Hi first post here I hope its in the right place, just got a 1983 Firebird v6 manual for $600. Nice little car but it has a big issue. All my gears work great except the 1st gear. When engaged the car will not move and grinds a little when shifted to. It does have a leak i dont know if its oil or transmission fluid but it looks black. Can low transmission fluid cause a gear not to work or could it be something more serious. Given the price I paid I cant really complain just want to see if anyone could shed some light on this issue. Thank you

 

You could remove the shifter and replace the plastic cup that sits in the steel offset lever. Otherwise, you're pulling the trans. to troubleshoot.

 

Sorry for the late reply i will try that first thanks!