Dodge Dakota sport 2001 hard shifting 1st and 2nd gear

Your Dakota pickup is likely suffering from a case of bad synchronizers. Since the 1960s, manual transmissions on smaller vehicles have had what is known as synchronizers installed on each gear. The purpose of the syncros is simple, it keeps the gears from clashing together when you shift from gear to gear. (Standard transmissions, unlike automatics, make you do the work of shifting. As you go through the shift pattern, each gear will link and then unlink as you move up toward overdrive. Until the 1960s, you had to match the speed of the gear you had selected and were shifting with the speed of the already-spinning gear choice in the transmission. If you didn’t match them carefully, the gears clashed and ground, possibly causing damage. Enter the synchronizers which handled matching the speeds automatically so your gearshifts were smooth and seamless.)

I suspect the synchros on first and second in your Dakota are shot and should be replaced. The reason I am suggesting this is simply that they work for the first few minutes and then stop. This is one sign that a part has failed or is on the way to failing but hasn’t quite made it yet.

I would get the problem seen to quickly as it is only a matter of time before third, fourth and fifth joint first and second. If you have it repaired now, it will cost you about $700. If you wait and the repairs become more extensive, you are looking at easily doubling that expense.