Well i'm afraid i'm going to have to pull my tranny... again!! The wedge collar doesn't want to engage the release bearing AT ALL, it came out out 1/2 way home with an evil sound. And wouldn't hold when I tried to pry it into place. Anyone have any ideas before I start to rip my car apart? I saw the video and I know how the clutch works but i'm still dissapointed and curious!!

 

Did you have the wire ring rotated so that the cutouts on the ring match the fingers of the wedge collar?

This is also why Mazda specifies it should be replaced every time - IMO the wire ring is usually fine, but the wedge collar is best if new.

Dave