Please Help - My clutch pedal is stuck to the floor
 

I searched and found no help. My clutch pedal has been acting really funny lately. My clutch engages at different pedal heights. I figured there was air in the system, because about a month ago my clutch fluid reservoir was almost empty. So today I looked every where and did not find any leaks. I was relieving the air in the system by opening the bleeder valve while my brother held the clutch in. Just like the Haynes manual says to do it. I had a clear hose connected and the end was in a cup with 2 inches of brake fluid in it. Right after I opened the bleeder valve the first time my clutch did not release from the floor. The car will start, but wont engage in any gear and the clutch still doesn't release. I tried pumping it by pulling it up and pushing it down which didn't help. The reservoir is completely full and whenever I open the bleeder valve, nothing happens. I am stuck and had big plans for tonight.:( If anyone knows what I can do to fix this I will be very appreciative. Thanks.

Thanks for the help I appreciate it!:rolleyes: Not even one response.

Probably the master cylinder. Is there fluid stains above the clutch pedal?

check master or slave... if its not either one
then i havent a clue... i've seen this problem before
on other Maximas and most of the time,
changing the master or the slave will not fix it... so
if you find a solution post it up

I tinkered with the car some more today and the clutch is still stuck. There don't seem to be any leaks anywhere. I think I am going to have the car towed to the dealership.:( Thanks for the feedback. ;)

There are 2 different places to bleed the clutch system - did you do it from both spots?

Sounds like you need a new clutch to me. When it wears out, you have the let out the pedal farther and farther for it to engage, just as you described. Not sure if it gets stuck to the floor but I do think I have heard of that happening. Good luck.


PJ

Yes. No air comes out or fluid. Nothing happens when I turn the release valves.

I would be inclined to think this too. My clutch worked very well before I tried bleeding the system though. The pedal would engage the clutch at different pedal heights, but it didn't ever stick to the floor. I tried the Haynes manual and then the article on motorvate. No luck. I talked to my mechanic and he is going to come by my house tomorrow and hopefully shed some light on this ordeal. That will atleast save me some money on a tow bill and Nissans high diagnostic prices if he can fix it. It seemed to be such a simple procedure, I don't know what went wrong. I just need to get up and running again.....:)
Thanks for the replies.

MAXINXS

You could swap for an auto.
I'm sorry, I'm not trying to make light of your problem. I just get sick of hearing "swap your auto for a 5 speed" all the time.

Sorry, But I like my 5-speed waaaaaaaay too much.:D Must be something about the tires spinning whenever I shift and dropping the clutch for a nice little burnout every now and then....etc. But it was a nice thought. ;) It would definitely save me from headaches like this.

Re: Please Help - My clutch pedal is stuck to the floor
 

Did you check if your clutch pedal is adjusted right within specs .. i remember reading somewhere if its adjusted in to far the clutch will act weird and keep changing where it grabs .. are u
saying your pedal wont come back up when you release it? after you bled it that should have went away...i think there is also a spring that returns it too
but it sounds like the pedal just needs to be adjusted

Re: Re: Please Help - My clutch pedal is stuck to the floor
 

Yes my pedal stays on the floor and I use my foot to pull it back up. That spring you spoke of only seems to kick in when the clutch is partway up. I think the slave cylinder is supposed to release it the first inch or so. I thought bleeding it would solve the problem too. Instead my car becomes immobile. I try and save a few bucks by doing the work myself and look what happens!:rolleyes: Also, I never checked the pedal adjustment, because I have never messed with it. I don't know how that would keep the clutch from releasing from the floor? I will check it. Hopefully, I will find out tomorrow. Thanks.

Re: Re: Re: Please Help - My clutch pedal is stuck to the floor
 

Damn. Well one last shot, if you haven't already, read the bleeding instructions at www.motorvate.ca and compare the procedure you used for bleeding the clutch. good luck.

Re: Re: Re: Please Help - My clutch pedal is stuck to the floor
 

When i replaced my clutch recently i bled it . wasnt sure if i was supposed to or not but at first it was doing what you said the pedal would stick to the floor and i would have to pull it back up but after bleeding it for a while it would no longer go down that far and didnt get stuck anymore.. so like poppa said try bleeding it again and like i said check the adjustment or just wait for your mechanic to check it out and let us know how it turns out

Re: Re: Re: Re: Please Help - My clutch pedal is stuck to the floor
 

Will do.;) Thanks again.

