Pontiac Repair: 2001 Sunfire 2.2 5 spd manual shifter assy, wd40, assy

Question
When shifting it is very difficult to get into first or second gear.  After pulling hard toward 1-2 it will go in, after shifting through 1-2 it is difficult to get over to 3-4, same thing for 5.  Whole thing is really stiff.  Have tried some WD40 on the big white ball in the console as well as the other moving parts.  Did not improve the performance.
Help!!

Answer
Hi Mike:

It's either in the trnamission it's self or the shift cables are binding up. I have never see the shifter in the car go bad on one of these cars. It's either the cables are in the transmission. You can un hook the cables from the trnamission and try moving the shifter and see if it's still stiff. If so it's more then likely the cables.