1997 Mazda 626 / 2.0 / 5-Speed. No Grinding But Hard To Move Shifter Forward & Back
 

I have a 1997 626 with 2.0 4-Cylinder & 5-Speed.

The car runs fine but the manual shifter is very hard to move forward and back on all gear like 1-2, 3-4 and 5-R. There is no grinding. No problems moving the shifter left and right. The shifter feels like the transmission has thick molasses in it ! The clutch pedal is little hard to press too.

There is no grinding in any gears at all.

Any ideas if there is something wrong with the manual transmission or the lift rods?

Thanks

Waid

Disconnect the levers from the gear box & confirm if the problem is in the levers or the box.
Is there any difference between the engine being cold v's fully warmed up?
Also is there any difference between the engine running & not running?