Not sure what's going on!(Transmission)

[SliverKnight]

During Thanksgiving day my transmission system started acting funny, wasn't sure if it was the master cylinder, slave cylinder, the clutch lines, or whatever. Before that Thursday my car shifted, engaged, and disengaged fine. The problem that I have is when you step on the clutch pedal to disengage the clutch it's was really hard to get into and out of the gears. When the pedal is pressed all the way in close to the floor there seems to be a little section where it feels sticky, like the pedal is stuck at that certain position, but if you lift the pedal pass that point it moves fine. When that happens it's really hard to balance the clutch to engage it properly, because of the stickiness. So it's really hard to get into first gear without my car jumping and dying.

The first thing me and my cousin did was we flushed the hydraulic system to make sure there wasn't any air in the lines(didn't seem to help). Second we adjusted the pedal to try and give it more play(which helps out a lot on getting in and out of gears). But the problem I'm still having is that stickiness at the bottom when the pedal is pressed. It's still hard to get into first gear in terms of getting the car to move smoothly without jerking and killing the car.

Oh yeah, we also checked the fork to see how well the slave is moving it, it seems to move it fine. I'm not sure about the positioning of the fork, but it sits more towards the drivers side. Master cylinder and slave cylinder doesn't not have any leaks.

Sorry if it sounds confusing. It would be great if anyone can give me some feedbacks on what it could be, what else to look for when diagnosing a problem like this or has had similar problems. Thanks.

 

[Guzman08]

sounds like you may need to replace that master. or maybe just replace both since they tend to go out at the same time.

 

[SliverKnight]

Thanks for the reply Guzman08. I was thinking it could be the master too but there's no leaks and both the master and slave are pretty new, about a year old only. So could it be?

 

[skippyman87]

it depends where you got your parts from, I had 2 slaves go out from advanced, I learned my lesson and saved myself the time with oem. it does sound like a fluid pressure problem though.

 

[SliverKnight]

Thanks Skippyman87. The master cylinder was ordered from Carquest. I'm guessing since it doesn't leak it's probably something with the internals? Yeah, I hope it's a fluid hydraulic problem.

I'm probably going to get flamed for this but earlier today I ordered a Autozone master clyinder, my order is getting here either tomorrow or Wednesday. I'm trying that out first which I hope it's the master cylinder like you guys said. I'm on a budget right now so Autozone is all I can afford as of the moment to test my problem, but if it works I'll be replacing it later down the line with a OEM master.

I'll keep this post updated for those who have similar problems and that needs to find a solution like myself.

 

[skippyman87]

if all you can afford now is an autozone one then no one on here should flame you unless they want to buy an oem one for you imo. Make sure you bleed the crap out of those lines. I got a hand pump brake bleeder from autozone for 25 I believe a while back. It takes time but its really the only way to make sure you get all the bubbles out without pumping the pedal up and then releasing fluid. Good luck! Let us know how it goes.

 

[SliverKnight]

Skippyman87: right? haha.

Update: Well tonight I installed the new clutch master cylinder(bleed it like 10 times and got the air pockets out from the install), it seems to hold the pressure better, the pedal stroke seems smoother as well and the car doesn't jump as harsh while balancing it with the gas pedal. Although it still sticks a little at the bottom which makes it a little tricky to balance and even with the pedal adjustment higher than what I normally have it set at it still disengages close to the bottom as well. Tomorrow I will adjust the pedal adjustment a little higher to see how well that works.

I also ran that little test where you engage it into first gear and rev the engine up slowly to see if the car rolls. Well, it rolled while bouncing off my two step set at 4500rpm. I'll try it again tomorrow with the higher adjustment.

I went to adjust the pedal adjustment higher this afternoon, turned on the engine, stepped on the clutch and wtf? The pedal is soft as hell and it get's stuck on the bottom now. My FPR started leaking really bad, so I had to fix that also. I went underneath to check the bleeder valve on the slave, it is tight as can be. Checked all the lines from the master, no leaks that I can see. I don't know if it's the slave that's not functioning properly or the master itself or a leak some where. I didn't have this problem before though. I'm just waiting for my cousin to get back so we can bleed it again. We'll see what happens from there.

Any suggestions? This sucks big time.

 

[SliverKnight]

Update:

New MC and Slave still not holding pressure. I can't seem to find any leaks, the fluid doesn't go down in the reservoir on the MC. So, I switched the old MC back, same symptoms. Now after a day of letting my MC sit, my peddle just sits on the floor. This is very frustrating .

