Difficult down shifting

[h20wrks]

I have a 1999 LT with around 40,000. When she is hot down shifts are a little tough. I usually end up blipping the throttle to help the shift. The clutch has no slippage. I changed the clutch oil and all of the shift linkage with no improvement. Today I removed the drive and the clutch slave unit. There is no evidence of the slave leaking. The pushrod ends look great with minimal wear. I am going ahead and replacing the slave but I was hoping for suggestions as I was expecting to find a failed slave cylinder.

[AlaskaFish]

Make sure that the "pushrod ends" (your description), or Linkage, is well lubed and none of the Ball Studs have backed out! This is the usual culprit when the shifting becomes difficult. It will ultimately end in a broken Ball Stud if it is allowed to remain loose, or backed out.

John

[h20wrks]

Sorry with my poor terminology, by pushrod ends I was referring to the rod behind the clutch slave. And I have already tried replacing the entire linkage.

Thanks,
Jim

[chenley]

Can't comment on shifting problem, but, you might want to think about the weep hole as you replace the clutch slave.

[h20wrks]

I think that I will be drilling both the slave and the bell housing. It seems like it would be best to drill at an angle to help minimize water intrusion.