Clutch problem

1FASTSC

Registered User
I'ts hard as hell to put the thing in gear, and we've done some trouble shooting on it.

We put it on a flat surface, and sorta forced it into gear without pushing it in all of the way....and the car would start rolling...My friend thinks that there might be some air in the lines...any suggestions would be helpful.
 
check the clutch master cylinder and slave cylinder for leaks. bleeding it may help. i occasionally have the same problem and have a new clutch master cylinder to install when i have the time.
 
I agree with walunsf. I think you've got air in your hydraulic clutch system, or you've got a faulty master or slave cylinder. Obviously, the pressure plate is not becoming completely disengaged from the disc even if the clutch pedal is fully depressed. Try bleeding the slave cylinder first, and then keep a very close eye on the level of the fluid in the reservoir. If bleeding the system allows the system to function properly, and the level doesn't drop, then you're probably OK. If the level starts to drop, then you've got a bad component somewhere, and you should start looking for the source of the leak.

I hope this helps.

Cheers,

Sean
 
my car has the same problem. i just replaced the slave cylinder, master cylinder and both plates and bearings. i bled the clutch line until there was no more air coming out and the car still wont go into gear.
 
Same problem, different diagnosis

My 92 has the same issue. Long story short, although I've not fixed it yet, the syncros in the trans are shot. I intend to have my trans rebuilt this winter and install a new clutch (original with 100K sofar) and pray the problem goes away then.
 
More than likely..

It is your slave cylinder. The master cylinder is located in the cockpit and is attached to the clutch pedal itself, looks like a little shock which mounts to the firewall. The slave cylinder is mounted on the input shaft of the transmission, and to change it, the transmission has to come out. Sure, you can bleed the system of air, but look at it like this, you don't normally have to bleed your brakes do you unless you open the system and air gets in right? Same thing with the clutch, if you have to bleed the air from it, then it HAS a problem somewhere. Air is entering the system through a leak in the hydraulics. any air in the system is otherwise NOT normal and means that something needs attention. You can bleed the system for now and probably restore function, but this is only a temporary stop-gap measure as it will worsen to the point where no amount of bleeding will fix the problem.

My advice, unless you have the $$ to fix it right now, bleed the system, restore the function, and carry a big bottle of dot3 brake fluid to add. Check the clutch fluid every day or two to see how quickly the level drops.

Good luck!!

Phil
 
The above suggestions are good ones. However you can verify the conditions that are being guessed at above. Removal of the inspection gromet in the bellhousing will allow you to observe the movement of the slave cylinder via the TO bearing. Unfortunately I can't seem to find the spec at the moment. I think it was .75" or something. I have had ones with proper travel still exhibit the problems you describe. If the clutch disc itself is not sliding freely on the input shaft, the same conditions you describe will result.

Also take a moment to check the attachment of the master cylinder rod to clutch pedal. If the plastic bushing is worn out then chances are the pin on the clutch pedal may be worn also. If they are you more than likely won't get sufficient pedal travel to fully disengage the clutch.

If you are having difficulty getting the car into gear and it wants to creep forward when forced to do so, keep this in mind. What is happening is that your clutch is dragging, and the syncro's are trying to overcome the dragging clutch. Surface area of syncro friction surface = about 1.5" square. Surface area of clutch disc > 100" square. Syncro's are gonna lose this battle. Don't ruin your syncros.

A temporary fix is to avoid running the car in nuetral. This will force the clutch to slip and give the syncro's a fighting chance for survival. Always start it in gear, never leave it in nuetral at a stop light, and always shift quickly - not hard, just quickly. This will help you get by until you solve the problem.

In summary, if you car tries to move forward when you try to put it into gear, it is NOT a transmission problem, it is a CLUTCH problem.
 
Back
Top