I recently had an issue with gear shift getting stuck such that I could only get to reverse, first and second gear. I just located the problem, it is with one of the two shift cables at the transmission end. A brass fitting that is normally inserted into the cable outer sheath and crimped to hold in place has come loose, and when it slips out of the outer sheath it can jam between the sheath and the gearbox lever. The two pictures included with this post show the cable as it should look (first picture), and the cable with the brass fitting slid out of position and jammed (second picture).
New cables would fix it, but they are expensive ($552 from dealer) and difficult to install (dealer wants $500 labor, so total is over $1,000). Since the rest of the cable is in good shape, a much less expensive solution would be something that retains the brass fitting where it belongs.
Has anyone had similar problem and developed a solution other than cable replacement?
