Bicycle Mechanics - Front Derailleur Issue

Me and a buddy of mine decided to spend some money and buy some mountian bikes, for something to do this summer. I was able to get a Trek 6000 pretty cheap of someone in my school and I'm having just one problem. The problem is is that when I try to shift into third, it doesn't shift but does make a noise of the the chain hitting it. What could be causing this?

FD limit adjustment.

How can adjust this?

www.parktools.com has a very good website on adjustments. Its easy to find.
One word of advice only do half turns at a time, if you go too far, then you have to adjust it back, small adjustments at a time

Ii figured out that its not the derailleur, its the shifter. If I push the shifter regularly it just goes all the wasy except about a 1/2 an inch. At the last 1/2 inch it moves the derailleur over a small amount. If i push it very slowly it catches something in the begining and I am able to shift into 3rd. Why is it doing this?

Your cable may be too slack and just runs out of pull as the gear lever reaches the end of its travel. If you take in the slack by a few mm you may be able to throw the front mech to the end of its stop. See parktools again for how to attatch your cable to your mech.

Your cable may be too slack and just runs out of pull as the gear lever reaches the end of its travel. If you take in the slack by a few mm you may be able to throw the front mech to the end of its stop. See parktools again for how to attatch your cable to your mech.

Your cable may be too slack and just runs out of pull as the gear lever reaches the end of its travel. If you take in the slack by a few mm you may be able to throw the front mech to the end of its stop. See parktools again for how to attatch your cable to your mech.

Your cable may be too slack and just runs out of pull as the gear lever reaches the end of its travel. If you take in the slack by a few mm you may be able to throw the front mech to the end of its stop. See parktools again for how to attatch your cable to your mech.

Jeeze.

Well I found the page on where to fix things, but where do I got to tighten by cable, and what's a mech?

"Mech" is the English term for a derailer which is the American term for derailleur. To tighten the cable, unscrew the bolt on the derailer that holds the cable, pull the cable tighter, and retighten the bolt. I recommend trying to loosen the barrel adjuster on the shifter and derailleur before doing this. That essentially lengthens the housing, which increases the travel of the derailer, or something. It works, thats all I know.