Hey guys, i tried to get some help from you guys a while back about my never ending clutch problems. I ended up flushing the system out, and that helped, but now the problem came back worse. Basically, the car is pretty rough getting into gear, but sometimes very smooth. Then after a while of driving, it gets harder to get into gear to a point that when i push the clutch in, the clutch won't completely disengage. So i have to shut the car off, put it into gear, and turn the car back off :\. Not cool, and when its really bad, i'll turn the car on in first and it'll creep at 5mph with clutch ALL the way in. This is VERY ANNOYING and i need to figure out what it is. The slave cylinder was just replaced, so i guess the next step is master cylinder. Then clutch...:S, which i hope isn't the case. The clutch i have right now is a exedy stage 1. Can anyone help me?!?

 

You can have someone push the clutch pedal down a few times while you look at the slave cylinder and confirm that it is operating properly. That is, the rod is moving out of the assembly at least 1/2" or so.

If you have this, that means your slave cylinder rod has sufficient travel.

It also means that your clutch throwout bearing is probably broken on one side. This will not allow your clutch to disengage. It is not real common, but it happens. Transmission will have to be removed to fix it.

 

Oh god...

Would there be an explanation to why it only does it *sometimes*?

 

Probably because whatever it is re-positions itself at some point while driving.

 

I ran into basically the exact same problem while I was in the middle of a 300 mile trip, had to drive with no clutch for ~150 miles.

I believe you will have to replace your clutch (I'm sorry to say).

I thought for sure it was the master or slave cylinder, because it was obvious that the clutch wasn't completely engaging for the most part, and it'd go away completely after the car had cooled down, until it had been running for 30 seconds or so.

I finally took it in, I was convinced it was part of the hydraulic system, but the guy looked at it and said it was completely fine. He drove it around and told me it was my pressure plate--the clutch had been replaced last year and I HAD noticed some moderate clutch shudder, but thought it was normal. Don't understand how it could go out that quickly. $978.23 later, it worked fine. =\

On a side-note, my brand new (700 miles) clutch now still has some shudder (albeit not as much). Is this normal?

 

Hey, i'm glad someone had exprienced this problem before. When you say shudder, what do you mean? I was afraid that i was going to have to replace the clutch :S. Probably not going to go with exedy again, but what about 5th gen clutch and ACT Clutch? Is there anything i can try before i dish out 400$ on a new clutch?

 

Nothing short of replacement of the release bearing and/or clutch will fix the problem.

You could look at the travel of the slave cylinder rod like I explained earlier to confirm this, but it will only tell you that part of the clutch system inside the bellhousing of the transmission is to blame. It could be broken/bent fingers on your pressure plate, but it still spells doom for the entire clutch.

 

Its would probably be the throwout bearing. A friend of mine just had that problem and we had it fixed overnight. This is the fourth case with an ACT's throwout bearing going out around here. Thats what you get for having extreme pressure plates.

If you can, remove the bell housing and throwout bearing. If thats the problem, replace it with an oem one. They seem to last longest.

 

Should i try replacing the clutch bearing before swapping clutch? Or is the clutch going to be part of the problem as well. The exedy clutch only has like 35k on it. So the transmission has to be taken out in order to replace clutch bearing? How much time and $ would this cost a shop to do, it just sounds expensive .

 

Is there a specific year from the 5th Gen clutches that works best, or won't work.
2000, 2001?
(I assume we should get a 2000 or a 2001 since they still had 3.0s)

 

Shops in and around Sioux Falls haved quoted me $500-$600 for installation alone. The cheapest place was Excessive Autosports at $350 but Im not sure if I can trust there work. If you're already underthere to replace the T/O, might as well spend the extra $100-$200 to do a new clutch and pressure plate.

 

It could be the throw-out bearing or the lever arm that goes between the slave cylinder and the bearing. If it was the pressure plate, it would do it all the time. There probably is no other way to repair it except to have it disassembled and see what is shot.

 

Don't bother going up stages in clutches, it gets worse.

 

Yeah, wasn't planning on anything more than stage 1, that's for boost and/or nitrous anyway.

