Clutch not Disengaging?
 

So when i was done rolling the quarter panels, i tried pushing my car out of my garage because i didn't want my garage to smell like gas but something was stopping it from rolling so i jacked up the rear end up and spun one wheel and the other wheel was going in the opposite direction which was weird because i just put in a s4 na lsd in it. So i turn on the car and try to get both of the wheels spinning and as the clutch started grabbing the rpm started to drop like something was holding it from spinning and than it eventually died. Turned it on again and revved even higher and once the clutch gripped something sounded like something snapped, but both of the wheels began to spin the same direction. As i drove off i noticed i couldn't pull out of 1st gear even when the clutch was fully pressed. I'm really not sure whats going on and was wondering if i could have some guidance of what it could be. When the car is off i can shift to some gears smooth but when i turn it off i cant switch to any. I already bled the master cylinder

Sorry if its too much reading. Thanks in advance!

That is normal. ^


As for your real issue... What does the clutch pedal feel like? So, did you rev the engine REALLY high, drop the clutch, and then that is when you heard something snap??

I've had some cars that are just way too difficult to bleed the clutch hydraulics. My FC is one of them. Most come pretty easily, but my FC for whatever reason takes forever. The best way to bleed it is by reverse bleeding.

Volvo Performance Repairs And Modifications

Buts an lsd? Shouldnt it spin the same direction? And the clutch pedal seems fine

And I did the reverse bleeded it also

check the fluid level in your clutch reservoir. fill bleed and try again

It can feel fine, trust me. I've bled the clutch on mine until I was blue in the face and it finally worked. It felt fine the whole time too. It's just that if you get a little bubble in there, you're completely screwed. I ended up tapping the slave cylinder with a small plastic mallet while bleeding to get every bit of air out.

You may be able to pop off the rubber grommet from the transmission bell housing to see if there are chunks sitting in there. You could very easily have a broken clutch.

the two person bleed is what i do but it is very time comsuming, i hate it. reverse bleeding? i think imma have to look at this method up...

The Volvo performance link I posted in post #3 has a video about how to do it.

Well it seems like theres nothing else to do but pull the tranny. Any last suggestions?

Broken diaphragm spring on the pressure plate maybe. Pull the trans now, check everything out.

Don't waste 3 more days on it and pull the transmission already.

Well its just i dont want to spend money on a tranny jack if i dont need to pull it out. But i think i have to cause i just realised maybe i rolled my rear fenders with the car still in gear, causing stress somewhere in the clutch?

Get yourself a buddy and put the car high up on jack stands (we support the rear wheels with semi truck drum brakes and the front a arm with 6ton snap on jacks for good measure) and pull the trans with out arms. It isn't heavy by any means. Just be VERY cautious if the input shaft and pilot bearing on the way out. We can have the trans out in an hour or two depending on how much bullshitting we do.

You definitely don't need a transmission jack. I remove the transmission by myself all the time. I just lift the car up, remove the associated interference, pull the transmission out and on to my chest, then off to the floor.

You cannot damage the clutch by rolling fenders, even if the car's in gear. There's more stress on the drivetrain while cruising than you could put on it by rolling the fenders.

Given your scenario, my bet is still on faulty hydraulics. :nod:

I'm it AGreen. I pull the N/Atran myself. It's light.

without ARMS?..hmm..
how do you hold the ratchet?..lol.

Pulled out the tranny and the clutch seems fine but the pilot bearing was seized up. Maybe abou 2000-2500 miles on it. I dont recall lubing it or putting a pilot seal on it. Could this be the reason why it seized up and why the clutch isnt releasing all the way?

Usually the pilot bearing is a small needle bearing or a brass bushing. If it's the needle bearing type, you can see the individual rollers. Otherwise, you have a brass bushing, and it's not seized.

Check the fork, see if it's bent, look for any signs of damage around the pivot point, look for signs of excessive wear around the fingers of the pressure plate, check and make sure the pressure plate is still properly torqued down.

Like I said, my bet was still on faulty hydraulics.

