Im having trouble getting my car to shift from 2nd-3rd & 3rd-4th. I just purchased the car with 90,000 miles. Im guessing that the last person who owned it drove it hard and messed up the linkage, but i wanted to make sure that this isnt a common problem. Also if anyone knows a good site that shows how to replace the clutch, please let me know.

 

You could try posting in the appropriate forum. That might yield more helpful results...

Have you checked the fluid?

 

What do you mean "hard to shift"?
Does it "grind" when trying to shift into those gears?
Does double clutching help?
If the above is the case, the synchromesh for those gears are gone.

If the problem is that it's hard to "find" the gears, [no grinding] and the shifter feels "spongy" when trying to put it in gear, it is probably bent linkage, or worse bent shifter forks.

If you plan on working on your car yourself, I suggest you go to AutoZone and get a Haynes manual, [or the like] for your car, $20-$30, you will get a lot of use out of it and it will pay for itself in no time. 94

 

It is a spongy feeling, and it is sometimes worse then others. However yesterday the problem completely went away. There was also a loud rattling sound coming from underneath the car, which also went away with the other problem. My hope, however unlikley, is that there was something caught in the linkage causing both the resistance in the shifter and the rattling.

 

I would definitely have a look underneath the car at the linkage and make sure everything is OK, [bolts tight, and nothing in the way, maybe a loose heat shield]. 94