estein1313

Ok so here's an update. I got AAA to tow me to a mechanic that I got a recommendation for. They put the truck inside, bled the hydraulic clutch lines and put it back outside overnight. It worked! Now the truck runs, however it still takes a lot of effort to shift into gear, particularly 1st and reverse. Once I get up to speed, shifting gets easier with each gear. Could this be simply because the truck is still really cold, or is there still something else causing the issue?

BTW The mechanic only charged me 37$ for the service.

dcrabby

Wow .... an easy repair and inexpensive. good outcome.

It is possible that the remaining stiffness is due to the cold... I had a jeep that was impossible to shift in below 0 deg temps. I had to put a heat lamp pointed at the trans and transfer case. It then shift OK

Do you have a heated garage available where you can let it sit overnight? If you do, drive it around until everything is warmed up. put it in garage and try it the next morning. If it is smooth and easy shifting, you have your answer.

an aside: My trans issue present the first time while I was deer hunting in the Colville Forest in WA, Could not shift trans/transfer in the a.m. We took a hub cap off another truck and put campfire coals in it under the trans. It worked!

estein1313

warming it up definitely makes sense... i also thought about changing the transmission fluid. The shifter has a lot of play even when it's in gear, but that could be normal? I'll definitely try to find somewhere to keep the truck warm soon and hopefully that's all it is. I might start warming it up for a little longer before driving too, problem is it warms up best by driving.

Here's a picture from earlier today. It hasn't snowed in three days, but we had some kind of ice storm that put about 1/4" of ice all over the truck. Took me forever to scrape just the driver side window.