Hi All,
1989 Sami JL, 4X4 - transmission stiuck in third.  pulled stick and got it back to neutral, then cleaned ball socket, greased and put back together. runs good, but I was wondering if anyone has had similar problem and if parts need to be replaced.  I've seen on the board talk about a plastic sleeve, but did not observed any plastic when I pulled the boot and shift lever out and did not see anything in the manual.  Any help would be appreciated.
Rick

I do not know if a worn out shifter sheet will cause it to stick in 3rd or not. I replaced both the transmission and transfer sheets (plastic pieces) at the same time. It is really pretty simple. My manual does not really show much either. Look at the pictures of removing the shifter, on top of the shifter ball is the sheet. You have to pull off the boot and the shift lever retainer to install the sheet. I used a popsicle stick, no sharp edges, to start boot over lever. The new sheet will slide right into place. Searching th web i found plenty of pics and good info on the transfer lever, but not the transmission lever. The instructions that came with mine were extremely vague on the transmission, but it was a good kit. Check it out.
http://lowrangeoffroad.com/samclutchtranny.htm