190E: stiff A/T shifter help
 

I'm selling this 190E 2.6 for a relative. I need to fix two things for the sale. The first is to figure out why the A/T shifter is so stiff. Not only with fore and aft movement, but lateral movement (out of the gates), too. I can hear the linkage *clanking* under the vehicle. Haven't put the car up yet to check it out. Just seeking some info on what to look for and possible causes. I used to be a mechanic (very little German car experience), but don't have a service manual for this vehicle. Any info would be helpful before I crawl under. The other item is to replace the A/T shifter indicator lamp. I found instructions on the archives here, so I think I'm set on that.
Thanks.

1990 190E 2.6

Sounds like the linkage is bent, damaged or not installed correctly. Have a look see.

Got it! Checked out underneath (boy, it's tight around the tranny shift arm/tunnel area!) and found only that the bushings at the tranny shift arm/linkage are gone. That's the *clank*. As for the shifter, I didn't find any broken parts. Used liberal amounts of silicone lube and flooded the area from above where the shifter passes through the dust boot. Worked the lever a lot and eventually it loosened up. Now it has lateral spring-back tension and the shift lever moves through the gates easily. Now I just need to get some new bushings and ask my little 6-inch-tall mechanic's helper to get in there to install them! <g>.