I've got 80K on my car and I'm having some random clutch issues. I've owned the car for 2 months and the car has shifted great. My wife gets in the car tonight and she can't get it to go into gear. She tries everything, no luck. So, I get in the car and presto..everything is working great. I can put it in gear, etc. I take the car for a drive and she shifts out fine.
I come back home, make my wife get back in the car and once again, she can't get it into any gear. So, I hop back into the car, thinking she's an idiot, but she;s not. I can;t get the car to go into any gear now. I'll bet if I go back out there now, she'll go in gear just fine. Whats going on?
The fluid level is fine, I think there is a little air in the lines from the new hydraulic clutch cylinder that was installed last year, but it;s been like that since I bought the car.

 

Yep, sure enough. I just went back out and I'm able to get it in gear and she shifts fine. Grrr........

 

bleed the system and try again... how old is the fluid... also how old is the clutch itself?

 

The clutch master cylinder was replaced one year ago and the fluid was changed as well. As far as I know, the clutch is original. The fluid level is good.

Would air in the system cause these issues? If I'm not leaking...how is the air getting in there?

 

Did you check the slave cylinder and the hoses. Have you noticed any leaks or sweating? Check the bleeder screw, is it on tight? Just looking at the obvious. Did you purchase the car new or used? Could the clutch have excessive wear and showing its age? Try bleeding again. Good luck!!

 

Is there any sort of switch or anything that has anything to do with the clutch engaging? A block out switch or anything like that? There is no middle ground, either I can shift when I turn the car on...or I can't

I don't think there is air in the lines because when the car does shift, it shifts the exact same as it always has. No spongy feel or anything like that
Also, when the car is turned off, the clutch works fine and allows me to get into any gear I want.

 

Wierd. I got in the car tonight to driv her her up on some ramps so I could have a look at the linkage etc. I couldn't get her in gear. So, I turn the car off, turn it back on and I'm able to get it in gear..WTH!!!!!

Anyway, no leaks, no fluid around the slave etc. All lines and hoses are dry and clean. Linkage is snug and undisturbed.

 

Anything electrical or computer related that would cause this?

 

If air was getting into the system, wouldn't it also affect regular shifting?

 

Bleed it, or get under it while your presses the clutch and shifts the gears...with the car off! You could have a bad pressure plate with broken diaphram spring fingers!

 

I'l do that. Once I'm under there, what am I looking for? When I got under there the other night, there really wasn;t much to see except for the linkage...which I could move through all the gears by hand.

 

I meant to say ....get under the car and check out the movement and linkage while your wife presses the clutch and runs the trans thru it's gears....Sorry about that!

 

Being able to put it into gear when it is off but not on tells me that your clutch isn't fully disengaging when you push the pedal. It is a hell of a lot harder to jam a car into gear with the engine spinning and the clutch engaged then disengaged. It could be your hydraulic system. Maybe there is a leak in the line.

 

I noticed that there was some sort of nut adjustment on the hydraulic master cylinder. The linkage from the cylinder to the pedal looks like it could be adjusted. Anyone ever messed with that?

 

1st gear isnt lined up all the time. if it ever happens again let the car roll a little bit while you push it towards the gear. i bet it goes in first try that way

 

I'll try that, but it won't go in any gear, not just first. If I jam really really hard, I can get third, but thats it.

The more I mess around with it, just doesn't seem like a hydraulic issue. When I'm trying to get a gear, I notice that it makes the engine move. I'm wondering if I've got a bad or loose tranny mount thats not allowing the gears to line up properly or something like that.

 

I can't see the tranny mount, but I'm not able to move the tranny around with my hands or a prybar so i doubt thats it.
I took her out for a drive this morning and she shifted and ran out perfectly. I got back in the car after church and nothing...can't get any gear.

Hmm, this sucks. I always seem to have the problems no one else ever has.
I guess I'll just have to bite the bullet and take her to the shop in the morning.

 

How much pedal travel do you have b4 you feel pressure?

 

Same as always. After about 25% of the way down, I start feeling pressure for the remaining 75%.
I did notice just a second ago when i went out to check travel, that I've got sort of a "squeaking" noise starting around the last 25% of pedal travel.

 

I'd bet you've got a leaky flex line. Replace that with a stainless line - available here on the site in the Group Buys forum. You really should just need the short one. Shipping is lightning fast, and the line itself is very good. Doing this also eliminates that useless hunk of metal that is the damper block in the system. My wife claims better feel and easier driving since I did the line swap. I had that squeaking sound in mine as well before the swap, but now it's gone.

 

Hmm, I haven't seen any fluid leaking from the car, but judging by the position of the clutch line you're talking about, the fluid could be pooling up in the engine bay. Heck, for $40, It's probably something that needs to be done anyway. I'll order the part, install it and see what happends. Thanks for the help

 

Hmm, well, I took the airbox and battery out and got a good look at my clutch lines, etc. They look brand new. No cracks, leaks...nothing.

I'm worried the lines may not be the issue. Anyway, I recived my ss clutch line from RaceTech (SUPER FAST) and I'm going to install the new line and a new slave cylinder for the heck of it.

Who knows, maybe that will take care of it. If nothing else, taking the clutch damper and junction box out will save some space. I'll update tomorrow evening.

 

I personally don't think it's a hydraulic problem but since you hear squeaking. Get a flashlight and check your M/C above the clutch peddle for leaking. Have you had to add fluid or noticed your fluid getting lower?
I think it's a mechanical problem you're having not a hydraulic. It's possibly a broken clutch diaphram finger or fingers!

 

I was sort of thinking that too, but the SS line seemed like a good idea so I thought I'd go ahead and do it and see where it got me.

The master cylinder was replaced late last year and the fluid level is stable and always has been.

What exactly is a clutch diaphram finger? More importantly, how expensive is it to take care of?

 

It's the multi fingered spring in which the throw out bearing presses against to disengage the clutch disc. Known as your pressure plate! Not that expensive....Just some work to remove...

 

Ok, I see what you're talking about.

I know my way around a car pretty well. So, would you recommend that I do this myself or take it to the shop?

 

If you're comfortable with taking your transmission completely out of the car, then do it yourself. Otherwise, take it to a shop. Have you done the line swap yet?

 

Did you ever get under the car while your wife acuated the clutch to ensure that the slave cylinder is moving in coordination with the clutch peddle? And that you have about a 2" slave cylinder stroke on every peddle stroke? If you have consistent slave movement in sync with the peddle stroke, your hydraulic portion is good. The fault lies in the mechanical side of the system (pressure plate, throw out bearing, clutch fork).

 

The slave cylinder didn;t seem to moving properly. My buddy..said it seemed a little slow and he thought that it should be moving more than it did.

I have not done the line swap yet. I started it this evening, but it;s giving me problems. I'm a little confused about what all the SS line replaces..and how.
I've removed the damper box and I was wanting to replace the junction box, but I can't trace all the lines.

I thought the 2001's only had one bleeder valve?
If I'm removing the junction box...does the upper bleeder need to come off with it?

 

If no leaks then bleed it and flush it while at it! Once you get it bled then check the movement!

 

Well, I would, but I'm already in the middle of installing the ss line and a new slave cylinder. I've got the slave cylinder off and I'm stuck on how or what exactly to remove betweem the slave and master cylinder. I'm having a hard time figuring out the junction box and what all needs to come off with it.

 

Alright, got the new slave cylinder and SS lines installed. Clutch feels better, but I still can't shift or get it into gear unless I turn the car off.

Here's something strange:
With the clutch to the floor, if I firmly try to put it in first gear, the car will slowly start to move forward.

 

Your clutch is not disengaging. Have someone press the pedal and see if the slave is pushing the clutch fork and moving it. You could have a bent or broken clutch fork. That would require removing the tranny which means a clutch too while you're in there.

You should be able to pull the boot off where the slave pushes the clutch fork and peek in the bell housing. It's tight so you can't see everything but if you see the fork cracked or bent you'll know.

Also make sure you bled the new parts properly. Try a vacuum bleeder at the slave. Taking out the tranny is a big job and if you can avoid it it's worth it.

Moving forward when you push the stick is normal. Since the clutch is not disengaging, the imput shaft is moving. The syncros are acting like a small clutch and transfer that energy through them as you push them together. That happens on any car and isn't a problem.

 

Yeah, the slave cylinder and lines are all bled properly and I'm getting good movement from the slave.
I think you're right, it;s got to be internal at this point. I wish I had the time to do it myself, but it took me two weeks just to find time to do the slave and ss line.
It sucks because I would imagine dropping the tranny is at least an $800 job.

Would you guys recommend taking the car to the dealership or to a transmission shop for this sort of work? I've got a good transmission gshop up the road, but I would htink the dealership would know more about the car itself.

 

Go to the tranny shop. It should be cheaper than the dealer. There's nothing special about dropping the tranny on this car that the dealer would have to handle.

Really, any mechanic can handle the job. I would call a few places to check prices. Transmission shops specialize in taking the gearbox apart and performing internal repairs and rebuilds. They would do a fine job but you don't need a transmission shop for a clutch swap if a regular mechanic is cheaper.

 

I believe it's your pressure plates springs, there be a section of broken fingers, do your hear any noise when depressing the clutch? How much fluid is in your transaxle?

 

No noise, clutch travel is nice, smooth and quiet. Not sure about the fluid.

The car has been at the shop since Monday afternoon and they really haven'e been able to find the problem. They are saying it's hydraulic, but can't pinpoint in. I was hoping to take the car to the beach for the holiday weekend, but I guess thats not going to happen.

 

The clutch has nothing to do with transaxle fluid.

 

You don't think shifting quality can be affected be the trans oil level? I sure know that it can be quite more difficult to shift consistently with low oil levels in all the gearboxs I've ever seen on planet Earth. Do you have some new design that doesn't require oil/lube/gear oil/ATF?

 

He's not having problems with "shifting quality". His car wont go into gear at all from a standstill. We've already determined the clutch is not disengaging. He can shift through the gears fine with the motor off. This isn't a gearbox problem, it's a clutch problem.

I never said fluid levels won't affect shifting and I don't have a new gearbox design. I said tranny fluid levels don't have anything to do with the clutch operation.

Please read, and understand, the thread fully before leaving smart a$$ comments for people who know what they're talking about.