I have an 2001 base vtech with 70k. Today I was shifting at about 6k on tach when it wouldn't engage 3rd and just reved. When I stopped at the light I had tach low at 1K(clutch in) and it engaged like normal into first. Then I tried to shift into 2nd and the clutch got hard to push about half way in and the gear wouldn't engage at 4K but would if I let clutch in and it fell to 1 or 2k. So sitting in parking lot I reved to 4K and tried to push clutch and it was hard..let it down to 2k and it engaged. Also, when I engaged clutch to glide to stop I can hear a noise thats similar to if you put your finger on a treadmill when it was slowing down (its hard to explain) but like a belt rubbing as it slows down.
Any help would be much appreciated..I'm guessing its not just fluid because I can hear that noise. I have no knowledge of clutches so I'm reaching out to you guys before my mechanic rapes me.
Just wanted to clarify that when I need to shift I have to have the tach below 3K so if I have the car in 4th at 4k I have to let the engine slow itself down to <3 before I can push clutch. Basically I have to granny shift to get going and slow with clutch in gear until I hit that 3k to clutch into neutral. thx
maybe it is your fluid. i know when i put synchromesh into my trans shifting got MUCH better and smoother and my 3rd stopped grinding. I would check mtf, and check your clutch fluid resoirvor. However, i am not very knowledgable in this matter so someone else needs to chime in.
just an update...I had my automotive buddy test drive it and he says its probably the "throwback bearing". We checked the fluids and they are fine. I knew it wasn't just fluids due to the sounds I am hearing. Another weird thing happened...After I got it home yesterday, when I was sitting in neutral with parking brake on I was unable to re-engage any gear at all. The clutch would depress like normal but they're was no way I could get the gear engaged. So I was like **** now I'm gunna need a tow to the shop. So I went back out 10 minutes later and I could get it in gear. So I drove it round the block and nothing changed but when I parked it n it would not engage again until 10 minutes later. I'm assuming it might be a heat issue based on the fact it fixes after it sits for awhile. I have a bad feeling this is gunna cost me They are def gunna have to drop the tranny if its the throwback. Any other ideas would be great.
throwback I think is actually the throw out bearing? Am I correct on this? I've just been researching and I've seen that if your clutch squeaks when your depressing this is a symptom of the throw out bearing. My clutch was doing that squeak for a few months leading up to now. So I think I've honed in on the problem being this throw out bearing. Any thoughts? I'm writing all this for future problems anyone has that is similar. Apparently the problem is caused by holding the clutch in while in neutral at a stoplight or gliding to stop in neutral which is an unnecessary action that stresses this bearing. Interesting because I sometimes do this just to keep my left leg streched for comfort. Guess I won't be doing that anymore.
I would check out your clutch master and slave cylinders. I had a similar problem recently. I just swapped my car to a 5-speed and after about an hour of driving I had a very difficult time putting the car into gear after coming to a stop. This problem went away if I let the car cool off. While driving, if I tried to do a hard 1>2 shift the clutch would slip, and would continue to do so until the car cooled off. Adjusting my clutch pedal helped with the 'not being able to get it into gear properly' problem, but did not help with the slipping clutch. I bled the system probably 10 times thinking it had air in it and it didn't help, and the fluid always came out dark brown and murky. I bought new master and slave cylinders on ebay for $55 shipped. Last night I swapped the slave cylinder and it made a world of difference. Solved all my problems. I would definitely make sure the hydraulic portion of the clutch system is working properly before removing the transmission to replace a release bearing.
My money would be the throwout bearing. That is what they are called. and if you have to replace that you might as well go all out with a new clutch and pressure plate (and dont forget about a new flywheel). You can try to resurface your old flywheel if it is not in too bad of shape. It gets pricey. Of course check the fluid first. Try bleeding your clutch fluid. Have your friend press the clutch pedal and check under the hood to make sure your fork is not damaged and is working right.
I waiting for my mechanic to get back to me today. If they do drop the tranny I am going to replace the pressure plate, clutch and flywheel cuz I plan to keep this car for a long time (I only got 70k on it and it clean and babied). I'm guessing its worth it to replace all of it so its out of mind for a long time. I'll let you know what the mechanic says so if anyone else has the same issues in the future. This seems like a semi normal issue from what I've researched. I'm suprised this would happen at only 70k...its gotta be my driving style of neutral clutch holding. Thats my best guess...we'll see whats up and how much I'm raped for....I expect a nice size bill on this one Does anyone have any idea on avg cost to drop tranny and replace clutch, fly, throwout n pressure? Just to compare with what my mechanic says.
allude2 you were right on the slave and master cylinders. My mechanic called back and said my slave was leaking. He is hoping that is the problem and its not the pressure plate etc. He's keeping it until tomorrow. Hopefully its just that!
clutch was shot...replaced master and slave cylinders, clutch, pressure plate, throwout bearing and flywheel. Even though it was clutch I decided to replace everything because I plan on keeping the Lude for many years to come. Thanks for the input! So if you ever have these same issues I hate to say it but its not an easy or cheap fix.
I assume that the clutch was slipping or not matching at the higher RPMs because at higher RPMs there needs to be more pressure to release the clutch disk from the flywheel and in my case it would only "not" engage properly at a higher RPM. However, the master and slave cylinders (that were leaking) were replaced and the car still had the same issue so hydraulic pressure (or lack of) wouldn't be the total cause of the problem. I'm guessing the clutch (diaphram) springs were bad along with the throwout bearing which all caused a chain reaction that did not allow the pressure plate to disengage from the clutch disk. This prevented the clutch from disconnecting from the flywheel or engine in turn not allowing me to engage the gear at higher rpms. Replacing the whole system (clutch, pressure plate, throwout bearing, master and slave cylinder and flywheel) was the solution because there was not just one problem in this case. It's better to replace everything at one time while the tranny is dropped. The clutch feels super smooth, easy to depress and way more responsive with quick shifts. Total cost was $1200.00 for everything including labor. I'm in no way an expert so please if you see mistakes in my theory this is my disclaimer. This is just an educated guess based on my limited knowledge. Any input to clear any misinformation is fine by me.
ha well i have 114k miles right now on what im assuming is the original clutch so im expecting to have some symptom like you did. i already noticed that when i shift, there is a slight "grind" right before it pops into gear. thanks for updating, im sure this thread will come in handy when someone will be searching....
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David
01 SSM SH
93 d15 auto del slo gone and FORGOTTENexcept for a few memories....
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They are def gunna have to drop the tranny if its the throwback. Any other ideas would be great.
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