Car wont go into gear.

[seth98es]

Soooo. After Fixing the last issue that I posted yesterday, which lasted about 18 hours... The car is broke again. Met up with som friends to watch Tokyo Drift(funny ricer drifting y0!) and after the movie headed home. Car ran fine on the interstate, turned off on my exit and tried to downshift into 4th. Nothing high, just a normal slowing down, downshift. And what do you know? It wont go into gear! WTF! I have a brand new clutch, less then 2000 miles. I finally get it into gear after some wrestling and keep it in 4th for a while. Car drives fine, the clutch still grabs, no sllipping. I stop at a stop light, take it out of 4th and wrestle it into 1st. No grinding, just doesnt want to go into gear. I finally get home and of course I have to parallel park into my spot. Try for reverse, grindage! So I push it back and parallel park, was actually pretty easy ha!

So, what am I looking at now? The trans looked good when I took it apart to install the LSD. SBR clutch disc, less then 2000 miles, ACT 2600 pressure plate, probably 10k on it. THe clutch pedal still feels fine, it goes in and out as normal, just wont go into gear. Could the trans have lost its fluid? I need to check a few things in the morning, but theres not a way to check the trans fluid on a manual? I am at a loss, I cant keep the car in driveable condition! I need a beater which I cant afford.

 

[Boosted98gsx]

Ouch! What kind of clutch was that?

 

[seth98es]

Yah my Act disc did that exact same thing last time, but one of my trans bolts came loose and the trans was actually not sitting flush with the block at one point. When my car did that, the clutch wouldnt grab at all and it was pretty rough when trying to move the car in gear. Also, just when starting the car in neutral, there was a lot of vibration and noise from the trans.

WIth my current problem, not any vibrations or anything when the car is on and in neutral. Going to pull the trans tomorrow night.

 

[mad_trbo]

Ouch! What kind of clutch was that?

ACT Clutch

I am trying to figure is there something that caused this that I need to be looking for.

 

[seth98es]

Ok so now my car will not start. Its been sitting for a few days and I havent gotten around to taking the trans out yet. But I turn the key over to ACC, SAFC says I have 12.1v which is normal with the car off correct? But when I try to start the car I get nothing, not even a click from the starter. Weird thing is, it does not kill the power when I try to start like a dead battery will, battery voltage just drops to 11.8 or so then goes back to 12.1v when I stop trying to start it. I jiggled the wires on the starter and felt some grease/oil on the body of the starter. Felt around some more on the bottum of the starter and looked to be grease from the CV boot. Anyway the car still will not crank over so I hope to get the car pushed into the driveway so I can take a look at things.

If the axle boot has been like this for a few months or maybe it has even slightly popped out, it wouldnt be causing the above mentioned problem would it? I wouldnt think it would have anything to do with it.

 

[mad_trbo]

Can you turn the crank by hand?

 

[mad_trbo]

Funny I just had the same thing happen to me and I am now trying to research the issue prior to heading to the dealer.

My situation was a little different, I was making some WOT rund 1s, 2nd then 3rd and logging them on the EMS. I wasn't banging the gears or anything. I then came off of the highway and got the light onto the exit road. I downshifted to second and then accelerated to 3rd. I pull into the parking lot of a grocery store for some thing to drink and I approach the stop sign engage the clutch and the car slows down and then lurches forward. The car stalls and when I try to start with clutch depressed and car in gear it lurches forward. I take it out of gear press clutch, car starts I try and put the car into gear and the gears grind.

I have been doing no tranny, clutch or other kind of work. I have an ACT 2900 / light weight flywheel that I put in the car around 5k in miles ago.

Never any issues, clutch engages the fork from the outside of the bell housing but it doesn't seem to disengage the cluthc?????????


Damn I thought this thread was going to have the answer.

Yep just got off the phone with ACT and they said if the tranny wasn't lined up properly this would cause a spring to bust out of the plate. They also explained that if the throw out bearing over extended this could cause the fingers to rub against the springs. I don't see how this can happen considering the diameter of the throw out bearing and the diameter of the springs.

