HELP! Gearbox/clutch problem :(

**thu187** · 19-11-2005, 05:32 PM

Hey guys,

I just got my clutch changed about 6 weeks ago and filled up on gearbox oil and everything was going fine until the 2 days ago I was sitting in my car with my friend and he was going through the motions of 1st to 2nd to 3rd to 4th to 5th and he can drive manual so I assume he had the clutch all the way in while he was doing this (the car was off as well). Then all he did was almost stall the car and he did a u-turn (I was at the end of a coul de sac) and then I said bye and jumped into the driver's seat. So he drive for approximately 10 seconds.

Immediately I felt alot less resistance. Using a ruler analogy (0cm foot off the pedal, 100cm pedal all the way in): Usually when you start pushing the pedal you feel resistance straight away and then alot of resistance at the friction point (50cm).
After I got in I felt nothing from 0-70cm (almost 3 quarters of the way in). No resistance at all and then it was straight into the friction point at halfway so it was really 'light' and the gears engage straight away. His car, an AE82 seca (mine is an AE82 hatch), used to be like this and seeing as I've never had a new clutch put in before I thought perhaps this is what happens.
I drove the car home and didn't touch it until last night I was driving to my mate's party and now the gearbox was feeling a bit crunchy and difficult to put into 1st especially AND it shuddered (i mean really shook the car) when I put it into reverse and I was completely stopped.
I probably drove for 2 hours. When it was time to go home the shifter was very hard and I could not get it to go into any gears. When I turned the car off however it would engage into ANY gear fine! So with the ignition off, I put it into first and then started my car and drove around the block then began the trip from Glebe to Cabramatta to drop my friend home. It was alright once I got going but putting it into gears was difficult and whenever I came to a red light it was really hard to shove it into first. Half the time it wouldn't go in so I had to turn the car off, shove it into first and then drive again!
By the time I dropped my friend off it had degraded to the point where I just had to run reds (4am though and luckily for me nobody was on the road) and I kept it in 3rd all the time because it was so difficult to change gears. When I got to Cab, there was now no resistance until 90cm, so there was nothing and then a slight friction point at the end. I needed to go back to Glebe so I was heading home to Lidcombe en route to Glebe to use my dads car. From about fairfield onwards there was basically no resistance and it was like driving an auto except I had to try really really hard to shove the gearstick into gear. It was like something was blocking the lever but I pulled the gearstick cover off and it's fine. Also while the car is off it will go into any gear but the clutch still has no resistance.

I find it really hard to believe that screwing around with the gearstick would've let to all that but it's been fine for almost a year, never had any big problems with it.

Does anyone know what the problem could be?

Thanks in advance guys,
Thu

**Smokey228** · 19-11-2005, 08:35 PM

im taking a geuss, but could ur clutch cable have come loose? it would explain the problems... i think :?

either way, id deff take it bak to whoever dun ur clutch, explain it to them. and get them to do the once over, usually u gotta re-adjust ur clutch cable after u change it anyway...

**thu187** · 19-11-2005, 11:28 PM

Ahh ok. I've still got exams at the moment will give it a shot when they're done.

Thanks

**thu187** · 19-11-2005, 11:55 PM

The gearstick will move a few mm into the direction of gears, it actually moved a tiny bit forward while I was on a hill and had the clutch in and pushed the stick left and a few mm into first (it was basically in neutral but u can hear something). Also when I try putting it into reverse you can hear something spinning and grinding with something else.

**Yian** · 20-11-2005, 08:23 AM

Does your mate ride clutches..?

**oldcorollas** · 20-11-2005, 08:56 AM

bleed the hydraulic line first and foremost....

**Lukass** · 20-11-2005, 09:25 AM

Originally Posted by oldcorollas

bleed the hydraulic line first and foremost....

This would be a good place to start.
My money is on a rooted slave cylinder though.

**EVOSTi** · 20-11-2005, 07:41 PM

yep clutch master or slave cylinder. if its not one of those, the clutch itself is damaged, being the diaphragm is broken. but its more than likely a hyrdaulic issue.

**EldarO** · 20-11-2005, 08:19 PM

Originally Posted by thu187

Hey guys,

I just got my clutch changed about 6 weeks ago and filled up on gearbox oil and everything was going fine until the 2 days ago I was sitting in my car with my friend and he was going through the motions of 1st to 2nd to 3rd to 4th to 5th and he can drive manual so I assume he had the clutch all the way in while he was doing this (the car was off as well). Then all he did was almost stall the car and he did a u-turn (I was at the end of a coul de sac) and then I said bye and jumped into the driver's seat. So he drive for approximately 10 seconds.

so the car was off, then the car almost stalled, then he did a u turn and then you said bye and jumped on him into the drivers seat, and he drove the stalled-off car for 10 seconds.

what?!?!?!?!?

Eldar.O.

**Smokey228** · 20-11-2005, 08:34 PM

ahahahahha. exacccctly, doesnt that make perfect sense to you eldar 0??

**Dale** · 20-11-2005, 10:18 PM

Originally Posted by oldcorollas

bleed the hydraulic line first and foremost....

Ditto to stu
Chances are it's a hydraulic problem as already stated in here. Now I was going to say take it back to whoever did the clutch, but the car may be (pretty much) undriveable?

Confusing story by the way