Manual transmission shifter getting very stiff

[MercDane]

[FONT=&quot]Hi everyone,[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]I’ve had my 2002 220 CDI with a manual transmission for a couple of months. There was a “thing” with the gearbox when I bought the car; going from neutral to 1st was a wee bit tough and going from 1st to 2nd felt just a little crunchy. I can live with that I thought.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Now that has developed into an occasionally VERY VERY hard shifter going from neutral to 1st or to reverse when the car is standing still. As stated it happens occasionally but the frequency its occurrence is increasing to my dismay. I bought the car with manual transmission against my preference to avoid problems as I knew used autoboxes can be dicey business, and now this! [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]The clutch itself is very smooth throughout the pedal’s entire travel and engages pretty early upon the release of the pedal. So I’d be surprised if the root cause is a worn clutch –at least the disc. Maybe a defective one!? But really, the clutch has a smooth feel to it and the shifting feels all right as well past 1st gear (apart from that slight church to 2nd, which is endurable). [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Does anyone have a take on this or has had similar experiences? I really hope I’m not gonna need a new gearbox! ;-([/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Thanks a lot in advance[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Best-[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Gabriel[/FONT]

 

[jaymanek]

IIRC there are bushes on the selector rods from memory and these could have failed. Although ive always found manual W203's hard to shift.
Havent seen many manual thoigh so cant be sure yours works in the same way .

 

[MercDane]

Hey Jaymanek,
Tanks a lot.

My W203 definitely is harder to shift than all the French and Japanese cars I've owned.
Albeit I can't attribute this issue to the general rough nature of the W203 gearbox, as the condition seems to be deteriorating and the box otherwise "behaves". May I ask where are those bushings sitting exactly and how will I get to them?

Thanks,
Gabriel

 

[iDiesel]

Have you solved your problem and if yes please write me because i have THE SAME problem with SAME MODEL w203 ?

Thanks

 

[Bellow]

Everything in the OP's post screams 'clutch not clearing' to me.
Hydraulics leaking/needing bled, worn clutch fork/release bearing - potential causes.