Grinding gearbox

[Reverend]

Problem is that when car is stopped and engine running, i have to violently push the shifter if i want to move. When driving, it shifts quite ok. For example if i want to reverse, i have to turn the car off that i can change gears. I have bleeded clutch but it seems sloppy, clutch engages about 2 inches from the floor.

Also i noticed that when i start with gear on (for example reverse) and clutch engaged, car moves a little.

Do i have clutch related problem or is my gearbox going bad?

[Zed Head]

Clutch problems definitely. Have you popped the rubber cap off of the slave cylinder to see if it's leaking? It will hold quite a bit of fluid.

It sounds like it or your master cylinder might be going bad. The clutch line will almost bleed itself through gravity when the bleeder on the slave cylinder is opened.

[Arne]

Sounds like the clutch to me.

[Reverend]

Well dayum, both master and slave cylinders are brand new...

[Jeff G 78]

Brand new, or new remanufactured? I've had several reman units o bad very quickly. It does sound like a bad clutch to me though. When the MC or slave goes bad, the pedal will have no pressure. Time to pull the trans and replace the clutch.

[240260280z]

You can adjust the clutch-pedal-to-master-throw by turning the locking nut on the master cylinder's rod.

It is possible that the new master's nut location or rod length is different from the original. (I hope no one every quotes that line out of context!)

After you make an adjustment, redo the bleeding.

[Reverend]

It wasnt like that last year, it seems to go worse. This morning when i put gear on (clutch engaged), car moves more than yesterday. Is the master cyl locking nut located in the bottom of it?

I do have remanufactured original part so it should be right size (?) I understand this is a master/slave problem so why should i replace the clutch?

[240260280z]

It is not the size of the master that is wrong. There is an adjustable part that allows you to control how far the rod in the clutch moves. If the rod is adjusted differently in the new part then that could be your problem and it can be solved by a simple adjustment and re-bleed. Here is some info to give you an overview: http://atlanticz.ca/zclub/techtips/clutchfreeplay/index.html

To check the clutch disc, simply drive up a hill at low speed in 5th (or 4th if you have 4speed). A bad clutch will slip under load and the revs will go up but the speed will go down.

It seems you have a hydraulic problem with master or slave.

[Reverend]

Too bad that i cant check that disc, closest hill is about 150 miles away I'll do that adjustment and see if it helps

[Jeff G 78]

After re-reading all of the posts, this does seem to be a hydraulic issue. With the car up on jack stands, crawl under it and check for leaks. If you don't find any, have a helper slowly push the clutch pedal. See how much free travel they have until the slave rod starts to move and how much free travel until the clutch release arm starts to move. Also note the total travel of the arm with the clutch pedal pushed to the floor. I believe both specs are in the FSM. If the pedal itself has slop, adjust the pedal clevis and retry.

The older North American S30's have an adjustable push rod at the slave cylinder and the later cars have a fixed push rod. If you have an adjustable rod and everything else is good, you can adjust it there. If there are no leaks and the free travel at the slave is too high, simply adjust the rod and re-measure until everything is within spec. If the rod is fixed, do the same thing, but under the dash at the master cylinder rod clevis.

My experience tells me the slave cylinders don't partially fail. They usually work one day and then you immediately have zero pedal pressure when the slave fails. The master *might* fail a bit slower if there is a tiny nick in the seal and some air has entered the system. I have driven S30's for up to a week with no clutch while waiting to get a new slave. They actually shift very well as long as you rev-match on down shifts. Heavy traffic sucks because you have to keep shutting the car off at stops, but it can be done.

Good luck.

Edited June 16, 2011 by Jeff G 78

[Reverend]

Luckily i got away with little effort, it was only matter of adjustment. Pushrod was not going enough, now there is hardly any free play on clutch pedal. ThankZ for help guys!

[Jeff G 78]

Luckily i got away with little effort, it was only matter of adjustment. Pushrod was not going enough, now there is hardly any free play on clutch pedal. ThankZ for help guys!

Just make sure the free play is within spec. Too little and you will kill the clutch.