They also told me the all wheel drive platforms tends to hammer on the springs a lot more than FWD, I don't know if I believe them but this is the only thing I could think would cause my issue. All the springs are actually loose in the clutch plate. I can't say it is unusual I can't say it is usual. But I am beginning to think I need to watch the clutch like I watch the timing belt even if it isn't slipping.

 

[seth98es]

Yes thats exactly what hapenned to my first ACT disc, one or two trans bolts backed out and the trans became incorrectly aligned. The clutch just fell apart as soon as I removed the pressure plate. I did re-use the pressure plate as it looked to be in ok condition, the spines were not bent or broken or anything.

I hope I get a chance to pull the trans tonight, I am very interested on the cause of my issue. I will definitely replace the axle or at least the cv boot depending on the damage already done.

Also will get the starter replaced since I have a lifetime(I think) warranty on it and it will be removed for the trans pull to begin with.

 

[seth98es]

Stupid car still wont start . Hooked some jumper cables up to it to see if the battery was the problem. The SAFC went up to 12.8v but still the same issue. It wont turn over at all, no clicks from the starter or anything. With the car off, clutch in, first gear in, I can push the car a bit so the clutch is working slightly. Idk, I really need to push it in the driveway and start working on it but I dont have my tools now so i cant work on it untill tomorrow/Sunday.

 

[blackGSX2g]

Same symptoms as me; my car would shift just fine sometimes and as soon as I shut it off I couldn't get it into gear. Pulled the tranny this morning and my clutch springs popped out too and jammed into the pressure plate. One spring was popped out and the other snapped in half.

Now I've gotta get another new flywheel, pressure plate, and another TRE tranny (with taller 5th gear this time).

 

[seth98es]

Your car wouldnt shift into gear when the car was off? I am just hesitant to pull the trans just to find out I didnt have to. I am lazy!

 

[blackGSX2g]

No, sorry...On the rare chance I could get it into gear with the car running, as soon as I shut if off and started it up again, I could no longer get it into gear. The car would shift fine with out the motor spinning.

 

[seth98es]

So, took the starter out today, took it to AZ and had them test it. They tested it and they said it works fine. Which I thought it was weird for it to die after such a short time. Put the starter back in, cleaned the power contact, starter the car, and the clutch is working fine now. Car on, clutch pedal pressed in, goes into all gears just fine and the wheels do not spin like before. Before with the car on, wheels in the air, clutch pedal pressed in, I could get into first or second, the wheels would spin, but it wouldnt let me into 3-5th very easily.

So I think there are just some air bubbles still in my clutch line. I have the 2g SBR SS Master to slave line and it was about 1-2ft too long for my Galant so I had to do some zigging and zagging to make up for the extra length. I tried to make sure it was always pointing in a downward position, but I think theres still some air bubbles in it.

Weird crap I tell you what. The only things I did to the car:
-Pushed it into my driveway
-Took off an UIC pipe
-Removed the shift linkage closest to the block
-Removed/Reinstalled the starter

And it works now. Going to have my gf help me bleed the clutch line in the morning then take it for a drive. I knew it wasnt something big, knock on wood!

Thanks guys for the help, greatly appriciated

 

[seth98es]

So its still not quite fixed. Im not sure if I have air bubbles in the line I just cant get out or what.

I drove the car two and from work today pretty much hassle free. Was only about 30 miles, but the car seemed to not want to shift out of 2nd/3rd about two times. Anyway after work, about 3 hours I decided to go get some food. I started the car just fine, went to put it into reverse and it wouldnt go. I tried going into second and it wouldnt go. Exact same thing it was doing just a few days ago.

So I thought it needed bleeded some more. I am using a speed bleeder, not sure if that it works the best or not, but using a speed bleeder, open it up a little, clamp a hose to the bleeder and run it to a bottle thats 1/4 full of fluid. I ran 1/2 bottle of Dot 3 through and tried the clutch again. It went into gear but was slightly rough, so I bled through the rest of the bottle. After that it felt pretty smooth, no snags going into any gear. I drove around for about 15 minutes at low speeds and it seemed ok. I went and got my food and on the way back, about 5 blocks from home it started shifting kind of rough. Just to be sure, I shifted into third, then into fourth, and back to third a few times and it kept getting rougher and rougher, not wanting to go into gear.

