Sticky shifter....?

[Porkchop-wrx]

Just bought the a 1g dsm and its still not on the road as I am doing all the maintenance work first. Well today I came across a weird problem. I go to shift the gears while parked and its doesn't return to neutral like its suppose to. Like the spring isn't strong enough or its sticking to something. Also 5th and reverse seem hard to get into. Can anyone help me out with this or point me in the right direction.
~Danny

 

[Defiant]

Give the shifter assembly a shot of WD-40, and don't bother trying to shift it until you're running.

Go ahead and replace the trans fluid with Pennzoil Synchromesh.