Hey guys. So at times when I am at a standstill and in neutral, it can take a bit of strength to shift into 1st gear. Clutch will be fully depressed, and I'm no small weakling. Is this an easy fix with the change of some transmission fluid, or is this a common problem with Rangers? 04 Edge with ~100K miles, original clutch. Thx.

 

does it get easier if you put it into another gear first and then go into 1st?

 

mine does this too im interested on what people say on this one

 

every ranger ive owned has done this. usually can let it roll forward a lil and it will slide into gear.

 

Funny - My 2004 5 Speed has NO problems with the clutch or trans what so ever.

Maybe that's because I have the transmission problems on my IX?

I have a hard time downshifting from 6th to 5th, or from 5th to 4th sometimes unless I blip the throttle between shifts (I have a super light flywheel)

 

i unno that could be it. but my 90 2.9L 5speed, my 99 3.0L 5speed, and my 07 all do this.

 

mine does it too...and its only 1st

 

every once a while it will do it in reverse. I think its happen maybe 5 times in 3 years.

 

If it is hard to get into first while standing still , the slave is starting to go bad .
It may act fine while normally shifting through the other gears.

 

Its been that way for a long time. But after loaning my truck to a friend and him commenting on it, it made me wonder if its a problem or just one more 'hmmm' that I have to accept comes with Rangers. That and my rough idle and cylinder misfire that happens once in a blue moon. Not going to tear my car apart trying to fix something that ain't broke. Did that with the rough idle and finally accepted it as a Ranger quark.

 

my ranger has done it ever since ive gotten it...its only every once in a while...it might just be the M5OD trans

 

if reverse grinds after having the clutch held in for 5 seconds then it isn't releasing all the way. which could also be your 1st gear issue.

 

I had this problem with 1st and 2nd I installed this kit and it fixed me right up..

M5R1 M5R2 Shifter Repair Kit Ford Ranger Explorer Sport: eBay Motors (item 360228264578 end time Oct-18-10 09:50:08 PDT)

 

Just bleed your clutch. I just had this problem with my ranger and its fixed.

 

Occasionally this will happen to me, and it gets worse as the trans gets older. It seems pretty normal to me.

 

I noticed if I depress the clutch for about five seconds, shifting into any gear is suddenly like butter. What is bleeding the clutch? Does it help and how do you do it?

 

Please. This is pure unadulterated BS. There is no excuse for this. Ford bean counters / engineers have cut corners. There is no excuse for this. People with 2007's are experiencing the same problems that should have been fixed 10 years ago.

I have driven PLENTY of standard vehicles with 250plus k on them and had easier shifting than people with rangers with less than 100k on them. No excuses Ford WTF!

I too had unshifting pleasure of my 02 edge. I stuck in a new slave and bench bled the master. It is now 10x better than it was. I couldn't even get it into 4th from a dead stop. Now she slides into 2 then I stick it in 1. I think my master is on its way out as I can see some fluid around where the rod sits (at the edges of the piston).

First things first. Step one would be to bench bleed it. Look it up on youtube. There is a video with a dude that shows u how to do it. Do that. It just may solve your issue altogether. If still nfg. Then trannys gotta come down :(

Ohhhh. Actually before u do that. Remove the inspection cover on the tranny (the rubber plug). Grab a light and look in at the slave. If she's wet. Don't bother with the bench bleed now. Go to ford and buy yourself a new slave as yours' is f'd.

For bench bleeding. I kept pushing on the rod. I hear squishy sound equals AIR in there. Gotta tap it with a screwdriver and watch the bubbles float up to the resivoir. Keep bleeding till tis all gone. I was surprised at how much air was in there. Then when u reinstall it make sure there's no air in your resivoir as if there is and it goes back into the master. Well everything u did was a waste of time.

Good luck. And oh yeah ford.... Thanks for dropping the ball buddy.

 

Btw. The Rangers, Mazda B series, F150, Explorers and Sport Trac's use the same slave. My buddy who works parts at the Ford dealer says he sells and assload of these slaves and it is on its 13th revision. Hey ford.... If u can't make a good slave. Don't make it concentric! Stick it outside the tranny so when it fails we don't have to lay under the truck as long.

 

thats the way its supposed to be. when you depress the clutch the tranny doesn't stop spinning instantly. it needs a few seconds to spin down and stop.

 

Ok. I watched a video on Youtube, specifically the one for Rangers and Mazda's. Is the only way to bleed a clutch to remove the reservoir and line? That's more invasive than an amateur like myself cares to get. I have a feeling I will F it up more. Or can it be quickly bled with an easier method?

 

This seems normal for me. I drive my moms civic and all the gears slide in nice. But now that you mention it my 1st gear is a little stiff. I just have gotten in the habit of going from standstill in neutral and then throwing it in 2nd then 1st really quick and its good.

 

Thanks pcollins. Makes sense. Just have not experienced that delay in other manual trannys, I don't think.

 

same thing happens to my 04. sometimes it will only go "halfway" into first and ill try to take off and it pops itself back into nuetral. its done this ever since iv owned it. i do what alot other people do and put it in 2nd then it glides into first no problem

 

Retard ford good thing Nissan made the engine,LOL

 

Umm...ford manufactured all the engines for the rangers...Mazda made the transmissions, so its actually not "stupid ford" for the tranny problems. its mazda.