Could not engage gear

This morning I wanted to start driving, but I couldn't get the car into any gear from idle. So, I turned off the engine, put it in gear, pressed the clutch, and then started driving.
Everything was working fine overall, except that I could only engage second gear when the engine speed was above 2000 RPM. The same applied to third, fourth, and fifth gears. Below 2000 RPM, there was such strong resistance when shifting that I preferred not to bother. By nine o'clock in the morning, everything was working okay again.

What could be the cause? When the engine was off, all the gears shifted smoothly, but when the engine was on... [the sentence is incomplete].
My friend also didn't know what to do; everything seemed fine during his test drive.
Could it have been something that was possibly frozen? It wasn't the ropes, otherwise, with the engine off, you would have experienced the same problem.

By the way, it's a '99 Focus TDDI, and the clutch is only 3 months old.

Klingt für mich als ob die Kupplung nicht richtig getrennt hat. Kann man leicht ausprobieren, den Wagen auf einer leichten Schräge (so das der Wagen von selbst rollen kann) Gang einlegen, Motor aus. Wenn dies Problem nur Auftritt wenn der Wagen kalt ist natürlich abwarten bis dieser Zustand wieder da ist. Dann bei eingelegtem Gang die Kupplung treten, rollt der Wagen nicht, trennt die Kupplung nicht richtig. "I experienced this with my Golf II; when the car was cold or had been parked for a longer period (about 4-5 hours), the clutch wouldn't disengage properly."
If everything is fine with the car when it's warm, and especially if the gears shift perfectly, then the clutch might be sticking (perhaps due to grease residue from installation) or the shaft that passes through the clutch might not be properly lubricated or could be stuck (with old grease or something). These should be considered as potential issues.
Before you force the gears and risk further damage to the transmission, I would definitely recommend using a bit of throttle blipping during gear changes (please do it gently). With proper throttle blipping, you can even shift gears (except for first) without using the clutch (but this should only be done in emergencies when the clutch is faulty).

I will test it tomorrow morning, thank you .

I tested it this morning on a slight incline (about 3%). It rolls without any problems. I can also shift gears again, but it's a bit more difficult than before. Could it be that the mechanics (cables) are misadjusted?

Okay, the problem you described initially could indicate a clutch that wasn't disengaging properly. If the gears are now "only" difficult to engage, it could also be due to the shifting mechanism. Did this problem occur immediately after the clutch replacement, or only recently?
The workshop can perfectly control the gear shift adjustment using a few gauges (usually one is attached to the gear lever).
Did you replace the clutch yourself, or did you take it to a workshop?
If I were to go back to that workshop, I would definitely attend it again.

However, even with a difficult gear change, there might still be slight slippage in the clutch. This is because the synchronizer rings then have to adjust the speed of the shafts accordingly (which they normally do anyway), but it's easier when the clutch is fully disengaged.

'The new clutch was installed by the workshop and initially worked perfectly. Shifting was like a brand new car. I had already been to that workshop and talked with the master mechanic. Unfortunately, the 'demonstration effect' came into play. I will let the master mechanic drive the car in the next few days when it's cold. Until then, I'll just be more careful when shifting.'

Thanks for the tip.

The solution to the riddle is near.

It's clearly the clutch that isn't disengaging.

The interesting thing is that this only happens when starting in neutral.
If you start the car with a gear engaged, everything is fine. With this realization, we can now finally determine that the problem lies with the clutch. After Easter, I will remove the transmission again. Unfortunately, I cannot explain why the problem only occurs when starting in neutral .
Anyway, it had nothing to do with the cold. I had started the engine for the windshield heater .

Best regards,

hello

'I had exactly the same problems with my old Passat, a 2.0 gasoline engine, 35i. There was a small piece of the pressure plate broken off due to a material defect, and it would occasionally jam intermittently, making it impossible to disengage the clutch.'

Peter.

The problem doesn't occur when the engine is idling because the clutch doesn't need to disengage during starting, and the transmission doesn't create any resistance. When a gear is engaged, the resistance of the transmission is immediately present, and the clutch disc is released by the pressure plate.
You could try this: Press the clutch pedal (or have someone else press it), and push the car while it's in gear; the clutch should then disengage.

The heated windshield wiper area on the Ford is really nice (my girlfriend has it on her Focus too).