'02 Ranger (manual), can't shift into 1st or 2nd

[rph33]

Hi there,

My '02 6cyl 2wd extended cab ranger has a problem where, especially in the mornings, when I push the stick shift towards first, it simply won't go into 1st. Just can't find that "groove", you know? When I finally DO get it into 1st after some finagling, I can't get it into 2nd without similar difficulties. Reverse is also hard. Once I get up to speed, I can go from 3rd to 4th to 5th with basically no difficulty. But like I said, when shifting between N and 1st, or 1st and 2nd, the thing just grinds and fights and won't slot in there.

Before I take it into the shop, anybody have an idea of what the problem here is?

Thanks in advance. My email is rph33@mac.com if anybody would like to help me out with an email, otherwise just a post will do nicely.

 

[dogfriend]

My 1st guess is that the clutch isn't releasing completely. That's why the gears are grinding. I would check out the clutch master cylinder to see if the fluid level is correct. It is possible that you have a leak in the system.

 

[gijoecam]

Quick simple diagnosis: Shut the engine off and see if it'll engage first. If it'll go into first and second with the engine off, but not while the engine is running, then I would agree it's most likely the clutch issue.... My money would be on a bad slave cylinder...