You have the cruddy shift forks that so many pre-2002 proteges are experiencing. I had my 3rd gear forks replaced under warranty at about 34k, and now out of warranty at 50k it is already showing some resistance again. When it fails again, I'll be headed to the junkyard like everyone else.
You can get away with replacing just the forks, but since it's gonna be a DIY deal, it is not much more time consuming to just drop the whole tranny, and throw on a new one. You will need a cherry picker AND a rolling jack. You can either take the whole tranny/motor out through the top, or lift the car and drop the tranny from the bottom (the option I would take if I had my choice). There is far less to disconnect wiring and sensor-wise with the second option.
B
EDIT: build date on my car 08/01.
You can get away with replacing just the forks, but since it's gonna be a DIY deal, it is not much more time consuming to just drop the whole tranny, and throw on a new one. You will need a cherry picker AND a rolling jack. You can either take the whole tranny/motor out through the top, or lift the car and drop the tranny from the bottom (the option I would take if I had my choice). There is far less to disconnect wiring and sensor-wise with the second option.
B
EDIT: build date on my car 08/01.