Mitsubishi Repair: Grinding Gears, transmission fluid change, grinding gears

Question
My 1991 Mitsubishi Eclipse Dsx Turbo AWD is shifting gears xx hard mostly 1st and downshifting. There is sometimes a nasty grinding noise from 1st-2nd gear, will only shift smoothly into 2nd when rpms are falling from 3-2. Please help, I Love this car! Hate the problem! Also, just started to hear a chirping noise when first starting the car. I have no owners manual previous owner (mechanic) lost it. I have seen 91 eclipse owners manuals on ebay but it does not say anything about it being for the Turbos. Is there 1 manual for all? Like I said the previous owner was a mechanic, I called him and he said it happens sometimes he is not sure what it is. It happens alot!! How much damage am I doing trying to manuever the shift with the grind?  Thank you so much for any information!  

Answer
Michelle,
Hard shifting in these Eclipses is very common.  They are known for chunking shifting.  But odds are a transmission fluid flush & fill with the proper fluid will help and smooth out the shifting.  It is the cheapest fix you can try because the GSX model is a pretty tough car to work on (it's typical that a mechanic owned it :) ).  I would recommend taking the car the dealership and asking for a transmission fluid change.  The fluid level may be low or very dirty if it hasn't been changed within the past 30,000 miles.  This car takes a particular type of fluid and the dealership is the best place to go for it.  Along with getting the transmission fluid changed, I would also recommend having the transfer case fluid changed and the rear differential fluid changed.  You should also ask the service manager at the dealership if there are any outstanding recalls on the car.  Your car had some pretty serious recalls that need to be fixed; plus they're free.

Occasional grinding of the gears is not a big deal, but consistent grinding is a problem, and at worst would call for a transmission rebuild.  The dealership can also inspect the clutch fluid level, the master cylinder and slave cylinder.  You may also need a clutch adjustment.  But have the dealership inspect it, and if you want to, you can order a new owners manual from them as well.
Good luck!