Hard to shift into first gear

[Carefree Carl]

I'm having the same issue with my transmission. Pulled the drain plug and maybe got a quart of some very nasty gear oil. Black with grey swirls. Filled it up with some fresh 75-90. I figure I'll have to do this 3/4 times to clean everything up... And if I'm lucky, it will stay in first. What's the recommended amount of miles I should put on it before changing it again?

[Petros]

If you are doing the flush and refill, you only have to drive it long enough to get it hot, like 30 min at freeway speed, preferably up a long climb. than change it. You could go longer, but consider that sludge and metal particles are still in there washing over the gears. If you are doing the flush and fill anyway, you could speed this process by using 2 quarts of AFT with the 2 quarts of gear oil, drive until warmed up and than drain and repeat. The AFT is a much better detergent, it will clean all the sludge out and help wash the fine metal particles out of the trans.

[Carefree Carl]

Awesome. Thanks. I might have just found a good trans at the neighborhood junkyard for $80, so if that doesn't work...

[Petros]

You might want to grab the trans as a spare anyway. Sooner or later your will give up, you will eventually want a trans, and at that price you can not even buy a gasket set for a trans. Once you get it out of the car, shift it though all the gears, rotate the input shaft by hand and feel how smooth it rotates, put in 4wd and rotate input shaft and verify all outputs are rotating. Should be good if it is all smooth and quite in all gears.