really need help, weird shifting problems!

[cardot33]

My 90 AWD has been pissing me off nonstop ever since I got it a few months ago. 1st and 2nd grind like crazy, but I can put them in gear with the car off and I won't have any grinding... but now I have another problem. I can't get into any gears with the car running. with the car off everything moves just fine, but the only gears that grind are 1st and 2nd. the other gears the shifter won't move there. I've done a lot of work trying to fix the grinding and shifting problems, but I haven't had any success. I've replaced the clutch, clutch fork, throw out bearing, master cylinder, shift cables (skateboard bearing mod). I've adjusted the clutch and shift linkage. please help me out here. I can't afford to keep replacing and fixing everything on a car I can't use.

 

[lpfootball1341]

when you replaced you clutch did you take you fly wheel and have it machined? I had the same problem with the clutch engaging and disengaging and i went through it all and it turned out to be my fly, skipped me and my buddies minds. Hopefully you still have your tranny pulled and you can just unbolt that flywheel and have it machined to spec's, it shouldnt cost you more than $40 dollars from the machine shop, also you can go to mitsubishi and they will tell you the speculations on the fly.
Hope this helps you out dude.
98 GST spyder *built*

 

[velocitysport31]

what kind of clutch do you have, that happened to me right after i installed a new cluch, the springs came out of the disk.

 

[falcon8r]

Two things come to mind. The clutch is not adjusted properly somehow. The second is that I think your clutch spit out a spring. It sits in the disc hub. You post was not too clear on the grar issues. I think you have 2 ?? Tres...

 

[cardot33]

Yea I got the flywheel machined, but everything is back together so tearing my trans off again is really something I don't want to do unless absolutely nessesary. if my original post isn't very clear it's because this problem isn't very easy to explain. I can't get into first but it grinds really bad, 2nd grinds but I can get it engaged. The other gears it's like they've locked me out of them while the car is running. when the car is off the shifting moves fine. I've heard of a lot of springs popping out on new clutches and I installed a RAM clutch hoping that wouldn't happen, but maybe it did. The clutch pedal has a weird feel to it right now, pretty stiff, and has a disengagement that's very sudden, not gradual like a clutch should feel.

 

[GRAVEDIGGER]

It sounds to me like you either don't have the clutch adjusted properly or you don't have it bled all the way and just have air in the line not allowing it to release completely. If you are able to shift with the car not running, but cannot with it running, it is a definite problem with the clutch not fully releasing when you push in the pedal.

 

[cardot33]

so when you say clutch adjustment, you're referring to the hydroulic system of the clutch right? I've adjusted it and it's like it just doesn't seem to help. I backed off the switch at the top of the pedal travel and readjusted the clutch to try and get more travel, but the problems remain. unless there's some other adjustment I'm unaware of, but I've put in a few clutches before and those have always worked great so I wouldn't think I'm missing anything.

 

[91talon27]

There is a rod with a nut that connects to the clutch pedal under the dash. It is a pain in the a$$ to get to. Loosen that nut and you adjust the rod into or out of the master cylinder. On my awd I had to adjust mine all the way out until I only had a few threads holding before it was correct. I would also bleed the hydraulic system again as you could still have air in it. It took a while for me to get mine bled to after a clutch install.

 

[ivan98gst]

HI GUYS, the same thing just happened to me 3 days ago on my 98 gst 6 bolt, 5 k on the act 2600 clutch and fly wheel, just now i changed the slave cylinder, adjusted the rod under the dash to no thread showing. still very hard to get it in gear when the car is on. but when its off slides in like butter to all gears. oh yea master cylinder is not leaking. please help guys i really appreciate it

 

[cardot33]

trust me guys, I'm VERY familiar with the clutch hydraulic system adjustment. I've read those threads all before and trust me, I don't want this to turn into one. how do people get a hose on the bleeder valve though? for me it's impossible, I just don't seem to have the room to put a wrench on the bolt so I use a socket and skip the wrench and line. what angle can you attack that thing to get a wrench on it and keep the rubber line on the bleeder valve? tell me how I can do it right and I'll try it.

Alright, looks like I won't be getting any more replies instead of being bombarded with the same old information I've already read about. I'll post what I find out, just in case anyone needs to know for their own car.

 

[oneal557]

i have kinda the same problem with my car.. something you could check is your slave cylinder push rod... it could be too short.. some aftermarket clutches ive heard need longer ones.. they sell them or u can make em..... with my car i just kinda rigged it with a long push rod.. i need to mess with my master cylinder rod.. havent done that yet .

 

[my dreamt dsm]

Could it be bad syncros? When my other car did it I just replaced the whole tranny. And guess what that fixed the problem. If it is hard to get into 2nd gear try shifting at 6k rpms, ! But of course civics are easier to fix then dsm.

 

[cardot33]

I would doubt the syncros because if you put it in 1st and start the car (no clutch required to put it in gear that way) you can take off and drive fine, with no grinding, untill you, say, try shifting into 2nd.

the longer pushrod thing is going to be a kind of last resort thing, but it's getting down to the wire and I'm going to need a breakthrough soon.

 

[ivan98gst]

ok,.. previously i said i was goimg through the same thing, i figuered out what was the problem, maybe its the same thing for you.
the bolt that houlds the tranny to the engine by the slave cylinder was striped so it was not holding the trans to the engine tight.
my buddy was pressing the cluch and i was looking under the car and thetrans wascoming apart from the engine about a 1/4 inch.
i ran another longer bolt that came through the other side and put a lugnut to thighten it.
maybe its that good luck.

 

[cardot33]

your fix is familiar, I too had that bolt missing but I replaced it. I've been having a LOT of trouble lately getting my starter to engage. Ever since I took the trans out it's been just free spinning most of the time, I might have it fixed though, I did get it working enough to start the car today. messed with the hydraulic system today, but didn't get to try it out. maybe tomorrow...

 

[waltz]

just buy a new tranny

 

[miniturbo23]

how did problem even start?? after you put in the new clutch I'm guessing? was it working right before or has it been like this since you got it?

 

[cardot33]

the problem has been around the entire time I've owned the car.

 

[oneal557]

it could be your clutch pedal assembly.. they wear out often.... and thats whats really wrong with mine... sheppard racing has one for 120 with a core...

 

[cardot33]

I've taken off the transmission and found my TOB eaten up pretty badly. comparing the new clutch disk to my other stock clutch disk that I took out, I've found the center disc containing the springs is way too thick to allow the clutch do disengage without hitting the throw out bearing. I'll call up RAM and see what they've got to say, because I've checked the flywheel step and swapped pressure plates trying to get enough clearance for the throw out bearing. this is what I've found.

 

[MOTOR-RX]

Im having same problem on my car, but i noticed 2 bolts for the tranny are completely missing. The cast tabs on the block are broken. Im not exactly sure what to do. but i tihnk that is the problem

One bolt on each side of motor allowing motor to be pushed out by slave

Also when my pedal is to the floor while in gear the clutch wont disengage.

 

[cardot33]

that's kind of a difficult problem. the best thing to do would be welding on new tabs or something like that so the tranny can bolt to something solid. maybe make a bracket that has a nut for the bolt to go through and that nut welded to a piece of metal that can be bolted to the block somewhere.

 

[TheAButton]

it could be your clutch pedal assembly.. they wear out often.... and thats whats really wrong with mine... sheppard racing has one for 120 with a core...

Not to be thread jacking but this should be easy to answer, how could I tell if my clutch peddle assembly is bad then? ### I've adjusted my transmission and master cylinder in every way i know how too, but it still grinds a little bit into third and second some times (it could be a syncro problem)

 

[cardot33]

if you can't find any leaks in the hydraulic system (look under the boots at both cylinders) first, then I would look at the pedal assembly. the only really good way to check it is to take it out and look for any worn parts. there's one part in particular that wears out and causes slop in the clutch pedal.

 

[cardot33]

I'm getting my transmission rebuilt by a place called Shift Rite Transmissions out of Kankakee, IL. Shift Rite Transmisssions
I'll keep the thread updated with info as it develops. Currently thinking about an ACT 4 puck unsprung disk with a heavy duty pressure plate.