ok guys need some help. think i have a transmssion issue.(or could be clutch). when its cold the truck/tranny jerks REAL bad so bad you have to shift to 2nd gear lug the engine for a few miles then it is just fine.

so id this a tranny or clutch issue?
Assuming it is the tranny is this somehting i can rebuild in my driveway?
do i need any special tools to do the job, or should i just leave it for the pros?

 

It probably would be the clutch, but it may be caused by an engine problem that arises with a cold engine. It could also be caused by excessive slipping of the clutch by the operator which will glaze the friction surfaces. If I'm reading you, it smooths out when it warms up. You have to determine if the engine is running properly during warm up or if that has nothing to do with it which would indicate the clutch. It may sound strange, but you may get some improvement in cold operation and low-speed clutching by cleaning the filaments in the Mass Air Sensor located behind the air filter.
As far as the manual transmission, it may surprise you to know that rebuilding one is more technically demanding than rebuilding an automatic. Definitely not something you would tackle in the driveway. Plus, if the trans doesn't jump out of gear or make noise, it doesn't need to be rebuilt.

 

tranny stays in gear, only does it wit the first or 2nd shift out of 1st. motor runs like a champ.
is there a speical cleaner for the MAF?

 

Yes, for sure at NAPA as well as other places, but I'm thinking you just have clutch 'chatter'. This truck tends to have that. You can't ride the clutch. I mentioned the MAF because another guy on here experienced engine cut-off when trying to move off in first gear. Cleaning the MAF took care of it. I was thinking if that was happening, you would be inclined to give it more gas and slip the clutch, which would eventually glaze the clutch and cause chatter. Unless somebody else chimes in, you probably will have to take it to somebody to find out what's wrong with it. This truck is fairly rare and not too many guys have experience with manual trans full-size pickups these days.
Its a hydraulic clutch and the slave cylinder is in the bell housing. Have you checked the hydraulic fluid for the clutch?

 

have not checked the fluid, used to non-syncrho trannies. i ony use the clucth to start, i know its bad, just hard habit to break afterr 3k miles/wk

 

Wait, so you don't use the clutch when shifting between gears? No wonder you have problems. I'd wager that all the synchros are destroyed.

 

That definitely throws a different light on the subject. Other than hard to shift, I don't know the symptoms of worn out synchros. Mine has always been hard-shifting. I suspect the clutch may be dragging, but I've never done the test, which is to get both rear wheels off the ground, start the engine, put it in first and hold the clutch pedal to the floor. You might need someone to watch and see if the rear wheels turn at all. If they do, you have to do something about it. The slave cylinder may not be working just right, or maybe there's an adjustment. But I don't think this has anything to do with your problem.

 

other than the first N-1 shift it shifts great even floating them. so could it just be the 1st gear syncro?

 

IDK. All I can add is its a Mazda transmission.