1996 jeep hard shifting

[inspector123456]

my 1996 Jeep Cherokee 6cyl manual transmission is hard to shift into second gear when cold. I will be changing the fluid. What else can i do to eliminate the hard shifting in 1st and 2nd gear when cold? Shifting is easy when the jeep is warmed up and running?

[fredjacksonsan]

With a manual trans, new fluid often changes the shift characteristics in a good way. You didn't say how many miles are on the vehicle, but with increased mileage comes increased wear, and the synchronizers in the trannie may be getting worn.

After the fluid change -which should be pretty simple to do (and should also be done as soon as possible after fording deep water), things you can do to help the trans work are to shift more slowly, having a slight delay between 1-2 and 3-2 shifts. This will give the trans a little time to spin down to a slower speed so that the shaft speeds are more closely matched. You could also take a little more time after pushing the clutch to initiate the shift, which will also allow more spin down time.

With the fluid change and by adopting these small changes, you should see improvement in your shifts.

Oh, and if your trans oil is brownish, it may have water in it so it might benefit from another change after 5-10000 miles.

Hope that helps, post back after the change and let us know how it goes.