I've been on the other site, but I wanted a second opinion from you guys before I start trying to drop the box (or paying someone to drop it for me).
Here's the history:
Recently I had problems with the clutch slipping, and I diagnosed it as the clutch slave cylinder. So I put a new one in, bled through some DOT 4, and went about my business.
About a week ago I started noticing a squeaky noise from the front left of the car. I figured that something had come loose; maybe the hub nut again, maybe one of my wishbone bolts (one of which has recently been helicoiled), maybe even the CV joint had lost its grease - it was still driving and I knew the wishbone etc was good because I'd recently replaced it.
I let my wife have the car for the day, and as she was driving home she stopped at the lights... clutch in. When suddenly the gears engaged and the car started hopping forward. She couldn't get it out of gear, so pulled off the road and called a flatbed truck. With the engine off it came out of gear. - I figure the plate can't have gone or she'd have gone nowhere instead of the car lurching with the clutch pedal still in.
I've flushed the hydraulics, and can see the slave cylinder push the fork. - I've been in the footwell and it's all dry, and there's a pedal support bracket installed (I can't see any bent or broken parts from there). The hose is old looking, but with no obvious damage or leaks from it.
I've adjusted all the freeplay out of the pedal (until you couldn't push the slave cylinder back into the housing)... then put a bit back in. - What a job!
I can't see much of the fork because I can't get the boot off without destroying it, but I shined a torch down the hole and can't see anything. I put a screwdriver down and it feels straight for about 15cm then it hits something (I figured that was the fork part).
With the engine running it feels like trying to select a gear against a steel plate (except reverse which sounds like gears grinding if you try to select it) - there's no noise, just very firm resistance. With the engine off the gearstick will go into all of them... except maybe reverse.
My theory is therefore that the release bearing has collapsed, and can't disengage the clutch. Does that sound right? I can't move the fork at all by hand (except back towards the cylinder when there's a bit of freeplay in the hydraulics), but that doesn't mean I can rule it out does it?
If there's any possible way it could be something that doesn't require me taking the box out, could someone tell me now?
Failing that, what's my next step? Should I start buying a release bearing, or do I need to get the clutch out to see what the real problem is (like the RB gearbox has died)?
I'm concerned that this is going to be beyond my abilities as I don't have a trolley jack, and I've only got axle stands... but I don't know if I can afford a mortgage to get a garage to look at it.
Here's the history:
Recently I had problems with the clutch slipping, and I diagnosed it as the clutch slave cylinder. So I put a new one in, bled through some DOT 4, and went about my business.
About a week ago I started noticing a squeaky noise from the front left of the car. I figured that something had come loose; maybe the hub nut again, maybe one of my wishbone bolts (one of which has recently been helicoiled), maybe even the CV joint had lost its grease - it was still driving and I knew the wishbone etc was good because I'd recently replaced it.
I let my wife have the car for the day, and as she was driving home she stopped at the lights... clutch in. When suddenly the gears engaged and the car started hopping forward. She couldn't get it out of gear, so pulled off the road and called a flatbed truck. With the engine off it came out of gear. - I figure the plate can't have gone or she'd have gone nowhere instead of the car lurching with the clutch pedal still in.
I've flushed the hydraulics, and can see the slave cylinder push the fork. - I've been in the footwell and it's all dry, and there's a pedal support bracket installed (I can't see any bent or broken parts from there). The hose is old looking, but with no obvious damage or leaks from it.
I've adjusted all the freeplay out of the pedal (until you couldn't push the slave cylinder back into the housing)... then put a bit back in. - What a job!
I can't see much of the fork because I can't get the boot off without destroying it, but I shined a torch down the hole and can't see anything. I put a screwdriver down and it feels straight for about 15cm then it hits something (I figured that was the fork part).
With the engine running it feels like trying to select a gear against a steel plate (except reverse which sounds like gears grinding if you try to select it) - there's no noise, just very firm resistance. With the engine off the gearstick will go into all of them... except maybe reverse.
My theory is therefore that the release bearing has collapsed, and can't disengage the clutch. Does that sound right? I can't move the fork at all by hand (except back towards the cylinder when there's a bit of freeplay in the hydraulics), but that doesn't mean I can rule it out does it?
If there's any possible way it could be something that doesn't require me taking the box out, could someone tell me now?
Failing that, what's my next step? Should I start buying a release bearing, or do I need to get the clutch out to see what the real problem is (like the RB gearbox has died)?
I'm concerned that this is going to be beyond my abilities as I don't have a trolley jack, and I've only got axle stands... but I don't know if I can afford a mortgage to get a garage to look at it.
Last edited:
