Car wont go into gear. HELP
 

Ok so here is the deal I was driving home from the Dyno yesterday and my clutch started acting up ( mazdaspeed pressure plate, stock disc) the car would not come out of gear with the clutch pressed down unless it was forced. When the car is off it will go into gear with no problem. but with the car running and the clutch held down it wont go into gear. so i replaced the clutch master and slave cylinder, bench bleed the master, and bleed the whole clutch system. Still no change, wont go into gear with the clutch held down and running. while tinkering down there i noticed the dowel that connects pedal to the master cylinder looked bent, i want sure if this could possibly be playing a role in the problem or is it normally angled. Also there are no leaks in the system, Any help would be great. thanks
Tyler

I had a similar problem with my first 7!! Turned out to be the pilot bearing, nut a good thing to go driving across country on limited founds!!
It might not be the problem, but from what you've said, it sure sounds like it to me!

would it occasionaly give me problems, but never anything steady then out of no where i stuck. some times i wonder if i would be better off with a car payment and a newer car.

Could give occasional problems first!! With mine it happened once or twice, it was like the clutch wouldn't dis-engage (Thought fluid was low) Then it was hard to get out of gear, and couldn't get it back in after!!

Mine went through a period of hard engament, then it wouldnt fully engage ( felt like the clutch was slipping) and then this.

yea a bad pilot bearing would cause those symtoms, the pilot bearing also slows the input shaft of the tranny to engage the clutch. if the input shaft isn't slowed down the synchro's cant mesh properly to shift into gear. i have installed a flywheel without the pilot and it wouldn't shift. i still don't know why you can't press the pedal in without excessive force though.

Sorry when i said hard engagement i meant i had to slam into the gear, i thought it was my clutch configuration at first but kicked my self in the ass for not asking questions sooner. This car is starting to kick my a$$ it feels like every time a take 1 step forward i get knocked back 2 steps. hell she even thot brake fluid in my eye today ( my own mistake )

As stated earlier, pilot bearing. Good news is its like $10 for a new one and a seal, but you have to drop the trans to change it.

Yeah im not looking forward to that, I may take it back to the shop thats done all the work to it. i looked at the FSM for the install details, but how difficult is it to do in a driveway should i choose to do it myself?

well its not much of a driveway job since you will have u jack it up a considerable amount. trying to drop a tranny with barely enough room is ridiculous.

You need a heavy duty jack to really get the car up there. A standard 9.99 Autozone jack will not lift enough for the trans.

However, its a great project for a beginner to work on his car. Lots of stuff to do, not super complicated or super tough. Putting the pilot bearing in right may be a challenge though.

If you decide to do this be careful removing the old pilot bearing. Last one I did I somehow managed to bust up the old bearing while taking it out leaving only the outer thin metal race in the shaft. Turned my quick morning job into an all day affair to get that piece of metal out.

Theres a few things it could be. Ive had the exact same symptoms when my clutch disk broke, one of the center rubber " springs" broke and jammed it up so it would not disengage.

either way it sounds like the trany has to come off, make sure to inspect your pressure plate, clutch disk, piolet bearing,throwout bearing, and the clutch fork on the trany it self.

i know it sounds bad but i don't feel like dealing with it, its going to the shop tomorrow for the tranny issue and to get my suspension installed. i know it sounds like i am lazy. I work two EMS/Fire jobs so i work 24 hours at one job and 24 hours at another job and i only have 1 day off. so in a week i would have between 2 and three days to do it. freaking sucks but i get paid enough to have some one else work on my car, but i am hoping they cover it under warrenty They take pretty good care of me so we will see, update to come.

i have also had one of the damper springs break or get loose in the clutch disc, and it caused similar symptoms. it mostly caused vibrations. either way the trans needs to get dropped, was the pilot bearing replaced when the clutch was changed?

Seeing how I just finished fixing my transmission woes I would say have a buddy pump the clutch and go to the front of the car and see of the slave cylinder is moving at full stroke. if not then take the transmission down because there are some things you cant inspect until you do. Plus anytime you drop a transmission you should always replace the Pilot bearing and seal. Those pin bearings get damaged easy. Simple first then you can break you back later.