i have a 1990 toyota pickup with a 5 speed and recently when the truck is stopped i cant shift into first (and sometimes any other gear) or its really tough, and if i try to put it into reverse it grinds, like the clutch isnt disengaging the tranny from the engine. if any one has any ideas as to why this is happening and/or how to fix it, id really appreciate it.

 

Check your fluids (tranny and clutch), adjust the clutch pedal push rod(FSM), and start saving for a new clutch plate replacement.

clutch touble shooting check list

 

Either what he said ^ or you've got clutch pedal bracket failure, as seen here:

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116...fatigue-32667/

 

I know this fully doesn't answer your question butch hen shifting in reverse I bekeive we always grind in. But to make it smoother shift from second gear to reverse. If that doesn't do it shift through every fear then reverse

 

No it shouldn't grind in any gears. If it does it needs adjusted.

When the clutch seems ineffective, release the clutch pedal and then depress it again. This will work most of the time, it's covered in the manual(somewhere).

 

Really?! What would need to be adjusted I have only a year old clutch. It still does it when I first got my pickup

 

As above fluids and adjustments.

 

All good suggestions above. Take a flashlight and stick your head under the dash, and look at the bracket your pedal is attached to, in the upper left, and see if its cracked. If not, have someone depress your clutch pedal while you stick your head under the truck and see if your slave cylinder is moving properly. If those are all good, it could be a clutch master that's out. It's all easy to check. If it was working and now its not, its got to be one of those things.

 

+1 on clutch bracket failure, symptoms are identical to mine when it cracked. Can be tough to see the crack, depress the pedal w your hand while watching the bracket and see if it has any give/play.