Only thing I can think of is that I killed my master cylinder. My clutch pedal was not adjusted properly for the longest time as the clutch engaged/disengaged pretty close to the firewall. But I payed no attention to it as it still drove fine. At that time the clutch pedal was adjusted back as far as it could go. Now that my clutch pedal is mounted correctly, I have the rod adjusted about 1/2 to 3/4 as far as it will adjust. I have better pedal travel, but I am still having problems.

One last thing, every once in awhile while driving, when I push in the clutch it almost feels like the master cylinder slips and I can here a small noise. Not really sure how to describe the noise as its not very loud at all.

Anybody have any suggestions or thoughts?

 

[seth98es]

Woke up early this morning, replaced the master cylinder with my old 2g OEM master(used), routed the clutch line slightly differently so it was at a better downward angle across the firewall, bleed the clutch with 3/4 bottle of fluid and its still acting up.

I was able to drive to work here in Chesapeake(about 15 miles), but its not shifting normal. When I was sitting at 7-11 getting ready to reverse, I pushed the clutch in and heard a somewhat high pitched squealing/squeaking. Kind of sounded like the TOB but I really have no clue. It goes into gear now, just sometimes kind of rough and not smooth like it used to be.

I dont think its the clutch though. Once its in gear, no matter what gear it is, it pulls perfectly fine. When my last ACT street disc fell apart, it was a pretty catastrophic event. Lots of noise, lots of shutter, and lots of slipping of the clutch when I tried to drive.

I guess it could possibly be soemthing with the trans shift forks, but I am almost positive its something hydrolic here or even the shift fork, pivot ball, or even the crappy ACT pressure plate. I shouldnt have been cheap and reused that pp.

I hope my car makes it hope, if it breaks down again I will probably be forced to rent a car untill I have the time to pick up a beater which wont be for another week or two.

I swear life hates me. At this rate, I will probably never go back to college, stuck with a car that doesnt run correctly, and working at this dead end job haha. Awww well, things will work out.

 

[blackGSX2g]

I dont think its the clutch though. Once its in gear, no matter what gear it is, it pulls perfectly fine. When my last ACT street disc fell apart, it was a pretty catastrophic event. Lots of noise, lots of shutter, and lots of slipping of the clutch when I tried to drive.

My friend just had his ACT disc fall apart a few weeks ago as well and his was a catastophic event.

Mine actually went bad a long time ago...it has been making a weird rattling noise at idle with the clutch out for probably the better part of half of a year. I wrote it off as TOB rattle and didn't worry about it. But the street disc made the same exact noise when I shook it with the one cracked spring and one missing spring. It just started to affect my shifting last week when I pulled everything off. Once it was in gear, it would hold power just fine and rev up great with no shuttering/chatter; it just wouldn't engage/disengage the transmission right.

Have you watched the clutch fork move when someone else is pushing in the clutch?

I hate to tell you this, but you might want to pull everything off before you mess up your transmission. I drove for about a week with bad shifting and when Jon took apart my tranny at TRE you could see the damage it caused. Its now getting another full rebuild.

 

[seth98es]

Yah the car is broke down at my work right now. Its back to doing the same thing not wanting to go into gear. I doubt I can drive it home so I will have to have it towed. From there the trans will be pulled for sure. I just need a beater now as its my dailey driver!

 

[seth98es]

So I got the trans out. Lets play a game called "I spy". I will go first, here is the picture:

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I spyyyyyyyyy something stuck in my pressure plate. Now you go! Haha, I seriously hate my ACT pressure plate. If you look in the "Did your ACT cluctch fail on you" thread, I posted on page 7 or 8 of the damage caused to my first ACT clutch. I re-used the pressure plate since it looked ok, WRONG! I used a Spec replacement disc and it lasted about 2,000 miles! Time to get a whole new clutch and pressure plate. GrrrrRRrrr you ACT!

The rest of the pictures, how does the pp look to you? Doesnt look bad to me?

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Almost brand new Spec clutch from SBR:

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And my ACT Streetlite flywheel that always comes out unscathed from the clutch failures:

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So which clutch company should I go with next? I am not putting the ACT 2600lb PP back in my car.

