97 Mazda B4000 4x2 Manual Tranny problem

I have a 97 Mazda B-4000. I had the original clutch in it until about 2006 when I started having problems where it was hard to shift so I took it to an Aamco. They told me it was probably my Slave Cylinder and that it was located inside the Tranny. I told him that I was impressed that the original clutch had lasted that long considering there was a 2 yr leasee before me owning it, and then my 7 yrs of drivng it after that. Once I discovered the Tranny would have to come out I said I want the same clutch that Ford put it there as I was impressed how it lasted.He then said that the company was LUC and thats what he was supposed to put in their plus fix my Slave Cylinder. He told me all the appropriate parts would be included in the final price and I was left with the impression I was getting a Complete Transmission repair. After the Aamco repair it shifted fine till just after warranty ran out, which was a year. Upon looking at my paperwork so I can phone Aamco, I see 98 on the paperwork and then prayed they didn't put wrong parts in my truck.When I tried to contact them, discovered shop had closed and moved. I put my truck with its 1 yr old clutch in my underground parking lot where it sat for a couple of years as I had no more money for it. I periodically would start it up and run it and one day while doing this my water pump went and that got me into contacting my brother. He has a friend who works as a Ford Mechanic. He does vehicle repairs from his home after work and after borrowing money from my Father, he did extensive work on my vehicle, not just on the Transmission. This Ford Mechanic told my brother the parts were the same for the 97 and the 98 so I didn't need to worry. He knew that the truck had a 1 yr old clutch in it and he told my brother it was the slave cylinder more than likely, even though it had just been fixed supposedly. Then after my truck was at this guys house for 2 months getting all this work done I finally get it on the road and it shifted good for about 8 months then the problem of fussy shifting(not wanting to go in) slowly got worse to the point of not being able to shift it yet again. I dont know what to do everytime I fix it I spend a shwack of money and it only drives nice for 8 months or so. Now its not driveable, I have poured $7,000 into it and probably won't get offered more than 2-3,000 on a trade-in but need to get around in the meantime. I dont trust anyone anymore. Have done some research online and have seen comments re synchronizers in the Tranny or maybe Slave wasn't bled properly BOTH times? All I know is Ford built it not Mazda and I could use some sound advice. Thanks Donna Davie

I would suggest replacing both the clutch master and slave cylinders together.

I think what often happens in these cases, the slave is replaced, but there's still dirt or contaminants in the master cyl or elsewhere in the system that gets into the new slave and contributes to it failing again early. Replace both together and flush out the line (if the line is to be reused), use quality parts (Luk is good, you were informed correctly, Luk is the OE manufacturer) and you should be good for awhile.

Hope that helps. Welcome to the forum.