1989 Camry wagon. 4 cyl; 2 Litre.

I can't get into second without grinding unless I let rpm go down to the low hundreds. Same thing when I try to downshift to 2nd or 1st.
Getting to reverse grinds unless at idle I go through all the gears beforehand.

Check the fluid level in the clutch master cylinder. If it is low, fill it up and then look for a leak. If it's a leaking master cylinder it will leak down the firewall on the inside (dashboard side) of the car. Had to replace a leaking master cylinder on my old 86 Camry. Not too bad of a job, but you have to work upside down on your back underneath the dash to remove the 2 nuts that hold the master to the firewall. It can also be a leaking slave (clutch release) cylinder. That's even easier than the clutch master, and it's cheaper. If either are leaking some people just replace both at the same time. Either way, you will need a second person to help you bleed the system. That person better have a strong leg as it takes quite a bit of pumping to start to get the fluid to reach the slave cylinder and then some more to bleed all the air out.

Good luck.

Mike

Thanks, Mike, but everything is all clear and dry.
Also, I have a racing idle at cold temps. It jumps to 2200 rpm, then oscillates 1900-2200 back and forth.
All this for at least 5-7 minutes. What's wrong? I'm spending gas with this and probably not doing my engine any good. Thank you for your help. -Toyoguy

Toyo,

About the engine racing...I've got a 1990 Camry V6 2.5 liter...I had the same thing happen to me when I replaced the air filter on my car. It stopped a few days later. A friend told me it was because the computer was trying to determine the best air/fuel mix.

Maybe give your air filter a check and see what it looks like. Be sure to actually take it out to inspect...it can look clean on top and be really dirty on the base.

I don't know about the grinding. Maybe a worn out clutch?

-Billy

toyoguy,

It can still be a bad master cylinder. They can leak internally (fluid bypassing the seals) causing low pressure in the hydraulic system. A simple test is to pump the clutch pedal quickly 3 or 4 times and then try to shift in to a particular gear. If it shifts in to gear smoothly, then you have confirmed you have a bad clutch master cylinder.

Mike