Hello all, i joined the board for some general information and more! I have owned my 96 splash 4x4 for about ten years with near flawless reliability. For years though the truck has been reluctant to engage first gear without shifting into second or third first from a stop. now it has gotten worse. Putting the truck in first gear is now very difficult and about half of the time it wont go anywhere. It feels like the parking brake is still engaged. other than this the truck has performed flawlessly for all of its 146,000 miles. No slipping or grinding it just doesn't want to move initially. any suggestions would be appreciated from the forum. thanks in advance!
1996 ranger
4x4 4.0 5 speed

 

Just a guess but I would say it is a synchronizer problem..fix it sooner than later.

 

sorry about the reply delay.thanks for info.

 

problem with the quick stop after moving 10 ft in 1st seems to have stopped. hard shifting continues. sometimes have to force into 1st.

 

Time to replace the clutch, pressure plate, and slave cylinder. Remember to resurface the flywheel while you are in there installing those new parts.