Don't think the light has anything to do with the stiff shifting. Do all of the other indicators light up? I replaced the "D" indicator bulb on my 2002 CRV. Also had to do the backlight for the odometer at the same time. Had to remove the instrument cluster and get the bulbs at the dealer. Very easy job. It was a while back and I forget how I got it all apart but I got the instructions from a You Tube video.