hard to get into gear, clunks between gears

[Crunkrich]

Lately my S13 has been hard to get into gear, mainly first when im stopped or slowing down to a stop. When it does go in, I can feel it almost 'scraping' past 2 little rough points. Sometimes but not often in between gears (mainly first and second) there's a clunking coming from the back of the car.

I asked a friend and he said it might be the master or slave clutch cylinder? If so, does anyone know which one it is more likely to be? Thanks.

[navysnail]

It could be that you need a different kind of fluid in your transmission for the cold weather, but not likely. it sounds like your clutch is not disengaging, check both the master and slave cylinders for leaks.

[Crunkrich]

yeah one thing i forgot to mention was that when i drive her fast and go between gears quickly the clutch seems to want to stick to the floor... any ideas there or same thing?

ill check those cylinders tomorrow durin lunch at school

[navysnail]

sounds like your cylinders are bad, either slave or master. the only other possibility is air in your system, have you serviced your clutch hydraulic system lately? if not, then air is not very likely.

[Crunkrich]

No i haven't serviced it lately, I guess it's one of those cylinders. I'll get that checked out today. Are those pretty easy to replace if I buy the part or would it be better to have it done? I have some experience with workin on cars but I don't wanna mess it up Thanks for the help.
Modified by thenameismatt at 3:34 AM 2/21/2006

[kouki_monstor]

no theyre not that difficult to replace. fairly simple. both the master and slave cylinders are held up by 2 simple bolts. youll just have to bleed the system after you replace them to avoid having air trapped in your system.

[Crunkrich]

awesome, and im guessing bleeding the system would be first draining the system, taking off the old cylinder, installing the new one, refilling the system?

[navysnail]

no, dont drain it. what you do is:

1) remove old offending part2) install new part3) fill master cylinder with fluid4) have a friend push clutch in a few times and hold it down5) you open bleeder screw on slave cylinder (brake fluid will shoot out, and it will strip paint..i reccomend attatching a clear line to it. aquarium air line tubing is great.)6) friend releases clutch. repeat again, checking fluid level evey 2 times, or even better have someone constantly add fluid. if it goes dry, you must start all over in bleeding it.7) final bleed is the damper box if you h ave one, it is a small box on the frame with a bleeder screw, bleed this too.

[InsanityInc]

I'd recommend removing the damper box as opposed to bleeding it. That thing is way more trouble than it's worth. You basically just take out the two bolts that hold it in, then bend the line going to it about 180* to meet up with the rubber clutch line.

[Crunkrich]

thanks a bunch for the how-to, I should be able to get that taken care of this weekend... and what is the intended purpose of the damper box if its more trouble than its worth?
Modified by thenameismatt at 2:10 PM 2/21/2006

[navysnail]

it is more troublle than it is worth. many people remove it and bend the line straight to the flex line, but be careful not to kink it or break it if you do. the damper box is supposed to make the clutch engagement more smooth.

[Crunkrich]

gotcha, thanks for the tip ill most likely do if i can get that hose bent without kinking it

i also read this on another forum:If you replace a master or a slave the replacement should be of the same mfg as the one you are changing. The swept volumn of these things is critical and for example a Napa master will not flow the same cc"s as a Nissan master which will effect the amount of travel at the lever connection.

Is that true or would it be alright to buy one from NAPA thats what I was planning on doing...
Modified by thenameismatt at 7:30 PM 2/21/2006

[ddgsxr504]

i also read this on another forum:If you replace a master or a slave the replacement should be of the same mfg as the one you are changing. The swept volumn of these things is critical and for example a Napa master will not flow the same cc"s as a Nissan master which will effect the amount of travel at the lever connection.

Is that true or would it be alright to buy one from NAPA thats what I was planning on doing...

No it doesn't matter the manufacturer of the slave cylinder. I got mine from AutoZone for like $18. If you want one from NAPA then get it there. Just get a new one and while you are at it get a new clutch line (that short rubber hose from damper block to slave) as well. After a while rubber expands and pedal response is diminshed. A new OEM one should be less than $20. OEM is fine but I took the opportunity to upgrade to a steel braided one.