bigbadbenny3

Ok, so I drove to the store and to the post office this morning with no problems at all, aside from the add coolant thing which I'm still working on figuring out. When i come out of the store and start my car................I can't put it in any gear without really forcing it, and when I do the car shudders like it wants to take off. Mind you I have the clutch down to the floor, pressure feels fine, but she just doesn't want to go into gear. I drove it the short way home (2 or 3 minute drive). I'm just looking for suggestions on what it might be, what i should be checking for, and if i should not be driving it right now. Thanks

bigbadbenny3

OK I lied, the clutch does not feel fine. When I press the clutch in about halfway, it shakes and I can hear a rattling sound in the passenger side of the engine bay. I poked around a bit and couldn't find any leaks anywhere. Suggestions?

insomniac

iTrader: (5)

Might want to check on the clutch fork

Unkachabull

iTrader: (7)

Possibly the throw out bearing.

bigbadbenny3

I'm thinking it might be a pressure problem. Well that's what I'm hoping anyways. I'm going to bleed my slave cylinder and see what happens. If that doesn't work then ill move on to the clutch fork.

rxvette

slave cylender for sure

bigbadbenny3

So I'm pretty sure my clutch fork is broken. My brother and I were bleeding the slave cylinder and it never quite felt right. The clutch would go to the floor and not come back up and sometimes I could hardly push it in halfway. When I tried to start it with the clutch to the floor it started ok but when I touched the clutch I heard something break. Where is the little window located where I can see the clutch fork and how much of.a pain in the *** is it to replace?

bigbadbenny3

Any words of wisdom?

bigbadbenny3

Diagnosis: broken clutch fork, clutch release bearing, not sure how far the damage goes. I got under the car this morning and opened up the inspection panel, one of the clutch fork prongs was just laying there, as well as the piece on the release bearing that the fork grabs onto. Clutch cover is a bit scratched up but it doesn't look horrible. I've got some pictures that I will post up soon. I'll do a search on where I can find the necessary parts, etc.

Dudemaaanownsanrx7

iTrader: (23)

there are a couple service ports, or "windows" on the bell housing, you will need a good flashlight and even better eyes, its hard to look through the ports. check to make sure the slave cylinder is engaging the lever in the bell housing where it should. It's possible it slipped out of place and thats what you heard "break". It's most easily seen looking through the port on the passenger side if i remember correctly.

it's also possible the pull type clutch thingy has pulled through. there is a video that shows how this happens. i'll see if i can locate it.

One other thing, you may have needed to adjust the clutch pedal so it engaged more, this can be done from an adjustment in the car under the dash on the clutch pedal area.

bigbadbenny3

Here are some pictures, some are a bit fuzzy but overall I think they came out alright. As far as making sure the slave cylinder is engaging, I will have to wait until I can get an extra set of hands.....or feet rather. Right now this is a solo operation. I'm probably going to have to wait until next weekend so get her to a shop where I can use a lift, pull off the tranny and get a good look inside. Should I buy my replacement parts at onlinemazdaparts.com or should I get them elsewhere. This website is asking about $86 for a fork and $72 for the release bearing. Thanks to all for the helpful info, hopefully there isn't much else wrong with her.

Dudemaaanownsanrx7

iTrader: (23)

well at least you found the problem. have you ever removed the transmission before? if not its a real bitch unless you know how to release the pull type collar then its pretty simple.

this is a very helpful video showing how to release it. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPCi4RpGQCU

bigbadbenny3

I have never removed the tranny on one of these, but I do know how to do the pull type collar. What kind of time frame am I looking at provided everything goes smoothly?

bigbadbenny3

Another question. Am I going to have to completely drop the transmission or just unbolt it? And in order to get the tranny off I need to release the pull type collar first correct?

Dudemaaanownsanrx7

iTrader: (23)

shouldnt take real long if your pretty good mechanically. course i've always had the engine out when i pulled the transmission so that makes it super easy.. im guessing about 4 hrs to have it out and all back together. Call ray at mazda malloy maybe he can get them cheaper?

I remember the first time i didnt know how to release the collar and a buddy and i were yanking and prying and tugging and i couldnt under stand why the transmission was coming like 2" off and clearing the bolts even allowing me to spin it around in a circle but wouldnt come off. then i came in and did a lil searching and found that and was like dang thats so simple.

Dudemaaanownsanrx7

iTrader: (23)

no you need to unbolt it first and then release the collar. you will need to completely remove the transmission to get to the broken parts. getting it out won't be too hard, getting it back in will be slightly more challenging. You might want to have another set of hands to pull on the transmission while you push the collar in place.

bigbadbenny3

Yeah I'm gonna be doing all the work from underneath the car, hopefully I can get it on a stand. Gonna have some help with me of course. I don't think it will be too bad though, I've got a pretty good mechanical background (big *** airplanes) this is completely different than that though haha. Thanks for all the useful info and tips....makes the process seem smoother.

Dudemaaanownsanrx7

iTrader: (23)

yeah shouldnt be bad at all, and i dont know if it will be necessary but if you need more clearance or a different angle its also not too difficult to loosen the engine mounts and tilt it one way or the other. let us know how it all goes. There might even be a writeup on the forums on the full process of removing the tranny. I know there is one about replacing the 5th gear synchro which may include trans removal. i dont remember.

bigbadbenny3

Thanks. Yeah I've got detailed manuals on maintenance for pretty much everything on the car. So I've got all the resources I need, right now it just comes down to timing and money lol. I wish I had an endless supply of both. But I will keep you updated throughout the process, and I will probably take photos or a video of the process. Who knows might come in handy someday when someone else needs to do this. Laterz,
Ben