I bought this Ranger 4 months ago and have just started having some issues with the clutch and being able to shift into any gear.

A couple of days ago I had trouble shifting into all gears. It took quite a bit of force (with the clutch engaged) to shift into first and reverse and somewhat difficult into second, third, fourth, and fifth.
I took it in to a mechanic and he quoted me almost $1100 for Clutch kit, rear main seal and slave cylinder.
Then I took it to a buddy who is also a mechanic and he would the do same thing for less labor but I would have to buy the parts.
After that, the problem mysteriously went away. I am on day two of no problems shifting.

The clutch reservoir is full and was full when I checked it. No leaks. The clutch never felt soft. I do not know what caused my issue in the first place.

This did happen about a month ago, but only during one driving trip. When it happened this week, it was for about a day and a half.

My mechanic buddy does not know what it could be. Does anyone know what the cause is. I don't want to throw money and parts at it to figure it out.

Thank you.

 

The parts you should replace are correct, rear main seal is cheap($6-$8) but hard to get to unless transmission is out.
For clutch parts you need self-adjusting pressure plate, clutch disc, slave/throwout bearing and pilot bearing, master cylinder is optional but not a bad idea, but you can always change it later.
Ranger clutch system is a real bear to bleed.

What you describe is what happens when the slave cylinder doesn't push out far enough and the clutch disc is still touching the flywheel.
This means the Input shaft of the transmission is still turning with some torque, pushing on the stick shift puts pressure on the synchro bushing/gear so it tries to slow down(or speed up) the Input shaft to match the Output shaft speed.
If Output shaft speed is 0, truck is stopped, then Input shaft has to stop, if clutch disc is touching flywheel, even a little, it gets very hard to slow it down.

This is generally caused by air in the system but it doesn't go away.

Why it would come and go is a mystery?
Doesn't read like a transmission issue but since you don't have a history on the truck changing the trans fluid might not be a bad idea, pay attention to what drains out.

 

It has been a week now, and I have not had one problem shifting.

I do not know what is wrong. or not wrong.

RonD suggested that the clutch and possibly the slave cylinder is what is needed to replace, but at this point I do not have the money to have the work done right. Anywhere from $900-1100.

Has anyone else had a mysterious shifting problem that went away as fast as it occured?

 

couple months ago i was having a similar problem but it doesn't sound as bad as yours. i took mine into a shop since i don't trust myself dropping out the transmission. turns out it was air in the slave cylinder if i recall. idk how they fixed it but after a couple pumps of the clutch if ran perfect

 

to me it sounds like more of a transmission problem. i would consider dumping fluid and adding synthetic mobil 1 mercon if that is compatible for your year. i use it in mine and it seems to help.