Hey all,

I'm unable to get my car into gear while it's running. 1st, 2nd and reverse are impossible to force, 3rd, 4th and 5th take some more effort than usual. Also while the car is running, the clutch pedal also feels a lot stiffer, with almost a springy feeling when it's more than 3/4 of the way to the floor. With the car off, the clutch pedal feels like it normally did before this problem occurred and I can get it into any gear easily. If I start the car in 1st gear or reverse, it will shudder and very slowly creep forward (or back). The clutch is not disengaging all the way with the pedal fully depressed.

I did some research on the board here and found that it was probably either the clutch fork or my pilot bearing. Although the bearing was making no noise, and this problem developed immeadately without any signs of something about to go, I ordered a new one, a new pilot seal, and a clutch fork anyway. I dropped the trans and to my dismay, everything I bought to replace looks fine. The fork looks identical to the one I received from Mazda, and the bearing is in great shape. it even slid right out like I had just put it in. I hesitate to put the new parts in now and bolt it back together hoping for the best, as the stuff I was going to replace looks like it's in good condition.

The previous owner replaced the stock clutch about 10000 miles ago with a 'bonez street-comp clutch' from rx7.com (Rotary Performance Online). Also on the receipt is "Clutch Bearing Kit - 2 bearings and seal" which I assume is the pilot/throwout bearing. The flywheel was not replaced, and on the receipt for the work performed, I do not see that it was resurfaced.

Sorry for the longwinded post, does anyone have any suggestions or ideas on what my next step should be? I really don't want to keep throwing money at different parts and hoping for the best. Thanks in advance.

 

Have you inspected the pressure plate? It sound like something may have come apart in the pressure plate.