I am having a tough time shifting in all gears when I take off to work in the morning. First gear seems to be the worst. It seems to get better the more I shift and as it warms up, but it is so bad in the morning that I have to use a lot of force and it will grind the gears if I dont shift fast or hard enough. It's almost as I am shifting without using the clutch.

I do know my clutch is slipping when I stomp the gas in a lower gear, could that have anything to do with it?

Thanks in advance.

 

If your clutch is slipping, you're probably about to lose it. I believe our cars have a hydraulic clutch, which means it will self-adjust. So you're not going to notice slippage until you're about to have no clutch.
I know that happened to my dad with his '96 Formula before. He noticed slippage, and next thing he knew, he needed to walk, because his clutch had gone.

 

Sounds like you have two things going on. Your clutch is shot, giving you the slip, and the pressure plate is barely disengaging. The non-disengaging might be with the pressure plate itself, but it's also likely to be a hydraulic problem (bad master & slave cylinders). A new clutch setup is in order, and new master/slave cylinders would be a smart thing to do while you're in there.

 

Alright thanks for the replys, I will be replacing the clutch soon, so I will as also look for a new master and slave.

Let's hope that fixes her!

 

If it's a morning thing only (cold trans) you better check nd see what fluid is in the gearbox.

I don't know what is supposed to be in there but it might be ATF and it has been replaced with 80W-90 gear lube or something similar. A lot of gearboxes went to ATF by the late-1970s.

My old Plymouth convertible has a 4-speed trans filled with 80W-90 (or something similar) and when that car was my daily driver, well, WOW was it nasty to shift on a cold winter morning! Once it warmed up it was okay.

 

In my car when its cold its noticeable how the car change gears while its walking, u fell like driving a manual car reaction. but after 10 minutes its ok.

 

Ill have to check the fluid, it's a 6 speed and only just started happening as it started to get colder outside. We have had days that have been much colder and it didn't have this problem, but it is progressivly getting worse.

I can shift just fine when the car is parked and off, but as soon as I start it and start moving shifting gears is a biatch and a half.

I have been driving with my slipping clutch for the past month or two, it only happens when I stomp the pedal in a lower gear but I try to avoid that so I can drive until I get my new clutch.

Any suggestion on a clutch? I have been looking on e-bay and rock auto, but don't know exactly what to choose.

 

The Centerforce Dual Friction is a favorite, although I think it's a little pricey.

 

I am seeing brands like Napa Perfection, Luk, F1, PPC and SPEC in the $300-$400 range. I can probably get away without replacing the flywheel, but if I find one for a decent price I may as well replace that too while im down there.

Anyways, I can shift fine now... I don't know why it was doing that last week, but it must be a sign of needed maintenance.
I will get to it as soon as I can save enough cash to complete the job.