You have air in your system and your not bleeding it correctly. Read the instructions, paticularly steps 5 - 9. You have to manually PUMP the pedal to get the system started again. This takes time. The person inside the car has to depress and then LIFT the pedal up.

Depress then open the bleed valve
Close bleed valve
LIFT the pedal
REPEAT MANY MANY MANY MANY TIMES until you build up pressure.

Clutch bleeding is tricky but once you get the hang of it you should be all set. The trick is to get the system full again and then you'll see pressure build up.

Take your time and think of this process as "Priming a pump".

Good luck!


P.S. FIND THE LEAK THAT CAUSED YOU TO LOSE YOUR FLUID!!!

When the pedal fell the the floor and would not come back up in my dad's saab it was the throw out bearing. Sounds like you have a different problem though. :confused:

Found The Problem
 

My mechanic/friend was taking apart the clutch master cylinder and found that it was completely clogged up with dirt. :eek: The master cylinder was not pumping fluid out at all. He is sure that this is my problem. So, this is why whenever I was pumping the clutch and trying to release the air, nothing ever happened. I am quite relieved.:D Anyone know what this part runs? No part stores are open so I'll have to wait until tomorrow. Thank you all for your help.

Re: Please Help - My clutch pedal is stuck to the floor
 

You must have a leak. That is how the fluid level got low. Fix the leak before you bleed the system. Just look for any "wet spots" on or around the hydraulic hose.

When my fluid level got low due to a small leak, a little air entered the system. The first sign was the engagement point was lower, but the pedal did return. Then the pedal stayed on the floor.

It took me about 1 hour to bleed the system of all air. Make sure you bleed BOTH the top and bottom nipples.

Bleed Tip: (it worked for me)
While bleeding the hydraulic clutch, open the nipple, and have someone push fast and hard on the clutch. Fluid will squirt out. Close the nipple. Lift the clutch pedal and repeat 5-10 times per nipple.


ALWAYS KEEP THE FLUID LEVEL ABOVE THE MIN LINE. If it gets too low, you can start again, as you have just allowed more air to enter the system.

This is not an easy task, and it may take some time. However, keep with it and you will be successful.

Good Luck!

Did replacing the master cylinder solve your problem?
 

I have a similar problem, I cannot get my car into gear.

Re: Did replacing the master cylinder solve your problem?
 

Yes, I had my mechanic install the new master cylinder and we bled the lines. Everything works perfectly now! I'm up and running again. :D

Is your clutch stuck to the floor?

Re: Re: Did replacing the master cylinder solve your problem?
 

Stuck to the floor and the Slave cylinder (the one on the transmission is stuck in the open position and the boot is exposed, and can almost see in the transmission :goofy:



Thanks for the response

Re: Re: Re: Did replacing the master cylinder solve your problem?
 

It is probably your slave cylinder that is causing all of the problems then. Especially if it stuck. There are only a few things that will cause your clutch to stick to the floor and this is definitely one of them. Replace the slave cylinder, refill the clutch fluid reservoir with new brake fluid, bleed the clutch and you should be back to normal. Btw, the reason you can't shift into gears is because there is no hydraulic pressure built up in the clutch system to release the clutch from the floor to allow the shifter to move freely. Hope this helps! Later.:)

Re: Re: Re: Re: Did replacing the master cylinder solve your problem?
 

Thanks, I found out my throw out bearing is bad, they are replacing the slave cylinder and I am throwing a new clutch in as well. I will keep you posted.

Pat

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Did replacing the master cylinder solve your problem?
 

Yea I had my throw-out bearing go out before too. That would have been my next suggestion if my first response didn't work out. Glad you got it figured out though. So, what brand of clutch are you going with? ACT??:naughty: Good luck!

Hey TonyStert.... It was fun to re-read a post I made 16 years ago... Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
I still miss my Maxima, but the G37 helps me get by :)