needs this car working

[Tophu530]

hey so ive been using my 72' Z for around half a year or so. everything was working pretty well, but then one of the cylinders stopped working and then I was lucky enough to have the car stop from going into gear. Luckily my dad was able to somehow get my car home in 1st gear. so basically my car is sitting in my driveway and I really need it fixed cause i cant keep using my parents cars and the school year is about to begin in a week. so if anyone could help with the car not going into gear it would be cool.

[Shade133]

not going into gear? i think you'll need to explain better. is it not going into gear because the clutch system gave out and the clutch is always applied? because ive had that happen and its possible to drive without the clutch. or does the clutch work just fine but the gears just wont mesh? that info will tell people whether to tell you how to check the tranny or the clutch system.

without knowing any of this. i say check to make sure your clutch hydrolic fluid level is right and its not bone dry sucking air in the system.

[Tophu530]

well i have noticed that when i press the clutch in there is pretty much no resistance, and when i start in gear even with the clutch in the thing lurches forward and stalls. then one i do that the car is sorta stuck in that gear. I rock the car and jiggle the clutch a little which seems to make it a little easier to take it back out of the gear but i still have to sorta force it into neutral. I am pretty new to cars so im pretty much clueless I looked at the clutch cable and when the clutch is being pushed in and out the cable doesnt move or anything. also when the car is off i am able to much the car into gears freely. thats about all i can think of but if u have anymore questions just ask cause i would really like this to be working when my senior year starts.

[Tophu530]

oh yeah and before i put the l28 into the car which was about 2 years ago or less i put a new clutch in as well.

[Shade133]

its not the clutch in the tranny its self if the car lurches forward when you dont apply the clutch or have it in neutral. its exactly what i thought it was. the clutch mechanism is broken some how. you said clutch cable, which confuses me because i though all Z cars had hydrolic systems. so someone with a 240 Z might want to jump in on this..

so dont worry it sounds more like something in your clutch linkage broke. if its hydrolic, it is probably a leak from a seal or the cylender or something is toast and needs replacing. if its a cable it needs to hooked up or whatever broke to make it come off needs to be replaced.

so once you get the right info it wont be as bad as you probably think it is. AKA the tranny is toast.

[Bruce Palmer]

Okay, square one. In that reservoir on the firewall next to the brake master cylinder is there any fluid in there? If not, then you have either a master cylinder seal/seals gone TU or the seal in the clutch slave has gone TU. In either event having a new clutch in there it's time to pedal down to your favorite fill in the blanks parts jobber, buy one of each, put 'em in, bleed the system and wait for the next thing to go TU.............

Any repair shop can do this standing on their head.

[Shade133]

i hope you get it fixed! let us know what happens!

[mlc240z]

Listen to Bruce!

Even if only one is bad (Master (about $35) or slave (about $20)) replace both.

They're relatively cheap.

Seems to be the norm that replacing only one will cause the other to fail in short order. Probably because the increased movement/throw of the new part will force the old to travel past the point it used to. This will cause it to run past the predetermined 'good' part of the cylinder and force it into the crud/rust that has built up. Just a matter of time until the crud ring ruins the seals of the old unit causing bypass leaks and eventual failure.

Besides, if the system is down anyway.........................why not replace it all for about $60 and scratch it off the list of things to worry about in the future.

Hell, replace the flexible line too ($10) while you're at it.

[Shade133]

definitely listen to bruce and mlc they are both on the money about this.

[Zed Head]

Listen to Bruce!

Even if only one is bad (Master (about $35) or slave (about $20)) replace both.

They're relatively cheap.

Seems to be the norm that replacing only one will cause the other to fail in short order. Probably because the increased movement/throw of the new part will force the old to travel past the point it used to. This will cause it to run past the predetermined 'good' part of the cylinder and force it into the crud/rust that has built up. Just a matter of time until the crud ring ruins the seals of the old unit causing bypass leaks and eventual failure.

Besides, if the system is down anyway.........................why not replace it all for about $60 and scratch it off the list of things to worry about in the future.

Hell, replace the flexible line too ($10) while you're at it.

I went through the slave cylinder replacement, then both slave and master cylinder replacement scenario recently myself. Then the clutch started acting up again, I thought it was one more bad slave cylinder.

But after rechecking the cylinders for leaks and rebleeding the system, I eventually found that the lock nut had come loose on the shaft from the pedal to the master cylinder, allowing the rod to work itself shorter.

One more thing to check. By the way, it is possible to turn that rod without removing anything. Just use patience, flexibility, the right set of pliers, and one tiny turn at a time.

[IdahoKidd]

Just had the same experience as Zed Head. Took forever to figure out the adjuster behind the pedal was not allowing enough throw. At least I have a new master and slave anyway!

[Tophu530]

yeah so i think i figured it out. First off i totally forgot it was a hydraulic clutch since most cars during that era had mechanical ones but anyways so i noticed the clutch slave cylinder was leaking big time so im gonna replace that once i get the part Monday and hopefully after bleeding and everything it should work out.