I just got a 96 dodge dakota sport with the 2.5 4cyl in it. when i test drove it and when i took it home i didn't notice anything wrong with it, so i bought it. A few days later i noticed that it is hard to shift in to second gear, and i also feel it in 3rd but not as pronounced. I noticed that the clutch grabs kind of high up, but it hasn't slipped once. I also noticed that it's only hard to get into gear when i first drive it; once i've driven a few miles, say, 10 miles, it seems to shift a lot better

I read somewhere that u can test the clutch by putting the truck in a higher gear and slowly letting out the clutch and if it stalls the clutch is probably not the problem. so i tried it, and it indeed stalled.

I do live in the middle of Minnesota and it is pretty cold this time of year. Am i just overthinking it, or could this be something pretty major.

Any help is greatly appreciated... I also am not sure how to check the fluid in the transmission... Thanks!

 

I'm not a manual guy so I can't help you to much. But maybe a BUMP to your thread will help.

 

My truck is that way to. Idk if daks are like jeeps, but 6's got ax15's and 4s got ax5's. Anyway, my ax15 behaves like that. Once it warms up or its really warm out, I have no issues. I think its just the gear oil all thick and goopy.

 

I had a 96 dakota and now I have a 92, both of them were manual. Same thing happened in both of them shifting into 2nd gear. It does give trouble, but when it gets warmed up it shifts much smoother. Also, you can drain and refill the transmission.
There should be a drain plug on the bottom and a bolt on the side of the housing that you take out and use that hole to refill/check fluid.

 

Hey thanks for the input. i feel a little bit relieved now.. lately i noticed that if i shake the shifter in neutral a little bit before shifting into second, it goes in a lot easier.. and once i drive it enough, it shifts fine. I will replace the fluid soon enough, but this mn weather is pretty misearble to do anything in.. Any recommendations on what fluid to use?

 

the 2.5 from 96 is indeed a jeep (amc) motor/tranny

 

i believe you have the ax15 trans but to be sure i think theres a link with pictures in the FAQ section and you compare them pics to your. or it should say on the sticker under the hood but i would verify with the pictures to be 100% sure. ax15 is 75w-90 gear oil according to the service manual. i just use 80w-90 in mine and it works fine. like everyone said, 2nd gear is alittle stiff until it warms up. alot of times i shift to 3rd and skip 2nd but i have 3.90 axles so that probly makes it easier

 

check these pictures and should be able to see what tranny you have http://www.motivegear.com/tech_info/...nny_guide.html

 

Pretty sure that the 4 cylinder daks did not have an ax15. I know the 2.5 jeep is an amc motor, but none-the-less, chrysler put an ax5 behind the 4 cylinders is my point, so I'd venture to guess that a 4 cylinder dak would have an ax5 too.

 

yeah i think i will check under the hood and/or look at the transmission. From what i understand, the 96 model is the only year with the amc motor,but with my limited knowledge of these trucks,this doesn't help me out haha. Do you know roughly how many quarts it will take?