hard to get into any gears(including reverse)

[fst100]

just bought a 92 KA24DE with a 5-speed with 148K miles and it wasnt driven much from the previous owner, just up and down the street for the past 2-3 years. just removed the timing guides with new plugs and coil. for the past couple of days i was shifting through the gears nice and slow. on the way home today i decided to shift a bit more aggressive. well bad move it seemed, as when i slowed down around a corner to like 10mph to downshift into 2nd gear, i noticed when i applied the clutch and tried to shift into 3rd it wouldnt go, tried 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and reverse and it wouldnt budge http://images.nicoclub.com/forums/images/smilies/wtf.gif .
so i coasted off into the shoulder and turned off the car. i was able to shift through all the gears without issues. when i applied the clutch to start the car it seemed like it was studdering or not grabbing and i had to mash the clutch all the way to the floor to ensure i could shift into 1st. well i had to turned off the car, shift into 1st and fired the car up with 1st gear in the process, and slowly released the clutch and applied gas and there was a bit of grinding but the car was moving again and i was able to shift into the gears, but it felt a bit hard getting into and out of gear. im currently searching as much as possible, but any tips and advice is greatly appreciated. a few locals said to check the slave cylinder since the car wasnt driven much from the previous owner and a tune-up is much needed.


had a friend look at the master cylinder while i engaged the clutch and it was moving as i applied pressure, the same deal with the salve cylinder as he was looking at it under the car when i applied the clutch(car off FWIW). is it posible the clutch needs to be replaced?

also FWIW when i got it to shift when i started it in 1st gear to go home, the clutch was grabbing/engaging like a half inch upon releasing the clutch which remained how it was when i bought it.

[SoguRacing]

check the tranny fluid, and perhaps you need a new clutch.

[fst100]

check the tranny fluid, and perhaps you need a new clutch.
yea thats what my friend said. the car's not in the best shape either(again it was sitting for a while for the past 2-3 years and it wasnt driven much nor taken much care of). im in the process of looking for a lower mileage tranny, prolly at a junkyard(that still works). otherwise i can look around for a s14/s15 tranny from a KA. what are ppl selling them at approximately privately?

[SoguRacing]

honestly i'm not sure about the cost of a tranny...perhaps 150 for a used one. they're pretty abundant where i'm at. not sure about you. before you go out and buy one. check the clutch and the tranny fluid. you said that shifting through the gears was fine when the car was off. I'm sure the tranny is fine it's probably the clutch that's not disengaging.

[fst100]

well another local mentioned that in the tranny theres a "C"-shaped hook that wraps around 3 rods or something like that, that might of gotten off tracked?

[SoguRacing]

i'm not sure what they're called but i know what you're talking about. I don't think those are the problem seeing that the car shifts fine when it's off.

[Handicat]

slave cylinder first, 20$'s at an auto parts store... underneath, outside the bell housing, almost garuntee'd to be the prob... and start with it cause it's super cheap.

[fst100]

handicat, do u have a link on how to properly replace the slave cylinder?

[4x4le]

Is it hard while the engine is running to put it in first (I think you said it is)? But when your in first, does your car sit there when you have the clutch pushed in and the car not want to pull forward?
If yes it is probably a 2$ part called the pilot bearing which requires you to pull the entire transmission to replace (so go ahead and replace the throw out bering as well).

[fst100]

ok, if i have the shfiter in nuetral then start the car, i cant shift into any gears. now i only did it once to get back home, but with the car off, i put the shifter into first gear and started the car and i was able to drive it home and able to shift through 1st to 4th gear(didnt want to shift into 5th), but i had to somewhat apply a bit of force to get in and out of each gear. hope that clarifies whats going on with my problem.

[Vision Garage]

check your clutch fluid and make sure there are no leaks in your system or AIR for that matter. If all is fine and dandy with that, I would recommend you change your slave cylinder.

It seems as though you are having problems with air in your clutch system. If that is not, it then it will most likely be your pilot bushing. If you can drive the car fine minus the super hard shifting, your clutch is probably still good. Now if you step on the gas and your car barely accelerates and your rpms rise then i would say your clutch should be replaced.

[fst100]

well the fluid level on the master cylinder is fine. i noticed no fluid loss. i never had taken either master nor slave-only had the car a few days and it was shifting smooth when i was shifting like a grandma until i shifted a bit more aggressive. i was thinking about changing the slave, but im in the process of picking up papa's tranny and clutch for a decent price. im gonna have a local help me swap the tranny out. at the same time im gonna take out the damper and add new fluid into the 'new'/used tranny that im getting.