95 240 manual transmission not shifting? Help!

[anthony_S14]

Hey guys this past thursday when i was trying to drive home from work I had to spend quite a while trying to get my car to shift into gear. It had no problem shifting into any gear if the engine wasn't running. I finally figured that starting my car while in 1st gear would get me home for the time being. I then noticed that while driving I would have a hard time shifting into any gear again. I had to use both my hands at some point. Today I decided to change the fluid and put in some new redline lube after researching on a few forums about some of the possible culprits. Throwout bearing or internal bearings.... Hope not. After putting in the new lube It felt a lot better and I was able to shift fine if not better than before. When I got back home after my test drive I parked my car on my driveway so that I could clean up the garage. When I started up the car again to drive it into the garage I had trouble shifting again! This time I'm going to bleed the clutch master and slave cylinder to see if that helps. Has anyone had this problem before and maybe give me the solution to this problem? Thanks guys.
Modified by anthony_S14 at 5:10 AM 4/18/2006

[180fan]

air or your master or slave are beginning to let fluid slip by...that is unless your pressure plate is going bad...

[anthony_S14]

so possibly bleeding the slave and clutch master cylinders or getting a new clutch and pressure plate would solve the problem?

[180fan]

I'd first bleed the hydraulics and make sure that's not the issue. Once all the air is out (many posts/threads on how to do this search for it) I'd check to make sure fluid is not seeping past the master when you depress on the pedal. If all those things are checked out and ok, then you're in for a treat with a clutch job. I mean a "treat" as in poison and by poison, I mean listening to Hawthorne Heights while you do this because you'll want to end yourself soon anyway, might as well make it sooner than later. Have a box of razor blades nearby as you'll want those to end yourself when doing a clutch job. Maybe I need to stop telling you my routine for emo clutch jobs...

[NISTECH]

I'd first bleed the hydraulics and make sure that's not the issue. Once all the air is out (many posts/threads on how to do this search for it) I'd check to make sure fluid is not seeping past the master when you depress on the pedal. If all those things are checked out and ok, then you're in for a treat with a clutch job. I mean a "treat" as in poison and by poison, I mean listening to Hawthorne Heights while you do this because you'll want to end yourself soon anyway, might as well make it sooner than later. Have a box of razor blades nearby as you'll want those to end yourself when doing a clutch job. Maybe I need to stop telling you my routine for emo clutch jobs...

Dude I think I would steer clear of comin by your shop bro.

[180fan]

Aww, it's not all that bad being uber emo. *turns up the Hawthorne Heights and cries in a corner* rofl!!!

[anthony_S14]

Okay guys here is an update. I just got done taking the clutch damper (dampener?) off and replaced the slave cylinders' bleeder screw with a speed bleeder that I had extra from my kawasaki zx6rr. Luckily it they took the same size bleeder screw because I spent all day looking for a store that carried 7x1.0 and all this time it was in my garage. Well, still no go even after I adjusted the clutch rod behind the clutch pedal And while taking the clutch damper off I noticed something odd about the clutch line. Well...it's not totally hard. If you look in the pics there is some rubber hose attaching two hard metal hoses. Is it supposed to be like that? I'm thinking the previous owner might have broken the line or something. Someone let me know if it is supposed to be like that. This rubber hose looks like it's about to bust sometime soon.

[anthony_S14]

[180fan]

My clutch line does not have that rubber section. If that is really part of the hard clutch line, you're in for it with replacing the hard line.

[anthony_S14]

Cut the tubing and get a hold of a tube flaring tool and then either use fittings to finish up the missing section or use a braided line with matching fittings?

[NISTECH]

I think your looking at the wrong line. That is a fuel or fuel vapor line from the tank. If that were a clutch line that hose would of burst some time ago.

[anthony_S14]

I'm pretty sure it's the clutch master cylinder hard line. I traced it starting from the clutch master. I'll confirm this as soon as I get home.

[180fan]

yeah that does look like the line for the carbon canister.

[anthony_S14]

barughh?!? Carbon canister? so is that rubber section supposed to be there? I just got home and I will inspect closer and post my findings here after I eat dinner. THanks for all your guys' help though!

[anthony_S14]

yeah that line goes to the canister.... I guess I mixed up the lines while I was tracing them yesterday.

[anthony_S14]

Switched out the slave cylinder and when attempting to remove the clutch master cylinder resevoir cap, the whole resevoir seperates from the cylinder! What the hell! Brake fluid spills in that general area and I'm left feeling like what the F***!? Oh well looks like the resevoir and the cylinder needed cleaning anyway. I put the resevoir back on and made sure it was nice and secured to the cylinder and went through the motions of bleeding the system again. My transmission shifts now although it is pretty difficult and it seems to be tempermental. Yesterday while driving I parked my car and when I returned and started the car again it shifted like heaven. After a while... I think when I turned the car off again and turned it on, it became difficult once again. I'm guessing something internal is wrong with the transmission. Can anyone confirm?

[rogoman]

Check the clutch pedal free play. It should be 1.0 - 3.0 mm (0.039 - 0.118 in). Hold a ruler against the floor and up to the top of the pedal pad. Take a reading on the ruler at the pedal pad in the resting position. Now push on the pedal pad very gently until resistance is felt; at this point take the new reading on the ruler. Subtracting the two readings will give you the free play spec. To adjust the clutch pedal free play, adjust the pushrod for the clutch master cylinder which is located under the dash at the top of the pedal assembly. The pushrod has a locknut which must be loosened. Now the pushrod can be adjusted. If there's too much play, the clutch may not fully disengage when you press the pedal to the floor which then makes it difficult to shift the transmission.

[anthony_S14]

I've adjusted the freeplay on the clutch pedal and sometimes it's still difficult to get the transmission in gear. Maybe I screwed something up while driving it around last week forcing it into gear with two arms. Synchros probably?

[NISTECH]

When the trans is failing to shift smoothly turn the car off and shift through all the gears. Is there any problem getting it to slide into gear then? How is the pedal feel when you have the problem? Does it change when the problem occurs?

[anthony_S14]

When the engine is off, the transmission has no problem shifting into any gear. When the problem occurs, the clutch pedal does not show any noticeable difference from regular operation. I have on certain occasions noticed a metal on metal grinding/clashing from underneath the car (transmission?) sounds almost like the timing chain when you have bad tensioners. I hope this information helps.

[NISTECH]

I believe you have a clutch pressure plate problem. The trans clearly shifts ok with out binding when it is not in rotation. I think the pressure plate is not releasing when it gets hot.

[anthony_S14]

My next step is then to replace the pressure plate? Might as well do the clutch too?

[NISTECH]

yep if your going in to replace anything best to do the PP,clutch disc,T/O bering and pilot bushing.