The Top DSM Community on the Web

For 1990-1999 Mitsubishi Eclipse, Eagle Talon, Plymouth Laser, and Galant VR-4 Owners. Log in to remove most ads.

Please Support Kiggly Racing
Please Support ExtremePSI

Rock hard clutch pedal

This site may earn a commission from merchant
affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

dsmconvict

15+ Year Contributor
249
0
Jun 9, 2006
horsham, Pennsylvania
One of my buddies recently purchased an 89 colt w/4g63 swap. The previous owner said it needs a new clutch, and the pedal is rock hard. Is this infact the clutch assembly? I don't wanna put this new clutch in and it be something else. I was told maybe a pinched line or clutch fork too. Just wanna get this beast up and running. If your interested in the setup let me know and I'll gladly post it up.
 
Where is the pedal position?

Get underneath the car and see if the clutch fork moves.

Bleed the clutch if possible.

Trace the line for any kinks or pinches.


Post back with your findings.
 
It you can't figure it out, the tranny will have to be dropped to get a better look. It could be something like a broken spring from the pressure plate causing the pedal to bind.
 
I had my clutch pedal do just that when I started losing springs in my stock PP. I'd say it's a fairly good that it's the the clutch itself if you can't find anything wrong with it on the outside.
 
Im not 100% sure but if that car has an adjustable master cylinder rod like the 2g it might not be adjusted right. When the adjustable rod is out to far on the master cylinder it causes a problem with the fluid returning to the reservoir. The fluid goes down to the slave cylinder when you depress the clutch but because the Master is overextended when you let off the clutch. The fluid does not have anywhere to go! That causes the extra fluid (FROM DEPRESSING THE CLUTCH) to stay in the line and exert pressure on the throwout bearing. After a while of driving like that, the clutch pedal will seem to release higher and higher until it slips. :(
 
One of my buddies recently purchased an 89 colt w/4g63 swap. The previous owner said it needs a new clutch, and the pedal is rock hard. Is this infact the clutch assembly? I don't wanna put this new clutch in and it be something else. I was told maybe a pinched line or clutch fork too. Just wanna get this beast up and running. If your interested in the setup let me know and I'll gladly post it up.

Crack open the bleeder valve at the slave cylinder and see if you can press in the clutch pedal just as you would if you were bleeding the system. If you can press in the pedal, your pedal should be fine and the problem lies elsewhere.

You can verify if the slave is operating by making sure the bleeder is fully closed before unbolting the slave cylinder from the transmission. Next, gently apply pressure to the clutch pedal. The slave will extend as the pedal is pressed.

If these all check out ok, your problem is in the release fork, pivot ball, throwout bearing, pressure plate, clutch disk, transmission, etc.

This may or may not apply to the Colt, but look for Jack's video on the proper setup of the clutch system. You may have a misadjusted master cylinder rod which is causing clutch "pump up" or excess pressure to build up in the line.
 
I'm with njdaewoo on this. There is a release valve in the master cylinder. When a properly adjusted clutch pedal is released, a stopper is hit as you let off the pedal, and this stopper opens the release valve within the master cylinder. This relieves excess pressure in the clutch lines by opening a path to send fluid back to the reservoir. If the push rod between the pedal and master cylinder is adjusted too long, the stopper is never hit, and the release valve is never opened. One result is "pump-up". Eventually, the clutch is fully disengaged even with the pedal all the way up. A week or two ago, someone posted a link to a great article describing this release valve. I'll try to dig it up and post it.

You should be able to shorten the pushrod (under the dash) and see if that's the problem. A lot less hassle than dropping the tranny if that's what's actually wrong.

Although I've got the wiseman badge, I'm no clutch expert, so don't run off thinking this has to be it just because a wiseman said so. :)

EDIT: Here's the link to that article:
http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/drivetrain-tech/366222-totally-understanding-our-clutch-system.html

EDIT2: And here's a great video describing the 2G hydraulic clutch and how to adjust the pushrod so that release valve is releasing properly.
http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/new...ch-goes-floor-wont-go-gear.html#post151955635
 
I posted the article about "Totally understanding our clutch system" Its a great read. I stumbled across this article on another website and hopefully it can be made a sticky.
 
Support Vendors who Support the DSM Community
Boosted Fabrication ECM Tuning ExtremePSI Fuel Injector Clinic Innovation Products Jacks Transmissions JNZ Tuning Kiggly Racing Morrison Fabrications MyMitsubishiStore.com RixRacing RockAuto RTM Racing STM Tuned

Latest posts

Build Thread Updates

Vendor Updates

Latest Classifieds

Back
Top