 

[blackGSX2g]

The problem is with the disc, not the pressure plate.

Since I only had one disc go out, I decided to give ACT one more chance. I ordered my disc from ExtremePSI and it looks completely different than my first one.

The disc I got had 4 HUGE yellow springs with a normal sized spring in each. The parts of metal holding the springs in were at least twice as thick as the old one. This thing looks beefy as hell. I'm not sure if they revamped their old design, or what but it's installed and working great for me so far.

 

[seth98es]

Hmm idk, I never really liked the pedal pressure of the 2600 anyway. I think I am just going to get a XTD Stage 3 eBay clutch off eBay. Did some searching here and didnt find any complaints. Im only making probably 220-250whp on a 14b.

 

[seth98es]

Got the car back together on Tuesday and its running great. Minus a small vac leak I have that I need to fix, shifts smooth. The OEM clutch is so light, I almost prefer the weight of the 2600. Also before, both with my ACT street disc, and the Spec disc, I had some chatter going in first/second gear. But now with the OEM clutch, no chatter. Is it normal for a 2600 to chatter slightly starting out in first?

 

[seth98es]

So that OEM Exedy clutch I put in is now gone, I think, maybe? Again the symptoms are the same, I couldnt get into any gear. WIth the clutch pedal out I had a nice "chatter", and with the clutch pedal pressed in, the chatter went away. I noticed the same thing when the car was working properly, even when driving in first/any gear I could hear the chatter, moreso on an engine break.

But I took the trans out and the all the springs on the disc were loose and the actuall center spine on the disc for the input shaft was loose. The clutch weave looked ok and the wear on the pp and flywheel seem normal, no hot spots.

I did notice though that I am missing the two dowel pins on the block. Could this have been causing my clutches do die? All the bolts are bolted up, used lock tite last time so none of them backed out.

I had 8k miles on this OEM Exedy clutch and it fails almost in the same fashion as the last two discs. Only other thing I could think of is that there is something wrong with my trans, like the input shaft being slightly bent or something. I bought the trans off eBay with unkown miles and unkown condition.

Any thoughts?

Pictures of the last disc and what not:

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I forgot to take pics of the pressure plates splines, I should do that tomorrow. The last pic shows the conditions I have to work in. I want a garage!

[Edit]
Forgot to add that I had the flywheel resurfaced as the last clutch had some heat spots, I can only assume that the machine shop stepped it correctly. Also if the pedal adjustment was overly adjusted, would it casue anything like this? It almost looks like the spines from the pp were hitting the center of the disc. I really dont know, but would like to find the cause!

 

[Streetsweeper21]

I did notice though that I am missing the two dowel pins on the block. Could this have been causing my clutches do die? All the bolts are bolted up, used lock tite last time so none of them backed out.

Hey watz up your thread help me last time when you had the same exact problem as me. My car would only go in gear when the car was in the air. It turn out the be the springs popped out the clutch. I blew 4 clutches after that one and I finally notice what was the problem DOWEL PINS. I have a Jdm galant vr4 tranny switchable awd or fwd. In fwd the clutch would last about 350 miles, an in awd it would last about 650 than springs would pop out. I saw an old thread stating make sure you have dowel pins in or else it wouldn't be alinged properly. If they are damaged in any way get new ones. I left the dowel pins in my old tranny and didn't nottice so I put them back in and my clutch never blew every since and I have 2k on it now and still goin strong

 

[seth98es]

Awesome. My clutches would last 6-8k miles, but thats still far below what they should last. Im going to get some dowel pins from SBR and see how that works.

 

[seth98es]

New clutch, OEM Tob, OEM dowel pins all installed. 100 miles on everything thus far, feels good. Hopefully this setup doesnt fall apart on me. I feel like a real n00b forgetting the dowel pins like that.

 

[Streetsweeper21]

New clutch, OEM Tob, OEM dowel pins all installed. 100 miles on everything thus far, feels good. Hopefully this setup doesnt fall apart on me. I feel like a real n00b forgetting the dowel pins like that.

I know how it feels when I noticed I didnt have mine either I felt the same way but my I never had any clutch problems ever since I put the dowel pins in. I can acutally buy and aftermarket clutch without worryin about anythin happenin to it.