93 Wagon 5 speed shifting problem

I have a 93 wagon 5 speed that is very difficult to shift into 1st gear. I can hold ite shift lever up in the 1st gear position and when I release the clutch pedal, it pops out of 1st. I have been starting off in 2nd gear which works fine, but I am afraid that I will damage the clutch doing that.

Any Ideas or opinions??

A 5 speed is designed to take off from a standing start on level ground in 2nd gear, 1st gear is for difficult areas or hills. No need to worry about it for now. Just keep using 2nd gear to start off unless you are on a hill and have to start off from a stop, then use 1st gear if you have to and it's available. This will give you time to look for more or new symptoms and to do some maintinance, like check the tranni fluid level. Yes, even manual tranni's have fluid.

If you're short of money, just use it from 2nd thru 5th for as long as you need to. Ain't gonna hurt it any more then it is already. Don't be a hot dogger for a while and the clutch won't know the difference.

If it is making loud grinding (metal to metal) noises when you take off, then it's time to pull the clutch and check things out.

Goood luck!

Thanks for the input. Where do I check the Trans Fluid in the 5 speed?
Are there any adjustments that can be made externally?

I have a 93 wagon 5 speed that is very difficult to shift into 1st gear. I can hold ite shift lever up in the 1st gear position and when I release the clutch pedal, it pops out of 1st. I have been starting off in 2nd gear which works fine, but I am afraid that I will damage the clutch doing that.

Any Ideas or opinions??

You may have a linkage problem causing partial gear engagement. I suggest you look at bushings in the shift stabilizer bar support assy., the gear shift rod and check all bolts and nuts are secure.

You may have a linkage problem causing partial gear engagement. I suggest you look at bushings in the shift stabilizer bar support assy., the gear shift rod and check all bolts and nuts are secure.


You have to remove the speedometer head on top of the trans to check fluid on this model. be sure you hvae the right fluid, I think this one takes dexron but check before you put it in.

Escort is correct, you check tranni fluid level through the hole for the speedo assy. The easiest way is to remove the air intake hoses and filter box, remove the battery and tray, remove the speedo cable and sensor wire. The cable is just a pull-out, ie, just grab the cable and pull straight up. Then remove the spring clip that was holding it. Next, from the drivers side, locate the 10mm bolt on the passengers side of the the assy and unbolt it. A deep socket with extension works great here.
Here's the hard part. The speedo assy gets stuck after 100K miles or so and is easily broken. The connector gets brittle too. The workings of the assy are made with plastic gears and such. So, do your best to rock it back and forth slightly and twist it a little as you pull up on it to free the assy. It has rubber 'O' rings and it feels tight as you pull but as long as you have the bolt out, it has nothing else holding it. Keep at pulling it until it's free. Don't use a pry tool unless you absolutely have to. Wearing leather gloves helps. Try not to break the plastic connector cover on the top of the assy.
After removal, wipe the hole and the assy, take care not to get any goop in the hole. Note that the speedo assy has marks or lines on it. The fluid level is suppose to be between the marks. If you can reach it with a clean finger, dip some fluid out and smell. Should smell clean, not burned. Should be a nice brownish/reddish color, not black.
Put some clean oil on the 'O' ring and reinsert the assy to find the tranni fluid level. Make sure you push it all the way in because the 'O' ring can fool you into thinking it's all the way in when it isn't. And when you remove it, it's hard to read the fluid level so have a strong light close. Refill as necessary with Mercon III.

Good Luck!

(Sorry I took so long to reply, was outta town for a few).

Escort is correct, you check tranni fluid level through the hole for the speedo assy. The easiest way is to remove the air intake hoses and filter box, remove the battery and tray...

whoa! do we have the same escort? to pull my speed sensor you dont need to unbuckle ANYTHING else. you can reach behind the bits and pieces just fine.

first, pull spring clip, so the speedo cable comes out. then, cable. then connector, then 10mm socket (nice and easy with a long extension, but whatever), and then wrestle the assembly out, pulling up.