Automotive Forums

The van set for awhile and was not run.  When we started using it again it was hard to get into 5th gear.  Flushed and changed transmission fluid (30W in this particular transmission) That didn't help.
Took off the console panel as and nothing in the crossover cables is loose but it seems like there is more play in the cables than there should be.  When the van was parked everything was working fine.
The shift lever seems to be stiff and hard to move from each gear. I know that 5th is still there because on a rare occasion I am able to get it into 5th and drive.  
I'm using a lot of gas without overdrive.  I'm thinking I'm going to have to take it to a shop and have those crossover cables adjusted.
Anyone have any suggestions before I spend a quad of money?  

Sometimes they sieze up when they sit too long.  

I had an '86 with the five speed. I encountered a Caravan-specific situation that is definitely worth checking before doing anything drastic.

There is a small plastic/nylon ball and socket housing which is in the connection from tranny to motor...I not only can't remember the Dodge term, I'm having trouble tonight thinking of the generic type mechanical thing.

It's sort of the same principle as the bell crank in older three-on the trees.

It's reachable from the top in the engine compartment if you're taller than I am, but much more difficult to access from the bottom, even though it's closer to the bottom than the top. My fingers could just reach it with my entire upper body in the engine compartment.

This ball (picture something like an elbow or knee joint in humans) can get loose and mine kept popping out at inconvenient times. It can also move very stiffly if it is sort of in the wrong place.

Mine started doing this during an extended trip around the country. I tried various 'shims', depending on where I was when it happened and how cooperative tall passers-by were. In one emergency, I stuffed a small amount of fast-food restaurant napkin to keep the ball in.

This is the kind of thing a creative mechanic who knows about this part can fix very well, at least semi-permanently (after I stopped travelling, one 'shim' lasted almost six months), very inexpensively, in between five and 10 minutes.

It was, however, very difficult to explain to people who weren't familiar with the idea.

You need some thin material that keeps the ball in but allows it to move.

Dirt and crud can also get into the top of this ball, preventing easy motion.

I'd almost bet money your problem is related to this.