Is there a way to test for leaks in the lines?

 

[skippyman87]

No way to test for leaks in the line. I know how frustrating and rediculous it is, sorry youre having problems with it. The only thing that helped me with literally the same problems as you was the power bleeder. There is going to be alot of air in there with both the slave and master being taken off a couple times. Do you still have the stock clutch line with the reservoir and everything on it?

 

[SliverKnight]

Yeah Skippy, I still have the stock lines. I'm guessing what you mean is, there's a leakage somewhere in those connecting points or is that I just need a bleeding tool besides my cousin to get rid of accumulated air sacs in the hydraulic system? What components did you have to replace to eliminate your problem Skippy?

 

[96 420a-t]

It sounds for sure like u have trapped air. When bleading your clutch do not pump the pedal. Also make sure the pedal movement is slow. To gain a head start gravity bleed first. Then bleed with the pedal. If that doesn't work fill a water bottle half full of brake fluid loosen the bleeder and just slowly pump the pedal.

Stupid question you are using dot3 brake fluid ya?

 

[SliverKnight]

Thanks 420a-t for the advice. My cousin did pump it a little fast come to think of it. Either way I have to re-bleed my line, I'll take your advice into consideration. No, I'm not using DOT3. I had DOT3 in there before, now I'm using some other clutch fluid and it seems a bit thin, I might switch back to DOT3. The clutch fluid that I have in there worked great for both my cousin's DSMs. I don't think the fluid should impact the hydraulic system that much? Thanks.

 

[tEi Vp DsM]

just had this same problem.i changed the master,slave,lines,all for nothing...didnt find it til it was too late,my pressure plate failed and wound up breaking 7 teeth,was an act plate.i would recommend checking the entire clutch and release bearing(make sure its not sticking)....good luck

 

[96 420a-t]

Remember. DO NOT pump when bleeding your cluth. Once down slow. Bleed. Release slow. Check fluid. If you pump you will airate your fluid and make no progress.

 

[SmoochDarling]

Is your clutch fork the original stocker? Is your clutch upgraded?

I had an original fork, newly upgraded clutch and after about 15,000km, I began having trouble shifting, it seemed the clutch was not disengaging fully. Then one day it stopped working at all. I checked all my lines, and the fork seemed to be moving fully. I figured I snapped the clutch fork, sure enough I remove the tranny to find the old clutch fork had broken in two.

Just an idea.

 

[SliverKnight]

420a-t: When the bleeder is open we didn't pump the pedal. We pumped it a few times, held the pedal down then bleed it. But my cousin pumped it kinda fast, might have to slow it down like you mentioned. Thanks for the reminder though!

VP_DSM: I really hope that's not the case with me! If nothing works, I'll have an idea what it is. Thanks for the heads up! Oh yes, it's impossible for me to check those internal components because I don't have a "real" garage(underground apartment garage) to work in and this is my daily car.

SmoochDarling: Yes, I believe it's the original stock fork. I do have an upgraded clutch system, ACT2600 supposedly, feels more like a 2100 though(Sorry I didn't built this car from ground up). I'm not quite sure about the flywheel. I will take that into consideration Smooch. Also, when you had the problem with the fork, did you feel any pressure difference in the pedal?

 

[skippyman87]

I replaced the line from where it bolts up at the bracket next to the transmission to get a more direct pedal feel without the reservoir, replaced mc and slave at the same time. I dont think you have a leak somehere in the system I think there is air stuck in there from so much being taken off and on in your hydraulic system. You could keep bleeding it slow like these guys said. Also I reccomend these types of bleeders they can be found online or at your local parts store.

http://mityvac.com/

Phoenix Systems

 

[SliverKnight]

Update:

Thanks for every ones help! I ordered the SS clutch line that runs from the MS to Slave and that took care of most my problems. Although it still grabs close to the bottom even with the MS rod adjusted almost all the way up, but it's really not a big deal for me right now. Clutch grabs like a dream, no more sticky pedal or rough disengagement/engagement.

I also notice a bell housing bolt which connects to the block close to the oil pan that was missing, it caused about an inch of play and some times rough clutch engagements. I installed a bolt, now the engagement is as smooth as it should be!

Problem: Must of been defected clutch line or slave, not exactly sure where.

Parts changed in the process: New Slave and SS clutch line(from MS to Slave)

I switch the new MS from AutoZone back to my old MS(which I thought was the problem) - could still be the reason why it's disengaging/engaging low. But my problem is pretty much solved for the moment.