Hard to shift?
Moderator
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 22,385
Likes: 1,836
From: Long Island, New York
Originally Posted by slalom44,Feb 18 2006, 11:51 PM
You should check your clutch fluid reservoir. If it's low, you may have air in your lines, preventing your clutch from fully releasing.
Being that it's a year 2000, the clutch res may be low enough to pull air (the fluid may have leaked out under the dash at the back of the master). Lack of replacing the clutch fluid will cause it.
Seen it first hand.
If it's low, and you have air, you might as well flush it. You'll prolly find black mud in the res. Use small pieces of paper towel, and keep wiping it out till it's squeaky clean.
Then fill it with new brake fluid and bleed it. This is another thing most people can't seem to get right
, but wrong symptoms. 
Registered User
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 9,792
Likes: 5
From: Milwaukee Area
Originally Posted by 1a-race,Feb 19 2006, 03:09 AM
"it is almost impossible to get into reverse"
symptom=difficult to select reverse
symptom=difficult to select reverse
Registered User
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 7,087
Likes: 2
From: Dry Branch
Originally Posted by billman250,Feb 19 2006, 03:22 AM
If it's low, and you have air, you might as well flush it.
, but I seem to recall using something other than brake fluid to flush brake lines. I seem to remember doing this when changing to a different type of brake fluid, and it seems like we used alcohol, but it's been so long that I just can't remember. Isn't there something that is appropriate for flushing automotive hydraulic systems (other than just more fluid)?
Honorary Member
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 2,121
Likes: 3
From: Indian Land SC
This is probably a rare occurance, but since it happened to me it's possible it can happen again: Rusted main shaft/clutch disk spline.
My symptoms were similar to yours. Hard to shift when cold, went away when hot. From neutral it was very hard to push the shifter into any gear. Reverse was worse than the rest, but they all had the same problem. My wife actually had to push the car out of the driveway one time because after 10 minutes she still could not engage reverse.
Here's the symptom that convinced me to replace the clutch:
When cold, and with the transmission in neutral and the clutch pedal on the floor, I tried to engage first. Wouldn't go in. I pushed harder, and the car started moving forward. Yes, with the clutch pedal on the floor the car would move when I tried to engage first gear.
Try this on a level surface and see what happens.
.
My symptoms were similar to yours. Hard to shift when cold, went away when hot. From neutral it was very hard to push the shifter into any gear. Reverse was worse than the rest, but they all had the same problem. My wife actually had to push the car out of the driveway one time because after 10 minutes she still could not engage reverse.
Here's the symptom that convinced me to replace the clutch:
When cold, and with the transmission in neutral and the clutch pedal on the floor, I tried to engage first. Wouldn't go in. I pushed harder, and the car started moving forward. Yes, with the clutch pedal on the floor the car would move when I tried to engage first gear.
Try this on a level surface and see what happens.
.
Registered User
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 3,409
Likes: 0
99% of the time the clutch fluid has been comprimised. I'd still take into account modifry's cirucumstances just in case. Do not drive the car under these conditions if you value your transmission, you are doing much faster wear to it.