lately ive been driving and i have problems gearing down. sometimes i have to stop before i can even get it into second. and when this happens, i often have to go to reverse before i can get into a gear. and when i go to reverse, it grinds. all happens when im at a stop sign. i adjusted it today, not sure if that will help. tranny fluid is good too

 

I assume it's a cable clutch, since you adjusted it. How long has the problem been going on? Normally for a cable clutch, you want about 1/2 inch of dead pedal at the very top. Dead pedal is really easy to feel, it's so loose you can just rest your toe on it and the pedal drops. No spring resistance like the clutch travel.

It could also be just worn components. If you drive your car hard, or if the tranny is high-miles, and the problem came on gradually, then it could be just an old transmission.

 

tranny was replaced before i bought the car. i knew the owner and he had receipts. and it wasn't really gradual, but it acts up. sometimes it drives good while other times its a pain

 

sounds like it could be syncros wearing out...

does it only happen when the tranny is cold?

 

only when its cold. but sometimes it acts up when its warm, other times its really smooth. bizarre. im going to mess around with the clutch a bit today

 

thats pretty normal when cold...

when its warm, does it grind when you try and put it in gear, or does it just not go in? Are you putting the clutch to the floor, or just past engagement point?

If it grinds a lot, its probably the syncros... Grinding into reverse is pretty normal though

 

when its warm, it will usually just not go into gear unless i really force it. it wont grind, but its hard to go in. but today it drove like a brand new car. while other days it will be really annoying

 

That's just an aging transmission. Mine does the same thing, its an Si 5-spd (L3) with around 50,000 miles on it that I bought from a shop. It doesn't grind, but like you say, sometimes it just refuses to shift into a certain gear. Other times it's smooth as butter. Try putting some Lucas Oil in the tranny. Mix about 30% Lucas in with normal tranny oil. That will help. Otherwise, don't abuse the tranny until you can afford to rebuild or replace it.