Tom
I had the same problem with both 1st and 2nd difficult.
It wasn't perfect before the EJ22 install but definitely needed fixing
afterward.

Your shift linkage needs to be readjusted.

Here is the fix:
First make a block of wood exactly 23 mm thick.
Park with the transmission in Neutral, hold the shift leaver as far left as
you can (I used a bungee cord to hold it) and insert the block of wood
underneath in the shift linkage box so that it fits between the shift joint
and the LHS stop.
Next find the joint half way from the shift box and the transmission that
couples the front and back shift linkage rods. Loosen the clamp and slide it
out of the way (forward). Mark the spline next to the slot to give you a
starting reference point.
Now loosen the coupling so that the splines rotate freely with the coupling.
Next move the transmission up, down, sideways as it might move when your
driving. Wiggle the shift joint that connects to the transmission. What you
are trying to do is get the shift into a truly neutral position without bias
left or right.
Go back to the loosened coupling and you should see a rotation away from
your reference mark.
Tighten the coupling; remove the wooden block; test the shifter through all
of the gears.
To much? Go back and move the coupling back a bit.
Not enough? Go back and add a bit of rotation.
Just right? Tighten everything up; Lube the joints and slides.
Your done :-)

Got this little gem of a procedure while at the BusFusion event this year.
Larry

<<My '87 Syncro has about 5K miles on a AA Transaxle rebuild.  When cold, =
you can plop it into gear with two fingers.  But after driving for =
awhile (hot or cold ambient temps) it is very difficult to put it into a =
gear.  Most notable is second, 'tho all gears offer a lot of resistance. =

Everything underneath is tight.  Shifting rod is well greased.  Tranny =
is full of MT-90.=20

What could this be?>>