Hi, I have a '96 Eclipse GS, and last night I started having difficulty shifting gears while driving. The shifter would get stuck in neutral, and I had to use quite a bit of force and make at least two attempts at pumping the clutch to get into gear.
This morning, I couldn't get into first after warming it up. Pumping the clutch seemed to work. When I was lucky, and the shifter went to first, without releasing the clutch I could move the shifter freely into any gear. Shifting into higher gears (3, 4, and rarely, 5) while driving seemed difficult as well, and the gearbox made a short and quiet thumping sound (not gear grinding) when I applied force to the shifter.
I realize this could be caused by many different things, like fluid levels in the drive train, loose clutch cable, bad synchromesh on all of my gears (not likely).
This is my first car and I haven't had much luck with mechanics. How should I approach a shop with this problem that may only require a simple job? What should I expect from them if the job doesn't fix the problem?
If the problem is oil on the clutch that makes it stick to the flywheel, where could this oil be coming from? I do have a slight leak from my head gasket, which could have gotten worse and I may have sprayed a lot of oil under the car. This shouldn't get into the clutch, right?
The clutch release mechanism on the Eclipse is hydraulic, not cable, and never needs adjusting. The problem sounds like the clutch is not fully disengaging, and Stewart has given the likely causes. If the clutch slave cylinder is leaking, you will lose hydraulic fluid. If the fluid level gets low enough, you will suck air into the hydraulic lines. The air makes the slave cylinder less effective at doing its job because it cannot generate enough force to fully release the clutch.
Check the fluid level in the clutch master cylinder. It is the smaller of the two on the firewall in the engine compartment (on my 94 GST it is towards the center of the firewall). If it is very low (almost empty), that is a good indication that either the slave or master cylinder is leaking.
The slave cylinder is located on the radiator side of the transmission. It has a metal line connected to it, a rubber cover on one end, and has a steel rod that goes between it and the release fork (a lever sticking out of the side of the transmission). Pull back on the rubber cover and see if it is wet inside. If it is, the slave cylinder is leaking and needs to be replaced now before you damage the synchronizers.
If the clutch master cylinder is leaking, you will see fluid on the firewall on the inside of the car, under the dash above the throttle pedal. If you see fluid there then the master cylinder needs to be replaced.
If it is not the master or slave cylinders, the other possibility is that the clutch disc is warped or distorted (damaged), causing it to drag on the pressure plate and fly wheel when the clutch pedal is depressed. In this case the clutch disc needs to be replaced (along with the release bearing). To do this requires removal of the transmission.
Knowing this, take a look and see if you have fluid leaks. If you do, then you know what the repair shop should be telling you. If they tell you something other that this, go to another shop. They may recommend replacing both the master and slave cylinders, which would seem reasonable to me.
Tips for driving with a clutch that won't release:
If the engine speed matches the transmission's, you can shift into and out of a gear without using the clutch. Here's how to downshift: before changing gears make a note of engine RPM (say 2000). Apply just enough throttle so the car is neither speeding up nor slowing down. Now you can easily move the shifter into neutral without using the clutch. Next apply enough throttle to increase the engine speed by about
1000-2000 RPM. Now you should be able to shift into the next lower gear. Don't push too hard, instead apply some pressure on the shifter and try raising and lowering the engine speed (not too fast) until it drops into gear.
To upshift is the same, except you let up on the throttle enough to lower the engine speed by 1000-2000 RPM.
3a. To take off from a stop: first turn off the engine, push in the clutch, put the transmission in 1st, then start the engine when you are ready to take off. Be sure the release the brake before trying to start the engine!
3b. An alternative would be to downshift into 1st as you are coming to a stop (with the clutch depressed). If the engine stalls then you are at step 3a.
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