M0NEYnH0s

Ive had my car for alittle over a month now and just today it started acting really weird. First I noticed switching thru gears, got really hard. Usually i can shift and find the gear precisely with ease but now its kinda hard/stiff to switch gears and i would have to "search" for the gear. I just figured i needed to check the fluids and maybe refill em. Then this evening i went to Circuit city and when i was leaving i reversed out and put it in first, i started off like normal but i felt like it was bogging down about about to stall but my revs were still up atleast to 1k.. so i stopped and put it in neutral, let the clutch out and pushed it back in and then tried to put it in first, it wouldnt let me. and it kinda grinded and chattered like it wasnt fully in gear. Tried that a couple of times with no luck. tried once in 2nd gear and still no luck. Eventually i get it into first even with it bogging and chattering and all and put it in a pakring spot. turn it off wait a few minutes and turn it back on to reverse and forward. it felt pretty much normal so i drove around the lot a couple times and then decided to drive home. On my way home switching gears was still very stiff and when i was slowing down, even going below 10 i tried to put it in first and it wouldnt go in.
and basically wheni start off it chatters a little.. Also a few times when i was starting and stopping in the parking lot, the clutch would feel like it engaged instantly like even if i moved it the slightest bit the car would roll fwd. usually i can let the clutch out a little before it begins to roll.
Does anyone have any advive or an idea of what could be wrong???

thanks

knavekid

It sounds like you might need a new clutch. The same thing has happened to me twice (one Honda, one Acura). The clutch is dragging when you have the pedal fully depressed, and it is difficult to shift as the synchros cannot do their job.

In both of my cases, what had happened is one of the friction pads came loose from the clutch disk. Sometimes it hangs in place and the clutch seems to operate normally. Other times it shifts and jams and there is always some amount of load on the engine when you have the clutch pedal fully depressed.

Another potential cause of this is if you are low on hydraulic fluid in the clutch master cylinder or the master or slave cylinders are failing. In that case, the clutch isn't fully disengaging. Check the fluid level. If it is low, adding fluid may solve your problem.

If you must drive it in this condition, don't even use the clutch as you will surely damage your synchros. Put the car in first gear and start the car to get going. Then, when you need to shift, shift in to neutral under no load and then quickly tap the accelerator to rev the engine. As the revs drop, put very light pressure on the shifter and it should drop into the next gear when the engine gets to the right RPM.

Good luck.

M0NEYnH0s

thanks a lot, i appreciate it


any other opinions?