Gears clash when I try to go into Reverse - manual transmission

[Grasshopper]

1997 Ford Ranger
4-cylinder, 2.3L, 5 speed

For a couple weeks now, I've found it difficult to shift gears. The transmission seems very particular about what speed I'm going for it to allow me to shift into gears easily.

Just today, I tried to reverse, and got a sound like I was trying to enter Reverse without pushing the clutch pedal. The gears were grinding against each other. I managed, with a lot of force, to shift into Reverse, and once I shifted it worked fine. A little later, while waiting at a red light, I experimented and again got the gear-grinding sound when attempting to shift into Reverse.

Could I have help identifying the problem and fixing it?

 

[Curious Hound]

Almost sounds like the clutch isn't disengaging properly. That's just a guess though.

This message composed solely of recycled electrons. Go green!

 

[planeflyer21]

That's what mine was doing on my '99 3.0 V6.

The master cylinder was bad. Not a quick fix, as it is buried in the transmission which needs to be pulled, if it is indeed the master cylinder.

 

[Denisefwd93]

You did make sure there is fluid in the transmission right??

 

[Spott]

That's what mine was doing on my '99 3.0 V6.

The master cylinder was bad. Not a quick fix, as it is buried in the transmission which needs to be pulled, if it is indeed the master cylinder.

I'm fairly certain you're referring to the slave cylinder.

The master cylinder is mounted on the engine firewall and is connected to the clutch pedal.

It very well could be a faulty slave cylinder, or a faulty master cylinder. Other culprits might be the hydraulic hose, or clutch pedal bracket.

 

[planeflyer21]

Oops, yes, slave cylinder.

I should know since I've replaced both at one time or another.

 

[rangerenthiusiast]

If I can offer a bit of advice, don’t drive it that way too long without fixing it. Decades ago, I had a friend who owned an ’85 Golf with a broken shift tube. Rather than pay to have it fixed the cheap @x!#* would just start out in first, wind it out, and manually jam the shifter into third. I ended up inheriting the car (because he owed me money) without realizing what he’d been doing. After dumping a bunch of work into it, I found out that he had blown the synchros out of third gear. I drove it for a while, but the car was never really right.

 

[Grasshopper]

Thanks for all the advice!

My dad says it feels like there is air in the system, but I'm not sure how that could happen since the clutch fluid is full to the brim (and hasn't been low).

I am going to start by bleeding the clutch hydraulic system, and if that doesn't help, I will suspect a bad cylinder or hose.

Does that seem reasonable?

 

[Grasshopper]

Update: We found the problem. It had run low on hydraulic fluid. We bled the clutch and refilled, and now it works fine.
The reason we didn't realize it at first, is a strange one. There's a rubber insert in the fluid reservoir, and apparently somebody had filled that insert, thinking it was the actual reservoir.
I just bought the truck a month ago, as a replacement for Grasshopper, who got fallen on by a tree.
This one is called Katydid.

 

[Denisefwd93]

You may now leave the temple grasshopper.....
https://youtu.be/fVVqBlcTjHU