Crazy Clutch Problem!?!

[mnetwork]

I was just driving the car before when I did a hard 2nd gear pull and tried to shift into 3rd. It wouldn't go into third at first, and then it went in. After it went in, it slipped for a sec and then grabbed. I stopped right after this. After I pulled over. I realized the clutch just got very soft and the engagment point moved up to the top. This is an ACT 2600. I've only had it since sometime in April and I haven't even been driving the car that much. Any ideas on what this could be?

 

[xtreme-elements]

Slave Cyl Prob Went...

 

[turbolover10]

Kinda sound like the pressure plate but I would definitely check for leaks by the master cylinder and check the slave cylinder before assuming anything.

 

[Boosted_Curse2]

I'm with turbo lover, definatly sounds like a pressure plate problem.

something else to check
did it ever go back to normal ir is it still soft and spony feeling? if it returned to normal. replace the ruber par of the line with a steel braided cltuch line. rubber gets old and streches out under repeated pressure. ive seen this happen on other cars before

 

[mnetwork]

I have a braided line already. I didn't hear any crazy noise as if the teeth on the pressure plate broke though...

The clutch is still the same right now...

I just did some checking and here is what I saw...

No fluid on the master and slave cylinder rods, I've had a very slow leak for a while at the part where the hard line connects to the master cylinder. I cleaned everything off and when I pump the pedal a lot I see a little fluid start to form at the screw on the line. I also can hear an air-like noise when I pump the pedal with the hood and door open...

 

[PieEyedPiper]

Then what are you waiting for? Fix your leak and bleed the system.
Let us know how it goes.

 

[mnetwork]

Then what are you waiting for? Fix your leak and bleed the system.
Let us know how it goes.

The thing is the leak has been there for a while. Do you think it may have sucked in air and did this? I was talking to a friend about this and he said it didn't make sense because a leak would cause the engagment point to move down not up.

 

[bluegs03]

no if you have air in your lines your clutch petal will fall on the floor and you will have no pedal pressure at all, i mean it will literally be able to be pushed down with your pinky. Fix the leak and put in new fluid, if the problem persists then you have a compounded problem. The first problem you need to fix is this leak though. so fix that and if its still doing it post back and we can offer more solutions

 

[PieEyedPiper]

The thing is the leak has been there for a while. Do you think it may have sucked in air and did this? I was talking to a friend about this and he said it didn't make sense because a leak would cause the engagment point to move down not up.

The leak being there for a long time won't have any impact on whether or not it is a problem or not. It is.
Any leak in the hydraulic system will let in air. Bottom Line - If fluid is coming out, air is going in.

no if you have air in your lines your clutch petal will fall on the floor and you will have no pedal pressure at all, i mean it will literally be able to be pushed down with your pinky. Fix the leak and put in new fluid, if the problem persists then you have a compounded problem. The first problem you need to fix is this leak though. so fix that and if its still doing it post back and we can offer more solutions

I'm not sure if entirely I agree with that. Air in the lines will not automatically make the pedal fall to the floor or make it so easy to push down that you could do so with your pinky. It's not even possible if you disconnect the hydraulic system from the pedal assembly. However, maybe if there was tonnes of air and next to no fluid in the system the pedal would be light and it would not return to the start position after being depressed.

Air in the lines causes a number of symptoms, including a "floating" engagement point which could be higher or lower, depending on the conditions. Other likely symptoms would be spongy or a stiff pedal feel, sometimes even soft.

But it doesn't really matter what the symptoms are for air in the lines, or if the leak is the cause for all of this. For all we know, your pp is messed up, your slave is blown and your master's main seal is split. It doesn't matter "IF" your symptoms are from a leaking hydraulic system because we know that money doesn't grow on trees, we know there's a leak in the system and we know new pressure plates cost money. So you're going to start by fixing the leak, bleeding the system and inspecting the hydraulic components for wear, right?

 

[mnetwork]

I tightened up the fitting and bled the system. The clutch feels exactly the same... Any other ideas besides pressure plate?

 

[PieEyedPiper]

Unfortunately, there is not a lot left.
You have:
Pedal assembly
Master Cylinder
Clutch line
Slave Cylinder
and of course a proper clutch bleeding. Thats everything before the tranny has to come out.

You could crawl under your car (probably jack it up) and check the clutch fork for excessive play, but if you find bad news you still have to pull the transmission.

 

[mnetwork]

I talked to more people about it and they don't think it is the pressure plate considering I am not/did not hear any noise from the tranny. Is there a way to tell the difference between a bad slave and a bad master cylinder besides looking for leaks?

 

[theSicKness]

how exactly did you bleed your system.. sounds to me there is still air there... and if not everything that could be wrong has been mentioned above. If the master cylinder is leaking id check for a leak either inside the car (check the carpet) or on the fire wall.. Slave cylinder is pretty self explanatory. check the clutch pedal for adjustment. If all is good then you know the problem lays with in the clutch its self.

 

[mnetwork]

This is exactly how I bled the clutch...

1.) Had my friend pump the clutch twice and hold it to the floor.
2.) I opened the bleeder valve with a vacuum tube attached and going into a bottle already filled partially with clean DOT3 brake fluid.
3.) After I stopped seeing fluid move around I closed the valve
4.) I had my friend pull up on the clutch pedal, check/top off clutch reservoir, and go back to step 1.

I did this until I stopped seeing dirty fluid/air come out.

I've already checked the rods for the master and slave cylinder. They weren't leaking, but I've been told they can have issues at times without seeing anything on the rods.

 

[mnetwork]

It wound up being the pressure plate... It was the part that holds the fingers that broke...