Hi all, I'm new here.
I recently bought a 2003 Ford Ranger, 2.3, 5 speed manual. I've found that the transmission is hard to shift after it warms up. I test drove it when it was below freezing, so I didn't notice it. The warmer the day and quicker the truck warms up, the worse it is. It is worst at a stop. It goes into gear with no problem when the engine is off or if I'm still moving, but if I'm stopped there are times it doesn't go into gear. This really sounded like a clutch that wasn't disengaging to me, so I decided to dig in. I didn't check the movement at the slave before I started, but I did find the master was a little wet at the rod in the cab.
So, I did the following:
- New clutch master cylinder (bled out of truck to eliminate air)
- New slave cylinder and bearing
- New pilot bearing
- Changed transmission fluid - Mercon III ATF as book specifies
The clutch/pressure plate was in good shape and looked like it might have had 10K - 20K miles on it, as the previous owner said. So, I put it back in. After I got it all together, I checked the movement at the slave/pressure plate and it is moving a little short of .5" when the pedal is fully depressed. I was happy and thought this would solve the problem since the old pilot seemed a little stiff and I saw the leak at the master.
I drove it and all felt fine, but it was a cool day yesterday. Today it was in the 60s and I drove it for a while, it started getting hard to shift in town again. I don't think I've fixed it.
What next?