B737 CREW HAD RUDDER CTL BEGIN TO FREEZE DURING THE FLT CTL CHECK.

Narrative

DURING FLT CTL CHECK; RUDDER PEDALS BECAME PROGRESSIVELY STIFFER WITH EACH RUDDER APPLICATION UNTIL I WAS UNABLE TO FULLY DEFLECT RUDDER. THIS OCCURRED ONLY WITH RAPID APPLICATION OF RUDDER. SLOW APPLICATION OF RUDDER PRODUCED NORMAL RUDDER MOVEMENT AND FEEL; STANDBY RUDDER PRODUCED NORMAL MOVEMENT AND FEEL. RETURNED TO GATE. ACFT TAKEN TO HANGAR FOR REPAIR. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 462517: ON FEB/XA/00; FLT ABC ZZZ-MSY AT XA00 LCL TIME; THE CAPT OF THIS FLT DID A ROUTINE FLT CTL CHECK AND NOTICED A PROB. HE ASKED ME TO DO THE SAME CHK AND MY CONCLUSION WAS THE SAME AS HIS. ON THE ACFT; WHEN A RUDDER CHK WAS DONE BY PUSHING THE RUDDER PEDALS AT A NORMAL RATE THE CHK WAS NORMAL. WHEN THE PEDALS WERE PUSHED AT FASTER RATE THEY BECAME VERY STIFF -- ALMOST TO THE POINT THAT YOU COULD NOT MOVE THEM AND THEY BECAME JAMMED. WHEN THE B SYS FLT CTL SWITCH WAS PLACED TO STANDBY RUDDER; THE RUDDER PRESSURE ON THE PEDALS WAS ABOUT 50 PERCENT LESS AND MUCH BETTER FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT. WHEN THE SWITCH WAS PLACED BACK TO NORMAL THE RESULT WAS THE SAME AS BEFORE. WE RETURNED TO THE GATE AND TURNED THE AIRPLANE OVER TO THE MECHANICS.