Sticky manual gear change

[Jaypak]

Hia. 
 

After lots of research, head scratching, frustration, stripping bits of dashboard, fiddling under the car , greasing cable bushes, breaking the centre console etc, I cured the stiff gear stick in about 2 minutes with approximately 0.5 pence worth of grease. 
 

The symptoms manifested by the gear lever being very reluctant to pull backwards after being engaged in 1st , 3 rd and 5th. ( wish it had a 6th ).

With my wife shifting gears , I was looking under the bonnet at the mechanisms’ movement. 
 

I moved a plastic box out of the way. I don’t know what it is. It has a pipe from air intake hose going into it and a pipe out. 

This box lifts about 25 millimetres, (  I sprayed the slot with a lube to help it, wiggling to release , wearing gloves cos it gives suddenly), then moves towards the engine to disengage from the slotted bracket and lifted and tilted to get a view of the gear cables. 
 

Watching how they moved, I got my beloved to put it in 4th to extend the forward most cable  ( there are 2 and I’d already greased the rear most as it was obvious) , pulled back the gaiter applied a bit of grease on the cable, replaced gaiter, job done. Smooth gear change. 
 

I hope this saves someone all the hassle I had. 
 

Happy days. 
Will add photos if possible