Clutch so hard that I can't get into 1st!

[Wufei]

Today I drove around town a bit, and the clutch pedal got so hard that I could not put the car in first gear and could barely/rarely put it into 2nd at a stop. It was like 1 in 10 tries that worked. After I got going, I could barely disengage the clutch and flywheel and shift into upper gears.

Would air in clutch lines cause this? The prev. owner had SS clutch lines installed and took out the accumulator. A Mitsu. mechanic said to check for any leaks? Also, a while ago my dad noticed a pile of clear liquid on the garage floor, could that be clutch fluid? Later he noticed a pile of black fluid near there (think that's engine oil though).

 

[Boosted98gsx]

Today I drove around town a bit, and the clutch pedal got so hard that I could not put the car in first gear and could barely/rarely put it into 2nd at a stop. It was like 1 in 10 tries that worked. After I got going, I could barely disengage the clutch and flywheel and shift into upper gears.

Would air in clutch lines cause this? The prev. owner had SS clutch lines installed and took out the accumulator. A Mitsu. mechanic said to check for any leaks? Also, a while ago my dad noticed a pile of clear liquid on the garage floor, could that be clutch fluid? Later he noticed a pile of black fluid near there (think that's engine oil though).

Probably a leaky slave cyl. go under your car, pull back the boot of the slave, and feel for liquid. If there is any, time to replace it.

 

[twitch1447]

Also check the level of your master cylinder to make sure it is not empty....no fluid would cause it to be hard to get in gear.

 

[Old Mitsu Tech]

Leaking slave cylinders aren't all that uncommon. The hard clutch and clear fluid on the floor pretty much sums it up. Slaves are fairly easy to change. Just make sure you bleed it thoroughly and when bleeding be careful that you keep an eye on the master cylinder so as not to run it out of fluid.

Good Luck

 

[ISUJakey]

Slaves are fairly easy to change.

Definitely. My clutch pedal would not come up off the floor on my 1G and after looking things over, everything was dry except for the slave cylinder- soaked in fluid. It took me about 2 hours change the cylinder, install a SS clutch line, and bleed the system.

 

[Wufei]

Flushed & bled the system. At first it was pretty soft, then went hard for a bit then went soft again. I'm suspecting the slave cylinder now too.

When I was bleeding/flushing, there would be fluid all over the slave cylinder (bleeder valve was loose but had vacuum hose connected). A symptom?

Thanks, gonna check the slave in a few.

 

[Wufei]

Rebuilt the slave with the Brakeware kit from AutoZone. Is it supposed to make grinding/screeching noises while pumping?

Took it out for a spin...DAMMIT, it's still doing the same thing. At first (car was cold), the clutch was pretty soft. Then after about 3-5 min, as I was going back home, it got hard again, and after pumping a few times it was a little softer.

Unless the rebuild kit's bad, I'm lost.

 

[Wufei]

Took it to Family Mitsu and had them check it out. The mechanic said that I need a new pressure plate and clutch fork, and I might as well get a new clutch.

Or could it be the 2g pedal "pump up"?

If you are fighting an inconsistent pedal adjustment in a 2G, adjust the upper pedal stop adjuster so that you gain additional free play at the top of the pedal travel. If this is your problem, you will notice that the pedal suddenly gets very tight and the release point will suddenly move up a lot, this is the cause.
2g-clutcumastercyl-guts.jpg (68998 bytes)

2Gs need free play at the top of the pedal travel. If it is close to no travel and right on the edge, then it pumps up. Only 2Gs have a relief valve in the master cylinder that needs to be uncovered so fluid can go back into the reservoir on the clutch release. If not, it gets tighter and tighter and tighter. Then it may slowly relieve the pressure and it is back to normal. Just a 2G thing. You need more free play at the top of the pedal travel.
Left unchecked, the pedal will pump up more and more. The clutch will begin to slip since it is as if you are driving around with your foot on the clutch pedal. Also it plays hell on the crankshaft thrust bearings. The constant pressure pushes the clutch release bearing onto the clutch and flywheel. When centrifugal force throws the clutch release fingers outwards, they make additional pressure on the thrust bearings of the crank. This is an additional factor in short lived crankshaft release bearings and an additional potential cause for crankwalk.

Thanks!