When we took off all the bolts and was ready to pull the tranny off, it seemed stuck and found that the pilot bearing came off with the tranny when it suppose to stay on the eccentric shaft. Also you cant see any of the needles anymore. So what i was thinking when the tranny was on the car is that having the pilot bearing seized up, it basicly bypassed the clutch and was always spinning from eccentric shaft straight to the tranny.
http://i50.tinypic.com/zn0sqv.jpg

Heres some pictures of the clutch fork aswell
http://i46.tinypic.com/262poif.jpg
http://i49.tinypic.com/2v1tatf.jpg
http://i48.tinypic.com/6efdl0.jpg

Oh wow. That is definitely an issue. Get a small 2 or 3 jaw puller and get that thing off! You also need to inspect the eccentric shaft and transmission input shaft for damage. And yes, you should have definitely put in a little grease once the bearing was installed, and seals always help too :) I'd go to your friendly neighborhood Mazda dealer for that, as most clutch kits will not supply the seal.

If they don't have it, Mazdatrix is only a couple hours away from you, and they both pieces for about $12 total.

Clutches 83-92 (225mm non-turbo)

I just hope the eccentric shaft isn't scored or heat-spotted

I actually managed to get a pilot bearing seal from advanced auto. The parts guy didnt believe me such a thing existed but they could get it.

as a haeads up, when you spin 1 tire forward on an LSD the other tire should also spin forward. but i believe when you spin 1 backward the opposite spins forward. dont quote me on the second part but i know the first is true

I was also wondering why wouldnt it go into some gears all the way? Is this another issue

Ive read plenty of threads about the pilot bearing seal. 50% say the seal is useless and will fall apart in under 5k, 50% say the seal is important. IF its going to just fall apart then i wouldnt use it.

I've never used a seal and its been fine.

I pulled the seal out of mine after 177k miles, still in tact. I even re-used the seal, then removed the transmission 12k miles later (TII swap) and it was still there, still in on piece, still accomplishing its function. If Mazda put it there, it's there for a reason. Don't be one of those guys that just goes removing things. What you'll end up with is a shittier car in the end.

So went ahead and bought the bearing and the seal and was just curious how to put it on. Would i need to push the pilot bearing alittle deeper into the shaft so the seal fits? Or do i have the bearing somewhat flush with the indent of the shaft and have the seal on the tranny shaft?
http://i50.tinypic.com/352lkpe.jpg

I dont know, many people haven't had the same experience as you. But hearing enough times that it falls apart makes me think why bother, could fall apart and affect the life of the actual pilot bearing itself.


And i believe the seal goes slightly into the eshaft.

sounds like you have an issue with your pressure plate. it will keep your clutch engaged making it difficult for you to change gears while it's running. especially on jack stands. but when the cars off you wont have any problems shifting gears. As for your s4 na lsd it's a viscous type so it has to slip a little bit before it will lock. it shouldn't be locked just by spinning the tire with your hand.

posted before i read the earlier posts haha.

at least your rx7 took pity on you and took the pilot bearing out with the input shaft haha.

Hahaha i know right?

Well i realized that i shimmed my lsd wrong and it probably has shredded cans inside which caused something to clunk. Im pulling it out tomorrow to see if its still useable. Thanks alot everyone for the quick respond. Kinda trippy how these both happened coincidentally

Don't forget to grease the new pilot bearing.

Probably just needs bled

^wtf?

LOL if you were actually reading this thread you'd see i stated i reverse bled it.

Anyways i remember when the tranny was in and the car was off that some gears would grind and some wouldnt? Is this another problem? My cousin with an integra said his did that all the time when his was off.

You sort of need relative motion for the gears to mesh. Sometimes the "dog teeth" of the synchros meet up tip to tip, which makes it difficult to engage. The brass synchros are bevel cut so it shouldn't happen, but over time they wear down a little. Without the car in motion, the transmission won't really be spinning, so it makes meshing hard. That's why sometimes when you're stopped and you go to put it in reverse you may have to take your foot off the clutch a bit before it actually engages. Reverse is a non-synchronized gear in most manual transmissions. My Audi, for whatever reason, had a synchronized reverse gear, but not the Rx7. The "grinding" noise is normal. Never listen to a Honda owner... no matter how much you think they think they know. It's just a rule I have.

Any updates on this project?