Hey, glad to see you're still at it. Bummer you're having issues with the shifter.
Is it a new/new-ish lower shift cable? If you disconnect the lower shift cable from the engine, how easy is it to shift by hand with the drive down? Any difference with the drive up? If it's still difficult to shift, I think that will mean you've got a problem with the lower shift cable or something with how it interfaces with the drive.
Is it a new/new-ish lower shift cable? If you disconnect the lower shift cable from the engine, how easy is it to shift by hand with the drive down? Any difference with the drive up? If it's still difficult to shift, I think that will mean you've got a problem with the lower shift cable or something with how it interfaces with the drive.