stuck in reverse

Call the previous owner and try to find out if the fluid has ever been changed. Before you move that car again I would change my tranny fluid. Stock intervals is 100k, I change mine each year. When you do look for a couple of things:

1. What color is it? New fluid will be a violet color, older fluid will be significantly darker. you might even change the filter while you are at it.
2. Inspect the old fluid for any particulate - especially metal, plastic or gasket materials.

It could also be that the clutch cable stretched - especially on aftermarket high pressure clutches.

It could be the entire clutch assembly needs to be replaced. If it has had the stock clutch in its whole life, or more than the last five years, there is a good chance the clutch spindles are no longer operating the pressure plate the way they should. Over time they become more flexible, and they move inwards as well. On a new unit, clutch spindle tips will stick up outside the housing. On a clutch with 13 years of cycling, they will actually be inside the housing. What all this means is that you get less travel on the pressure plate for the same amount of clutch pedal travel.

One other rare thing, which happened on my car, and seems to happen in older cars using higher operating pressure aftermarket clutches; it is possible that the firewall can actually indent where the clutch cable passes through. This also will reduce the travel of the pressure plate. To fix this simply use a washer to shim it. Be careful though, a little goes a long way and it will drastically change the engagement/disengagement position of the clutch. Too much will actually back the plate slightly off the flywheel and you WILLl vape the clutch real quick.

I hope this helps. If you need any more assistance, let me know.

Sorry, I guess I had a vocabulary meltdown. Fresh fluid has a ROSE color (not violet..wrong flower) and should be very viscous. As it ages it darkens and becomes thins out considerably.

As far as replacement fluid, you are supposed to use either mercon III or mercon V...just make sure what is in there now because the fluids are NOT compatible and CANNOT be mixed. You will do some pretty severe damage if you mix the fluids at any level beyond residual fluid left after draining the fluid.

I have heard a lot of members on here have actually used GM Synchromesh with positive results as far as heat and noise levels. A few have even reported a power increase. I have not tried this, but some who has might chime in and help out on that.