please dont get mad, i searched the forums under "clutch" and nothing useful came up. So here is my question, did my clutch break or something? I have a 93 delsol si, i was driving on the freeway, downshifted from 5th to 4th on a transition, then once i let go of the clutch, i hear a loud noise (mixture of a pop and a crack) so i pulled to the side of the freeway and shifted it into neutral and stopped my car. Then i tried to shift it into anygear, the shifter would get jammed and i was not able to shift it into anything. After using both my hands and pushing with all of my weight, i was finally able to shift it into 3rd gear. Could anybody tell me what happend? and would i need to get a new clutch?

thanx.

 

With the engine turned off, does it go into all gears? Is the clutch operated by cable or hydraulic? I'll try to be general...

First thing is to look at the external stuff. Does the cable (or slave cylinder) pull/push on the throw-out fork properly? Have somebody press the pedal while you watch. On my '95 GS-R (hydraulic) you look under a rubber boot to watch the action of the fork. Gotta be similar for cable... Either way, look also at the pedal assembly - hinge pins loose & sloppy? Anything broken? End of cable coming apart? If you're lucky then something like that broke.

If you're not lucky, part of your clutch disk might have broken & wedged in the pressure plate. This prevents it from disengaging completely. But check the external stuff first to make sure.

 

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It's sad when people have to start a topic that way just to avoid getting flamed for asking a simple question. Anywho, here's my $.02:

Judging from the noise you heard, I'd have to say a part of the clutch snapped, and you'll probably need a new one.

Check what JimBlake said. Obviously you shouldn't go spending $400 on a clutch if just the cable broke, so check the cheap stuff first

If your clutch did break, look on the bright side. It's the perfect excuse for a lighter flywheel now

 

yeah, took it to a mechanic today. (one tried to rip me off by giving me a 700 estimate for a new transmission!! ) but anyways, the supposed new clutch that the lady had just installed when i bought the car from her from her turned out to be super cheap, that's why it broke. but yeah, on the bright side, i just ordered a centerforce stage 2 racing clutch and a lighter flywheel, they should be coming in tomorrow.

 

It might not have even been your clutch....It could have been the throwout bearings.....Man, you should always get a second opinion on things before paying for labor.

 

It looks like he did get a second opinion, the first one wanted $700

Let us know how you like the new clutch!

 

actually i got 4 opinions, like jolt said, the first mechanic wanted to rip me out of $700, the next three said it was the clutch. Well except for the second one, which all he basically did was race it up and down the street and said it was the clutch, so i didnt trust that guy. But the third and fourth mechanics took the liberty to look inside my engine and said something about something not disengaging, so i took their word for it. BTW all 4 guys i went to gave me free estimates, so i didnt waste any money

 

Sounds just like what happened to my del Sol a few years ago. One of the damping springs on the clutch broke, making it almost impossible to select gears or engage the clutch. Mechanic replaced the clutch (and pressure plate, throwout bearing of course), about $450. As it happens, my breakage also occured on a 5-4 downshift, as I was exiting the freeway.