So my manual 1997 F-250 4x4 has a few shifting issues. 1st, 2nd & 5th gears shift great. 3rd gear is stiff to get into gear: I upshift & it feels like it's "blocked" for a second before it slides into gear with no grinding then the shift is smooth. From neutral (coasting) to 4th gear sometimes grinds. At a dead stop reverse grinds randomly about 10% of the time for seemingly no rhyme or reason. I just bought the truck & have not had a chance to check the transmission fluid yet. After watching a bunch of troubleshooting videos online it seems that I need to change out the transmission oil first before I do anything major like a new clutch, flywheel &/or synchros. Anyone have any ideas? Thanks in advance.

 

Check the clutch from the pad on the pedal to the throw out bearing. Sometimes master cylinder mounts crack, hoses bulge, or you get leaks. All will reduce the travel at the pressure plate, leading to difficult shifting.

By all means, check your fluid.

Low fluid will cause worn shift forks at a minimum.

Shifter bushings can cause problems like you describe.

Inspect everything, including cab mounts. Broken, rusted or otherwise compromised cab mounting can cause a bind up at the shifter.

 

Reverse gears are never synchronized, so if the cluster is moving, as in when you engage the clutch while shifter is in neutral, it can still be moving a little when you release the clutch and try to shift into reverse. To avoid that, I usually release the clutch and shift into one of the forward (synchronized) gears first, then without releasing the pedal (ie, keeping the clutch released), shift into reverse.

After hearing of all the problems with hydraulic clutches, I wonder what its advantages are over a cable clutch? Leverage ratio?