computergeek1337

I have a 1979 Mercury Capri and just within the last 2 weeks its been really hard to get it into first gear. It's only hard when the car is moving. All the other gears work fine, it's only in first gear. If the car is stationary its perfectly fine. Any ideas?

mjr46

YOUR NOT SUPPOSE to downshift into 1st while moving, above certain speeds it will be very difficult to get in to 1st

computergeek1337

I only do it when I am slowing down. And why would it matter if I have the clutch all the way in? Please explain

mjr46

because all pushing the clutch in does is stop the input shaft from spinning...not the output shaft, where gears 1-3 are located the way the tranny was designed was to shift from 2nd to first while either at rest or just before coming to a stop, also you could have wear on blocker rings and synchronizers contributing to some degree of difficult shifting, make sure fluid level is topped off and proper fluid is in it

computergeek1337

Thanks a lot, tomorrow I will try shifting down at a slower speed, and will also check my manual transmission fluid. Expect a response! Thanks

mjr46

good luck with it