My newly acquired 92 SE 5-speed has it's set of quirks, but one thing that really stuck out today is that I have a really hard time shifting into first-- even from a dead stop with the clutch pedal to the floor. I'm going to replace most of the fluids this weekend just to be safe, but I'm just curious if it might be something else.. any tips would be appreciated.

 

Take your hand off your ***** when you shift.

 

its normal for it to be tough when the car is cold but when warm you should have no problems definatly replace liquids

 

bad clutch?
sounds like it doesn't enguage all the way.

 

Common problem on 3rd gen trannies.. the synchros and bearings (and gears) are showing their wear.

I've found that I have to sometimes pop it into 2nd, then back into 1st to get it to engage.. (I just had a NEW tranny installed 2 weeks ago, and it's the same as my last one, before and after the rebuild).

and it can sometimes be the clutch.. my first one was.. once I finally jammed it into gear, the car would start to roll just a tad if I was on a flat surface.

 

try adjusting the clutch.