xxshatteredsoul

Hi,

The past 2 days my clutch has been acting really weird. It started off that It felt like my clutch was loosing pressure because it would get really low to the floor. After I pumped it a bit with my foot the pressure seemed to come back. I thought it was just because my fluid was low so I filled it up to the max. After I was driving home it seemed to be fine. Now later on that night I tried to drive again and it felt to be getting worse but if i pumped on it a bit it would straighten out a bit.
Now onto yesterday I was driving to work and I was gonna push down the clutch to shift into 4th from 5th and my clutch just went straight to the floor i was like what the **** . I tried pumping on it but couldnt even get anything so I pulled over and it clunked out cause i was stuck in 5th gear (no clutch no getting out've gear). Somehow I got enough pressure to get it into 2nd and made it to work as I was only less than a mile away. Now after work was done I was driving home knew I was screwed cause I just managed to get it into 5th and went as far as I could then had to pull over cuase I couldn't get it out've gear and there was no clutch pressure it was stuck on the fl oor. I got ahold of my dad and he drove it home for me using no clutch ( i didnt know you could do that).
Now I am in the process of needing my car back for work and we can't figure out what could be wrong. Please help if you need a more diagnostic I can give more details.

rx7owner

i have no clue what that would be but i thought i might add that you can actually take it out of gear and even put it into gear you just have to be very gentle taking it out and going at te right speed to put it into gear (works best going out of fifth into fourth ) although its not very good on your syncros but it can be done

trochoid

iTrader: (6)

Replace the clutch master and slave cylinders. A new hose wouldn't hurt either.

xxshatteredsoul

What is the problem though trochoid? I probably have to take it to a shop huh cause I dont know **** about clutches. UNless it's not that hard then let me know cause I would rather do it myself than taking it anywhere cause i'll get ripped off, i'm just not sure how m uch it'll cost.

Kentetsu

Had a similar issue before myself. Bad slave cylinder. Cheap and easy fix though.

trochoid

iTrader: (6)

This is a good place to get your feet wet and start learning how to do your own repairs.

The symptoms you describe are external of the clutch and tranny. Work will be under the hood and under the dash. You will need a 10mm and 17mm flare wrench a 10 mm and 12mm socket with 2 long extensions to remove the 2 cylinders. You will also need an 8mm wrench to bleed the system when the new parts are installed. Be careful with the brake fluid, it eats paint. You do not need to get into the clutch, nor do you need to remove the tranny. What is failing is the system that operates the clutch, not the clutch itself.

Buy a Haynes manual and download one of the online FSMs. This is not a hard job, parts should run you under 100, if you replace both cylinders and the clutch line.

frisbeedog

i had the same problem. Replace master and slave cylinder, and order a stainless steel clutch hose from mazdatrix. I belive there is a master and slave on ebay right now.

This was my first maintenance issue on my car, and after that i was hooked. I have to mess with everything now.

John64

Easy fix, hard nut to get off behind the clutch pedal inside. People with small hands had to of tighten this at the factory.

Siraniko

iTrader: (13)

and without the front seat.

Kentetsu

Still, the issue could be either the master or the slave cyclinder. Replacing the slave cylinder only takes a few minutes not counting bleeding the system, so that is where I would start if it was my car. If that did not fix the issue, then on to the master cylinder. Besides, the slave cylinder only costs around 20 bucks, while the master will run you 50 (prices from Rockauto.com). Start with the simplest item first and you might just get lucky. Have you checked to see if the slave is leaking? Just pull the boot back and check for leaks, that will be a sure sign that its bad, but if it isn't leaking that doesn't mean that its good either.

smnc

Nope

I just cranked mine all the way down and lay down upside-down.

Had the wife act as 'nurse' and pass me all the tools, etc.

Not bad except fo the head-rush when getting back up...

skrewloose78

yeah the local parts stores will want about $50 for the master and around $20-30 for the slave,and im sure they wont have them in stick. right now nopi has them pretty cheap $24 for the master and i think $12 for the slave.

nimrodTT

It's really easy to get at without the dash components in place - I would wager they installed it in a very early step.

And I've always preferred to take the E-clip and pin out as opposed to loosening the jam nut.

bliffle

My guess is that the problem is the flexi-hose that goes from master to slave. Cheap to buy ($10-15) and easy to replace (<1 hour). Why struggle with all that other stuff until you need to? Next is air in the system. It's hard to bleed the clutch system (compared to brakes) so a lot of people don't finish it. It helps to have a 'speed bleed' bleeder tit, and/or a 'power bleeder'. But you can do it with a simple hose and jar if you have an assistant available for about a half hour to sit in the drivers seat and operate the clutch pedal appropriately.

B

skrewloose78

ive had no problem at all just doing a gravity bleed on the clutch system.
of course you can always go this route
https://www.rx7club.com/1st-generation-specific-1979-1985-18/how-flush-clutch-fluid-470994/

xxshatteredsoul

I already own the book. What page do I find this on or what am I looking for exactly? Thanks.

trochoid

iTrader: (6)

Since you sound new and perhaps rather inexperieced, read the entire manual. This will give you a good over view of the mechanics and repairs on the car. You didn't state which manual you have, but what you need will be in the clutch or transmission section.

Most general repairs tend to be fairly simple and straight forward and not that different from any other vehicle of a similiar age. The engine and emissions trouble shooting tend to be more of a hair pulling experience. Not my favorite area of repairs. It's the rotoary mystique that throws off many people and discourages them from buying or working on them.

Your present task at hand is reasonably simple. Once you have it done, you will be suprised how easy it really was.

Now, put your reading glasses and swim suit and get those feet wet.

xxshatteredsoul

I have the Haynes manual. I sort've need to get this fixed this weekend because I have about a 30 min drive everyday to go to college then another 20 min drive to work so it's not like I can walk to these places till my car is fixed. What should I start on first and then go to next if that doesn't work?

kenn_chan

XX Haynes manual (should be chapter 5 sections 5~10 pages pages 115~118.

If you really need the car right away, do as Trochoid suggested and replace the clutch master cyclinder and the slave cyclinder along with the hose.

don't bs with trouble shooting it just order all 3. Chances are that one of the 3 are leaking, (maybe internally) and if 1 is bad, the other 2 are getting ready to go. Changeing one without the other two is just begging to have to do the job again. just do all three and get the job done and over. R/R shouldn't take more that 30~45 minutes (remember he's a colledge student this means he is still fexible enough to climb under the dash)

the bleeding will take a little longer if you want to do it right, enlist your dads help for that. If he knows enough to shift without the clutch chances are he nows how to help with the rest also.

kenn

xxshatteredsoul

Alright thanks for the help. Hopefully I can get this all done tomorrow. Does anyone know the part #'s off hand or where I can buy them at.

xxshatteredsoul

Anyone know where I can buy the parts at and what exactly I should be asking for for parts?

Kentetsu

Rockauto.com has pretty good pricing. Possible parts needed would be; slave cylinder (I would do this one first if it was me), master cylinder (clutch, not brake), and there is a rubber hose too.