Ford Repair: Manual Tranny gear grinding, ford escort clx, clutch system

Question
I bought a used 92 Ford Escort CLX (euro specs 1.4 L)
I am having trouble with the tranny 2nd gear (or I am not driving correctly)

When I downshift from 3rd to 2nd the gears don't seem to mesh (they bump and grind) until about 1000 or 900 RPM's.

Sometimes when I shift from 1st to 2nd the gear/shifter will thud into place (No grinding though)

Any possible suggestions?
Thanks,
Shawn


Answer
Hello and thanks for the question...I'll try to help.
 It almost sounds like you might need to take a look at the clutch system of the vehicle at least, and if that doesn't yield any results, I would then look to the internal workings of the transmission (synchro rings).
Hope this helps,
Erik