Hard to shift into gear when car is not moving

[99Mystique ATX]

Alright guys, i've been searching and haven't come up with anything concrete as to what causes this. I've read changing the clutch should fix it but, i'm going to list the symptoms first.

This is my 2000 SVT that's having the problem. Car has 114k, transmission was replaced at ~40k (previous owner had extended service plan and there was a problem so they replaced the trans), I'm not sure if the clutch was replaced then or not. A buddy of mine and I bled the clutch, but I may try this again and hope for the best. The pedal is nice and firm though and feels right. The only thing i'm not sure about is that it grabs fairly close to the top, i'm not sure if this is normal or not. Also, clutch holds very well, no slipping or anything like that. I have done the 4th gear flooring test and the car just accelerated, no revving or anything abnormal.

The car does not do this all the time, its probably 50/50 whether it'll shift into gear or not. If the car is moving it shifts perfectly fine. If it is not moving it is sometimes very difficult to get into (and back out of) gear. The car otherwise shifts excellent, no grinding, even when it is hard to get into gear. Also, I have noticed that if you have the clutch down and car is in gear, rev the engine and the car will start to creep forward. It almost seems as if the clutch is not fully disengaging. Also, if you try to shift into 1st (Reverse and all the other gears), the car will try to move as well. Now, when the car does shift into gear when the car is stopped it drops right in and is nice and smooth.

Also, if the car is off, it shifts perfectly normal all the time. It is just when the car is on and in gear.

I know its a lot to read but to anyone with any tips or help it would be greatly appreciated. Even if someone knew what to tell me to search for to get a more complete response, that would be greatly appreciated. I did search on the old forums and the archives as well and came up with bleeding the clutch should fix it or replace the clutch. I just don't see where replacing the clutch would help me....

 

[andreslobo]

Yup the clutch is dragging

Yup the clutch is dragging

Your clutch is dragging and that is what makes it difficult to shift when standing still. Simply put the clutch is not releasing fully, the Some possible causes

Air in the clutch hydraulic system.
Low clutch fluid, maybe from a leak
Problems with the clutch master cylinder
Problems with the clutch slave cylinder
Depending on the throw out mechanism (I am not familiar with this car), you may have worn bushings that prevent full clutch disengagement.

Or highly unlikely a warped clutch disk.

 

[TUFTOUR]

Try replacing the fluid with the Ford recommended...had a similiar problem (as others have) and it seems to work.

 

[99Mystique ATX]

I bled the brakes until the fluid was nice and clean. We bled the clutch first before and it seemed to clear up fine. Maybe we need to try it again.

Is there any fluid I should be using instead of just regular Dot3/Dot4 brake fluid?

 

[andreslobo]

Your problem is NOT the color of the fluid

Your problem is NOT the color of the fluid

Read my first post. The color of the fluid does not have a material effect on your dragging clutch, yup its nice to have clean fluid but its not going to fix the problem, unless the original problem was air in the lines.

If after properly bleeding the fluid you still have a problem you might still have air in the system, but it would be a good idea to start checking out the throwout mechanism.