2003 Ford Ranger clutch/shifting gears

[quote:13487b1139="kcriner"]Transmission problem
2003 Ford Ranger 6 cyl Two Wheel Drive Manual

My Ranger has 93,000 miles on it with the original clutch. It is hard to shift into 1st gear and also reverse when sitting in neutral. Is my clutch cable loose or is the clutch starting to go bad? Could it be the timing belt? Sometimes, it shifts easily, other times it is very difficult. It is a constant problem, has been for the past 10,000 miles.[/quote:13487b1139]
I drove a '93 Ranger for years, and it did the same thing. I changed the fluid to synthetic, and bled the clutch slave cylinder and it improved, but never went completely away.
this is a common problem. The "synchros" in the transmission get worn over time, and make gear selection difficult. Unless you want to put a whole bunch of money into a new transmission, get into the habit of pumping the clutch a cpl times from neutral to 1st.