occationally i have a hard time getting into first second and third gear.
now, it never grinds, it just feals like i'm fighting against somehting to get it to go into gear.
my shifter bushings are pretty worn, (read: theres alot of play in the shifter, even in gear)
would replacing them potentially fix the problem? or does it sound like something more?

 

check your fluid, that was my problem

 

i had that same problem. i got a new clutch put in and the old one's throw out bearing was split in half, one of the arms that grip the spring was broken off and the sring was chewed up and lose. what kind of clutch it ur having problems with? if its stock oem clutch and ur putting out a pretty good amount of power, take off the tranny and inspect it a little. good luck.

 

how old is your clutch?......check your fluid first like suggested....mine did that right before my clutch took a dump though! i wasnt sure what it was at first...first, i started out having trouble going into gear, like i had to push the shifter harder (sounds like what you're describing) ....then, one day i was leaving the grocery store and my poor teg just started bucking like a bronco.....i could barely get it home.....my friend came over and picked it up and took it to his house where he dropped my tranny......yep, it was the clutch! so i ended up getting the type-r clutch and helped him throw it all together! my throw-out bearing was all burnt, and my disc was all falling apart...there was even a chunk missing!....if you do drop your tranny, id suggest replacing any mounts that need replacing while you're at it, thats what i did.....good luck!

 

it sounds like your having engaging problems.

assuming you have a hydro trans.

the first thing id take a look at is the fluid in the clutch master cylinder reservoir.
(it is under the hood right next to the brake master cylinder - its the smaller one)

if your low on fluid then you have a leak somewhere in the system.
it may be a good idea to also visually inspect for leaks under the pedal, near the slave cylinder area, and also near the clutch reservoir. since a slow leak may not indicate any signifigance loss of fluid in the reservoir.

it could also be your clutch pedal free play. how much freeplay do you have in your clutch pedal?

at what point when you release the pedal does the clutch engage?

is your clutch slipping at all?

 

the clutch is original. right now it's got close to 160,000km's on it.
still grips as strong as the day she was installed. no slippage at all and still enguages smoothly and properly. i dont think it's a problem with the actual clutch though. i still think it's got somehting to do with the transmission or maybe those nasty bushings

i'm going to go and pick up some gm syncromesh and flush the tranny and while i'm at it, change the bushings. if it persists, then i think i might drop the tranny and see if it's the clutch.

i never really thought about checking the clutch fluid itself. i guess thats a good step to take.