Possible clutch problems on my '97 Miata

Just yesterday I noticed a potential problem with my clutch. It seemed like it was getting worse as I drove to work today, but I may have just been getting paranoid. In any case, it's not like it normally is.

The first symptom I noticed is that the clutch engages almost immediately when releasing my foot from fully depressing the pedal. And by almost immediately I mean less than an inch of travel. The pedal feels very soft as I press it in, and I don't remember it engaging so quickly. Also, I've been having trouble getting the gear shift knob into gear. This happens both when driving, and certainly when at a stop and trying to get it back into 1st.

Do these symptoms point to any one possible cause? What should I try to look at first? Am I risking big troubles by trying to continue driving it until this is fixed?

Thanks for any and all help.

By the way, anybody know a good Miata mechanic in the Portland, Oregon area? Preferably on the west side?

Reply to
Mark
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Pull back the slave cylinder boot (in the RH wheelarch) and check for leaking fluid. You can keep going for a while by topping up the clutch reservoir with fresh fluid, but the cylinder will need changing if there is a leak. It is cheap and easy to do. They generally fail at around

60,000 miles.
Reply to
Zog The Undeniable

Had the same problem on my 96. It turn out to be hydraulics, not the clutch. Get it into service quickly though! It'll get harder and harder to drive.

Reply to
virtualelvis

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