Hard going into 1st and reverse

[9's]

94 ranger 2WD 5spd 4.0L 89k

Truck wont go into 1st gear easily. I almost always have to shift it to 4th gear before I go into 1st gear. This same goes for reverse.

Things I've noticed:
-With 1st gear its a hard 'pop' if I force it in while with reverse its a slight,short grinding noise.
-It goes into 1st much much easier if I shift to it while still moving. Its once Im stopped that it becomes an issue.
-I tried to vary the engine rpm to see if it'll shift to 1st easier at a certain rpm....nope
-The problem gets WORSE as the truck heats up. Im in Chicago, and its cold here now....the first 15-20 mins of drive shifts ok...then problem becomes more prominent the longer I drive (this is whats throwing me off!)

I havent 'tried' any fixes yet as Im still researching what all youve done for diagnoses.
But I will start with bleeding the slave.

I just cant figure out why this would get worse as truck heats up

any advice would be appreciated. THanks guys

-Luke

 

[JunkYardDog]

yeah your clutch is the problem on that issue. its not disengaging all the way and its overpowering the synchros. try bleeding your clutch and if that doesn't work you might just need a new slave cylinder or clutch master cylinder.

 

[Confederate Forge]

My little mustang with 2.3 and 5 speed does the exact same things. I just deal with it. Its not that bad. I have learned to go back to first while its still coasting to a stop.

 

[Hahnsb2]

Mine kind of does that too (gets harder to get in gear the longer you drive). I'm almost positive it's the pilot bearing, all my hydraulics are new.

 

[AKBroncoII]

My tranny was doing that also, until my 3rd gear synchro finally welded itself to the gear. It is partially in 3rd all the time, but with force would go into the other gears. Sounds like what you might be experiencing. Talked to the guy about it at the tranny shop, said 7 times out of 10, that is why these go out.

 

[9's]

Damn, a mixed bunch lol.
So could be bled,slave,master,pilot bearing or an actuall synchro problem. I'll start looking into it in pretty much that order then.

Just wanted to get some experienced opinions before I go stabbing in the dark.


Also forgot to note that the clutch grabs about mid-pedal. No slippage through any gear at any rpm. This leads me to believe the plates themselves are good just maybe an engagement issue....or dis-engagement for that matter

 

[BlackBII]

If you have it in first gear, with the clutch pedal pushed in, does the truck creep forward at all?

That will tell you if the clutch is not disengaging

 

[9's]

If you have it in first gear, with the clutch pedal pushed in, does the truck creep forward at all?

That will tell you if the clutch is not disengaging

No, the truck stays put.
Normally I just shift to 1st while still rolling to a stop, which is fine for quick stops.
But at stop lights Im not going to sit there for a whole light cycle with clutch engaged...in gear. I have to get this fixed, its not something I want to deal with daily.
I'll get back with an update as to what (hopefully) worked or didnt. Thanks again

-Luke

 

[MAKG]

I think HahnsB2 nailed it.

The temperature dependence suggests it is NOT the clutch hydraulics, but rather the pilot bearing.

One thing to check first, though, is correct fluid. Lots of people get this wrong. Mercon ATF.

 

[lilrebelranger67]

what about mercon v? or whatever the newest mercon is? i changed my fluid at work and my manager said that it covers dex, mercon, and merc v. idk i guess its a universal fluid.