The last couple weeks I have slowly been having more and more problems shifting especially into 1st and reverse but all the other gears are slightly tough also. It never grinds or misses the gear, it is like when I try and shift sometimes the shifter hits a solid wall. If I roll a couple inches forward or back it will usually just slide right into gear. I bled my clutch today with no improvement and am going to replace the tranny fluid tomorrow. Anybody think the tranny fluid change will help? I wouldnt be suprised if it is the original fluid as I did the rear end a couple months ago and it was definately the original.
If the fluid replacement doesnt help, what other things could it be? I doubt syncros since it isnt just one gear. clutch feels good and there isnt any pull at all when in gear and clutch pushed in, (wheels remain stopped when in gear and on jack stands with clutch in) I am guessing that means the master and slave cylinders are ok. Any other possibilities?
thanks


edit: I forget to mention, this is my FD.

 

Changing the transmission fluid will probably help a lot. When I changed mine it made a big difference in how easy it is to shift.

 

I just finished changing the tranny oil and it is good as new, I cant believe how big of a difference it made and the old stuff didnt really look that bad. I guess it was just getting old and not lubricating as well.

 

what kind of tranny oil r y'all using? cos i have to change mine also!!

 

I put in the Mobile1 75w-90, it is like $6-7 a quart at Checker, luckily it only holds about 2.5 quarts.

It seems I got excited too soon. After a couple hours of driving I had difficulty shifting into 1st and reverse again. How big of a pain is it to check the linkage to ensure it is tight?

 

its a hydraulic clutch system. unfortunately, its time to change your clutch.

 

Odd that the oil change worked for awhile. I had a balky shifter in my '81 and switching to Redline 75w fixed it for good.

If the clutch engages close to the floor, check the master cylinder and the clutch free play. If the master cylinder's really low, you may have to bleed the line.

 

Yeah, I already bled the clutch line a couple times, I dont think fluid levels or air have anything to do with it. Somebody suggested to me that it is probably the slave cylinder. What are the symptoms of that going out? Am I correct in thinking the slave cylinder is the one on the tranny where the bleeder valve is?

I was looking last night at the clutch pedal adjustments, I dont know that there is enough adjustment to make any difference. I will try tonight and see if I can get anything working better.

 

Correct, the slave cylinder is on the tranny. Usually when they go bad they leak, but it's possible you're getting fluid blow-by inside the cylinder. I'd think if this were the case the clutch wouldn't work at all, or work initially, then start to engage after a second or two. Try the adjustments. Good luck.