Why do gear shift lever stick in gear on a 6 speed craftsman riding mower?

There are safety switches on the seat, the shift lever, the clutch and the mower arm. If one of them isn't working, the engine stops. There is also a solenoid on the carburetor that is operated by the ignition switch. It has to be energized while the is running.

sounds like the shifter plate has moved or the alignment on the gear lever mechanism is out of line or even the gear stick plate linc is out of line. how much wobble is in the gear stick when you put into gear. if you can put in gear and move it far left or right then its not working right.

First off, set the parking brake, raise vehicle so you can get under it. Remove the shift linkage from the transmission and manually move the shift lever to park. Then try moving the shift mechanism inside the car to park and then through each gear (engine off of course). See if the mechanism sticks, if so, probably a broken tab on the locking mechanism for the shift lever in the steering column. If it moves freely, try the lever on the transmission back and forth through the gear range to see if it sticks. If it sticks, or you can't initially move it by hand, you have a transmission problem that requires trained individuals to fix. If it moves freely also, try lubing the cable with silicone spray at all contact points, especially where it enters and exits any cable sheathing. (spray into sheathing well) If both move freely independent of each other, it may just have been in a bind, put both shifter and tranny lever in park and reattach the shift cable, Then try the gear range again from inside the vehicle.

If you have a stick shift ( floor shift) remove the boot around the gear stick and the insulation on the floor to reveal the 4 bolts that hold the shift turret on to the top of the box. Undo the bolts and lift the gear lever assembly out of the gear box.

There are three posibilities for this worn linkage on the gearbox the linkage under gear lever or a broken mounting on the bracket where the lever comes up through the floor as long as you can get all gears it will be exturnal linkage fault.

run the fault codes to find the problem sensor
could be TCM, TR sensor or VSS sensor

replaced distributer cap found this was a big problem with moisture getting in cap WORKING FINE

For gear shift issues and gear stuck issues,the help links are provided below. Click the link below to go through troubleshooting procedure:---- ---- Car will not move when in gear?

http://repairhelpcenter.blogspot.in/2012/02/car-will-not-move-when-in-gear.html ---- transmission sticks in first gear? http://technoanswers.blogspot.com/2012/01/mercedes-benz-transmission-sticks-in.html ----- Transmission not engaging in first gear? http://technoanswers.blogspot.com/2012/01/mercedes-benz-not-engaging-in-first.html ----- Vehicle only goes in First gear?

http://howtobyme.blogspot.com/2011/11/chrysler-pt-cruiser-only-goes-in-first.html

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Car is stuck in park and the shift will not move?

http://howtobyme.blogspot.com/2011/08/car-is-stuck-in-park-and-shift-will-not.html

---- Engine will not go out of park mode? http://technoanswers.blogspot.in/2012/02/2002-nissan-sentra-will-not-go-out-of.html ---- Car stuck in park? http://technoanswers.blogspot.in/2012/02/nissan-sentra-stuck-in-park.html ----- Car will not come out of Park?

http://howtobyme.blogspot.com/2011/11/car-will-not-come-out-of-park.html

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Automatic transmission will not go into high gear?

http://howtobyme.blogspot.com/2011/11/automatic-transmission-will-not-go-into.html
--- Car wont downshift sometimes?

http://schematicsdiagram.blogspot.com/2011/12/car-wont-downshift-sometimes.html
---- Transmission will shift into drive?

http://schematicsdiagram.blogspot.com/2011/12/buick-park-avenuetransmission-will.html
----- Auto wont shift from park? http://schematicsdiagram.blogspot.com/2011/12/ford-taurus-wont-shift-from-park.html ---- Car Transmission will not go into Park mode?

http://schematicsdiagram.blogspot.com/2011/12/car-transmission-will-no-go-into-park.html
----- Shift indicator directly goes to 2nd when key is turned ON?

http://schematicsdiagram.blogspot.com/2011/12/shift-indicator-directly-goes-to-2nd.html
---- Third gear missing and engine losing power?

http://schematicsdiagram.blogspot.com/2012/01/third-gear-missing-and-engine-losing.html
------- Vehicle has whining sound in gear?

http://technoanswers.blogspot.com/2012/01/chevrolet-silverado-has-whining-sound.html
----- Hard to shift gears on Manual transmission?

http://technoanswers.blogspot.com/2012/01/hard-to-shift-gears-on-manual.html
------ Car hard shift at slow speeds?

http://technoanswers.blogspot.com/2012/01/car-hard-shift-at-slow-speeds.html
--- Automatic transmission shift lever hard to move on cold mornings?

http://technoanswers.blogspot.com/2012/01/automatic-transmission-shift-lever-hard.html
------ Gear shifts hard?

http://schematicsdiagram.blogspot.in/2012/02/2000-nissan-maxima-shifts-hard.html
------- Vehicle noticed sluggish delayed shifts while driving?

http://schematicsdiagram.blogspot.in/2012/03/vehicle-noticed-sluggish-delayed-shifts.html

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This will help.

Thanks.

I am dealing with a very similar issue on my 03 Spec V , So far i noticed the clevis pin was loose and the locking hitch pin that slips thru it had fallen out . this caused the gears to not wanna engage due to the bolt behind the clevis which runs to the master cylinder was not getting pressed in when i pushed the clutch pedal in because the clevis pin was slippin on n off giving me no pressure up top .. I had to remove my lower dash panel in order to get visual n hand access to this pin , it is a tight spot to work in as well . May be easist to remove the 4 14mm bolts that hold yur driver seat in to give ya more room to work n stretch out ur arms

Is the stick moving? or is it 'stuck' in the reverse position as well? There are adjustments but it seems more likely that your 'stick' has come unstuck from the gear levers that actually put the gears in the right spot. Have someone look at the transmission while you move the stick to see if the levers are moving and put your response here.