincidentally, this problem began a few days after a defective alternator was replaced at the Hyundai dealer.
I wonder whether something was done in removing the alternator (a major removal job) that has created this problem.

Answer
There is nothing vacuum controlled in the shift lever.  There is, however, a solenoid which prevents shifting out of park it the brake pedal is not depressed.  If you can fully depress the button on top of the shifter, the solenoid is working properly and the problem is with some part of the mechanism being difficult.  Since cleaning the slider didn't make any change, it may be necessary to disconnect various components to see whether the stiffness remains.  I'd recommend starting at the transmission and working back to the shifter.  First, disconnect the lever on top of the transmission from the transmission itself.  If the lever still sticks, you'll know it isn't in the transmission.  Next, disconnect the cable from the shift lever-- this will require removing the console.  If the problem continues, you know it isn't in the cable, either.  You're then back to suspecting a problem with the slider in the indicator.  Since you've unsuccessfully tried cleaning it already, problems with the slider may require replacement of the PRND indicator assembly.