Alright everyone, after joining this forum this morning and reading through a few posts it looks like you guys really know your stuff. Hopefully you'll be able to help me out.

I just bought a '94 F150 4x4 4.9L with 130K on it. The truck is in great general condition, but I'm having problems with the 5-speed, and I don't know if I should be alarmed. I came over from the darkside of compact foreign pickups, and as such I'm used to very smooth, carlike transmissons.

Basically what happens is this: After I shift gears, predominantly into 2nd and 3rd, the truck hesitates just a bit, and sometimes bucks a little....it seems like the tranny is incredibly unforgiving in regards to the RPM I shift at as well...if my RPMs are a little higher, the more pronounced the bucking, hesitation problem. My friend drives a Chevy 1500 with a manual transmission, and he tried to drive mine...proceeded to stall it 3 times before he was able to get going...(with me cringing the whole time). The clutch is really high, and you have to push it to the floor to engage it, but it's not stiff. Also, when I pull up to a light I'll throw it in neutral, but if the light turns and I engage the cluth and try to throw it in 1st, it takes a couple tries. I don't have any problem if I downshift while I'm rolling though.

Anyone have any thoughts on this?

 

That sounds like it could be the clutch to me. Check the fluid in the master cylinder and check the slave for leaks. If all is well there and the master and slave are working properly then it is probably clutch time. Start it up a hill and lug it way down in high gear and floor it and watch the tach if it runs up smoothly then the clutch is probably not slipping. If it jerks its way up (or you really feel it jerking) then it is clutch time. At 130k depending on who was driving it , it may be time.

 

yeah what V.A. said..i'd look at the clutch also..sounds like its not completly disenguaging.. while your at it make sure therea no oil and such gunk on the flywheel..that will make it "stick"also...good luck and post your findings...zap!

 

I have to agree with these guys. At 130k, a clutch could very well be in order.

You should also be awhwere that unlike the foriegn pick ups, the transmision is very "truck like", even though it's a Mazda transmission (though I'm driving a Toyota pick up for the winter and it's pretty sloppy). One of the issues with this transmission is the syncronizers. They don't seem to spin up fast enough to catch the gear you trying to engage. I haven't heard of a solution yet.