NEWBIE: powertrain help please

[4thsydecustoms]

hey all... now i realise some of these questions may be simple answers, but i dont know alot about motors.... now i am very mechanically inclined, and can probably fix most of the issues, with a little bit of advice.... so heres the background

CAR: 1991 eagle talon non turbo fwd
TRANS: 5spd swap, used to be automatic
COND'T: fair.. mild rust, powertrain issues
ODO: 163000km
COST: $400

now here s the good....
- very little rust, fenders were rusted but replacements were given with purchase
- interior in very good condition... little bit of peeling on the panel that covers the dash under the steering wheel, thats it
- brand new tires, havend even been driven on
- brand new clutch
- all wipers work
- all glass is perfect
- new headgasket
- new timing belt
- new v/c gasket
- 185ps on all four

as for the bads...
- clutch wont disengage
- PS belt missing ( i can figure this one out on my own)
- a/c belt missing (same as above)
- engine wont idle (seems like it may be a vacuum leak)
- little bit of rust on the back fender wells at the front (nothing a little sandblasting cant fix)
- hatch shocks are dead ( pretty simple to answer that one )
- 1 headlamp is siezed
- 1 rear caliper siezed and broken mouning bolts inside

so here are my issues that i cant figure out....

idle.... i think its a vacuum leak as i can hear the hiss... also on the throttle body there is a vacuum nipple that looks like somethin should be on it, but i dont know where it goes ( it is the nipple closest to the front of the car out of the 3)

clutch... i have heard a million different things it could be. keep in mind that the previous owner blew the auto tranny, then did a 5spd swap, he said that he never 100% completed the swap and it may need several things clutch bleed (which i did, assuming its just like bleeding brakes....) and adjustment of the slave rod (where is it?) what other issues might it be? i have heard some things about pedal assemblies, but i would assume if it was just put in then that wasnt the issue..... the pedal is limp till about 3/4 of the way in, then it has some pressure to it.... on the front of the transmision the clutch rod only moves 1/4 to 1/2 of an inch (not sure how far its supposed to move)


otherwise i think i have everything else under control.. the rust on the back will be removed, and the car repainted( not sure what color yet) all the dings, and such will be repaired at the same time too

lots of rusted screws broke in the disassembly phase so those will have to be drilled out and re-tapped

any minor rust on the body will be repaired with eastwoods rust converter, and encapsulator (awesome products)

larger rust will be sandblasted, and diagnosed for proper repair afterwords....

there is no underhood rust other than on a few components....

one of the rear calipers broke off, and the line was rusted, so ill need a new rear passenger line, and caliper (seems simple enough)

i also run a small specialty coatings shop, so most of the suspension parts will be stripped, and powdercoated in the whole process

i will keep pics posted for the progress....

thanks in advance for all of the help.

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[eclipse4life]

did the problem with the clutch just start happening or was it like that with the previous owner after the at/mt swap.

 

[4thsydecustoms]

he said he never finished (adjusting it) after the swap...
he never drove it after the swap, because he found a tsi

 

[GSX93DSM]

Check your hydrolic system for leaks or air for your clutch. Also what year shift cables did you use. Spray the throttlr body with soapy water to find your leak. Good chance coming from the biss screw.

 

[procircuit1250]

I just got done fixing this problem (clutch disengagement) on my TSi yesterday. Now since you have the 4G63 and I have 4G63T it should be the same. Crawl underneath your dash (it helps to remove the lower dash piece right above your knees as you drive) crawl under there - its a tight fit - and push the clutch pedal in. The best way I found was to put your head on the gas pedal and push it to the ground. This puts your head in the best spot to see it. What you are looking for is a rod going through a black circular piece of rubber going through the firewall. On one end there will be a small amount of threading and a lock nut that is tight against a small bracket shaped kinda like a C. The rod goes through the nut and through the metal of the C clip. There should be some threading left coming through on the inside of the bracket. You have to latch onto the rod with vise grips - not on the threads of course - and an open end wrench on the lock nut and break the nut loose. Try to position the tools so you squeeze them together like the handles of a scissor to break the nut loose, so you dont put too much twist on everything. Once the nut is loose, grab onto the rod with pliers - you might be able to twist it with your fingers - and turn it so the rod goes toward the front of the car. Crank it only a turn to a turn and a half at the most at first, because it doesnt take much adjustment to make a big difference. Then when you've got it turned some tighten the lock nut back up, not crazy tight because you will most likely have to adjust it a little more, and It will be fixed. If there is still more than an inch or two of play at the top of your pedal travel, go back under there and turn the rod a little more towards the front of the car. If your pedal feels tight as soon as you rest your foot on it, you have to turn the rod towards the rear of the car. Hopefully you can disregard the rest, but..

If you dont have any threads left on the inside of the clip when you first get a look at it, you have to take the whole clip out by taking off the cotter pin that is through a little dowel the C clip hooks to and unscrewing the C clip from the master cylinder adjustment rod. Take the lock nut with you and find a bolt that screws into the lock nut. This is where it gets a little tricky. Find two 1/4" nuts that fit onto the bolt you found. Thread the original nut and the two other ones onto the bolt, not too far towards the head of the bolt, and get them tight but not so tight to where you cant turn them all as one piece. They have to be able to all rotate on that bolt together, because you have to tack weld them together so they act as an adjustable link. So now you take your three nuts welded together and weld them onto the side of the C clip with the hole in it that faces the firewall, where the rod was going through in the first place. Make sure its as centered as possible on the hole. Use the bolt as a guide. Weld the three nuts onto the C clip, and do the same adjustment as above. At first you will probably have WAY too much disengagement because 1/2" makes a lot of difference on that little rod. But keep playing with it and you will get it right. You want your clutch to start engaging about 1/3 of its full travel away from the floor. Then make sure you have a little bit of play at the top of your pedal travel. I hope this fixes your problem.

 

[4thsydecustoms]

sounds interesting... ive aquired another one for parts that has no clutch issues... so i may move my good parts over there, but if not... ill try that out.....