I just can't seem to figure out what changes when i leave the car sit vs. driving. Last night it was acting up. I could barely drive it. So i leave it over night and get up to go to work at 10:30 and leave the car sit till 7. When i drove it home, it was the smoothest shifting i ever had. If i were to drive it any more, it was start to get harder, and harder, untill it'd be back to last night. That's why my initial thought was it was something to do with hydraulic system. Like as it sat, it would slowly leak air back out or something. What could somehow fix the problem as the car sits? Is it something with heat on the bearing? Just a guess. Sorry for the long drawn out explanation. I'm just trying to narrow down the possiblities as much as i can before i spend 500$ to get something fixed that might not have had to been. I appreciate the help guys, you're all i have. The shops in my town aren't helping me out too well.

 

come on people... someone must have an answer. What year of the 5th gen clutch is the best? I know I read about it here somewhere but I can't find it now.

 

So how sure should i be that this is the throwout bearing? If its bad, would it still work *sometimes*? Has having a bad throwout bearing wear more on the clutch? The reason i ask, if i replace the throwout bearing (which will be a real PITA from what i hear), should i do clutch as well? I want to like my max again all the time, not only the times when i can shift nice.

 

You have never said that you have confirmed the travel on the slave cylinder.

If you have, then you must remove the transmission and fix the problem, which by the way will probably be very evident once inside.

If not, then see if you have fluid in the clutch reservoir and travel at the slave cylinder. Then get back to us. As for why it only does it sometimes, it is hard to say. Could be a broken release bearing rotating and repositioning itself. Not good.

 

I still have to check out the slave cylinder. It did it to me a little today but i couldn't stop at the time to check it out. i need to verify that it moves when it's acting up right?

 

You just need to confirm that the rod from the slave ever moves at all.

You're gonna need a buddy for this check.

 

I just went out and checked it out. It moves out an inch or so. I'm curuios to see what it does when it is acting up. Thanks again for your help old

 

So i got a chance to check out travel on the slave cylinder when the clutch is acting up/creeping/won't go into gear. It travels just as much as if it was working properly. Is this a indication that its the bearing? Would anyone recommend me taking it o the dealership and have some pro's take a look? I"m sick of shops around not knowing what to do, especially when its a problem that makes my max undrivable sometimes...

 

The bottom line is you need a mechanic. Find one that you trust, or won't rip you off, and that you feel comfortable with, etc.

Then let the man fix it. Throwout bearing minimum, entire clutch worse case.
We have cyber-diagnosed it to death. It is gonna need a wrench turned on it next.

 

Yeah, i'm in process of trying to take it somewhere i trust. Either way labor is where its going to kill me. I thought about doing it at my HS Shop, but that might be too big of a job to handle. Its nice to come out on the org and get an idea of what the problem might be so i can ask around. I appreciate the help, we'll just see what happens from here.

But one quick question. Would it be worth doing ACT or Exedy? Or would it be safer to do the 5th gen clutch? I love the grab on the exedy, but i sure as hell don't want it to be like it is now.

 

Oh man...this is the same problem I am having. The only difference is that the clutch won't come up sometimes...so I have to kick it with my foot. I just recently replaced the slave cylinder hose...and everything was working fine...until on my way to NOPI Nationals..I took it out of fifth..and could not put it in gear at all...I pulled over..and next thing you know the clutch was working again. Same symptoms you guys think???Does this sound like a bearing also?? Or maybe just the master cylinder? I changed the clutch about 2 years ago...and I don't abuse it at all...no NOS no nothing. Any ideas?

 

I also had the same problem, but I noticed it right away as I tried to leave the driveway it would not realease the clutch all the way. I knew from previous expirences that this was my TO bearing, it must have fell out of place while installing the tranny. The Fork groove was bent and not all the way on, telling me only one side of the fork was pressing down on the pressure plate. New TO & no Prob.

 

IC...sounds like this could be the same issue with me. Now its just to figure out how much i wanna pay someone to take out tranny to put the bearing on . Thanks for the help guys, hopefully this problem gets solved soon.

 

if only you lived in la....my mechanic will do it for 200....dropped off around 9, ready at 5 the same day.

 

daamn, i do wish i lived there. Wanna get him to take a trip to good ol' South dakota!? lol, riiiiight.