2000 M5OD sometimes difficult to put in gear, squealing noise

[BoogieBot]

My truck has developed an unsettling problem in the past 2 days: it's nearly impossible to shift... sometimes. It only happens when the engine is running, I'll have it out of gear while sitting at a light. Light changes, try to push the shifter into 1st... it feels like there's something physically preventing the shifter from going into any gear slot on the shifter.

Sometimes I can feel around and get it to slide into another gear (3 or 4, usually) and then it shifts into other gear just fine. Other times, I can gently press the shifter into the gear position I want and gently let the clutch back in, and it'll slip into gear. But that doesn't always work. If the engine's off, she shifts just fine. Double-clutching doesn't have any consistent effect on the rough shifting problem, but pumping the dickens out of the clutch pedal SOMETIMES helps.

The other thing is that this doesn't happen every time I try to shift, but about 50% of the time, the no-shifting problem is immediately presaged by a squealing noise - almost sounds like a belt squeal. Can't really tell where it's coming from because the truck is always in motion when it happens.

Truck is a 2000 2.5L XLT 2WD with 185k miles. I replaced the clutch slave & clutch itself, had the flywheel machined, and replaced the rear main seal 15,000 miles (3 years) ago. I've heard rumors about high-mileage M5OD transmissions eating clutch slaves in quick succession, but my clutch fluid level does not appear to have changed in the 50-ish miles of city driving I've done in the past couple days. Didn't change at all during the big x-country drive, either. Haven't been able to get under the truck to peek in the trans viewing window to look for stray clutch fluid, that's the next step.

I've been driving on washboard primitive roads for the past 3 years and then 2 weeks ago I loaded the bed full of my stuff and drove 2,000 miles across the country (Flagstaff, AZ to Orlando, FL... 500 miles shy of coast to coast!). Didn't experience any shifting problems til I got to FL and unloaded my crap from the truck. THEN the problems began. Don't know if the extra load or rough/dusty conditions could put excessive wear on the trans & clutch system.

Thanks in advance. Would also much appreciate recommendations for a decent mechanic in the Orlando area as well (PM me).

 

[monstermazda]

Sounds like sync are going out.

It may started when you hauled that bg load for so long could of got it hot.

First change the fluid to see what it looks like and on the drain bolt.

Take pics of the fluid and what's on the bolt it will help us to help you.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Tapatalk

 

[Doofy]

Had that very same problem with my wife!

 

[Shran]

I'm late to the party but sounds to me like classic slave cylinder failure, could have a bad throwout bearing too.