Can my life suck any more? Clutch problems

Aaron · Post by **Aaron** » Wed Jun 29, 2005 2:44 am

Tonight me and some buddies went out cruising in the Fiero, there were like 3 cars out (only 2 people in the Fiero tho).

Well when I was all of the ways down the local strip, the car started acting up, about 15 miles from home. It was running normal, I had actually been really nice to it, considering every car out there would've burned me anyways, so I was just enjoying driving it. Well I lost the clutch. It feels very springy and loose, and doesn't start to engage until its almost to the floor. Before then just springy. The car would not shift when stopped, and it was very rough when driving, I had to match the rpms. I got it back to my house using 3rd gear the whole way, and somehow not stopping at the 24 stoplights I went through (4 were red, and they were tough...). One just went red, and it was a long one. I had to circle the gas station on the corner until it cycled through, IN THIRD GEAR!!!

I am thinking it is the master cylinder, as clutches typically don't just "go out." Sound right?

Thanks for the help, and I won't even bother posting this at da big P.

Series8217 · Post by **Series8217** » Wed Jun 29, 2005 3:43 am

:cussing: now what have you gone and done??

There's quite a few things it could be. First of all, check the fluid level in the master cylinder reservoir up front. If its empty, well, it probably leaked out someplace; maybe on the line, maybe at the slave, and maybe at the master cylinder. If the floor on the driver's side is wet with fluid, thats the master seal leaking. Check around the slave. Pull off the rubber boot and see if its filled up with leaked fluid. All look okay?
Next, have someone push down on the clutch pedal to see if there is any movement at the slave. If it moves a lot and there's no resistance at the pedal, your release arm is loose on the shaft or you busted the fingers off the pressure plate. Try to wiggle the clutch release arm (the thing the slave pushrod pushes on) to see if its loose on the shaft. It should be tight as heck.
If you're getting full slave movement with no resistance and the clutch release arm is tight on the shaft, you have an internal problem. Hopefully its not that, or you'll be taking your car apart for the TDC swap sooner than you planned.

Kohburn · Post by **Kohburn** » Wed Jun 29, 2005 7:50 am

most likely it will be a tad better today before you start it up - meaning it was an air pocket inside the slave that got heated up and expanded making it worse after you had been driving for a while..

its almost always the slave.. clutch slaves have had problems on pretty much every single fiero I or my friends have ever owned

p8ntman442 · Post by **p8ntman442** » Wed Jun 29, 2005 12:05 pm

Can you take a look at the release arm and rule that out? sounds like its loose and not pushing the t/o bearing into the fingers enough to shift. If you have the stamped steel one, it cracks and will loosen on the shaft easily.

Dirty Sanchez · Post by **Dirty Sanchez** » Wed Jun 29, 2005 12:19 pm

Check the basics, fluid level, retainer clips, brackets, etc. but it probably is air in the system as someone pointed out above. :scratch:

Aaron · Post by **Aaron** » Wed Jun 29, 2005 12:26 pm

Ok the clutch feels the same today as it did last night.

The fluid level is a tad low, but nothing to be worried about. There are 2 min marks, it is right above the top one.

I am going to check it out some more in a few minutes.

crzyone · Post by **crzyone** » Wed Jun 29, 2005 2:00 pm

New clutch time. I've gone through 4 or 5 clutches in fiero's, same symtoms. You can be driving them normal and then they just fail.

Time to do an engine swap since your motor will be comming out anyways.

I bet the clutch material came off of one side of the clutch and now you just can't disengage it. Thats what usually happened with my stock clutches. Only other failure I've had was breaking a clutch in half with my 3.4dohc.

Get a SPEC stage 2 and you'll be set.

Kohburn · Post by **Kohburn** » Wed Jun 29, 2005 2:11 pm

my clutch failures were either a diaphram finger snapping off and shredding the pads, or a damper spring poping out and jamming the clutch on

better to not be able to disengage the clutch than to have no clutch at all

i can drive a car with no clutch releasing - can't drive one with no clutch grip

Doug Chase · Post by **Doug Chase** » Wed Jun 29, 2005 2:13 pm

Aaron wrote:Well I lost the clutch. It feels very springy and loose, and doesn't start to engage until its almost to the floor. Before then just springy. The car would not shift when stopped, and it was very rough when driving, I had to match the rpms.

Hey Aaron, are you sure that there's still fluid in the clutch MC? Remember that I told you the slave cyl leaked and I had to top off the MC every couple months. These are the exact symptoms it displayed when the fluid level was getting low.

If that's not it and it needs a clutch, I'm sorry to hear that. I've seen a clutch fail in a Metro that sounds similar to this. One of the springs fell out of the clutch disk and got wedged underneath the "fingers" preventing disengagement.

Aaron · Post by **Aaron** » Wed Jun 29, 2005 2:47 pm

Doug Chase wrote:
Aaron wrote:Well I lost the clutch. It feels very springy and loose, and doesn't start to engage until its almost to the floor. Before then just springy. The car would not shift when stopped, and it was very rough when driving, I had to match the rpms.
Hey Aaron, are you sure that there's still fluid in the clutch MC? Remember that I told you the slave cyl leaked and I had to top off the MC every couple months. These are the exact symptoms it displayed when the fluid level was getting low.

If that's not it and it needs a clutch, I'm sorry to hear that. I've seen a clutch fail in a Metro that sounds similar to this. One of the springs fell out of the clutch disk and got wedged underneath the "fingers" preventing disengagement.

I'll check it again and top it off, but it seemed fine. If it turns out needing a clutch, than it is engine swap time.

Kohburn · Post by **Kohburn** » Wed Jun 29, 2005 2:53 pm

even if you swap you'll still need a new non leaking slave- so do that first

Aaron · Post by **Aaron** » Wed Jun 29, 2005 3:40 pm

Yah I'd change that at the same time.

Kohburn · Post by **Kohburn** » Thu Jun 30, 2005 7:00 am

just do it first - it takes maybe an hour after bleeding the system and could solve your problem

Shaun41178(2) · Post by **Shaun41178(2)** » Thu Jun 30, 2005 5:39 pm

I can bet its yoru slave.

I am guessing you know the difference between the feeling of a slipping clutch and one taht just has a hard time engaging because the hydraulics are shot?

Most likely its the seals in your slave went bad. Get a rebuild kit for like $35, Take some 600 grit sandpaper and lightly sand the inside of the slave, put the new parts in after cleaning of course and rebleed the system properly.

I bet its a hyd issue and not the clutch.

Aaron · Post by **Aaron** » Thu Jun 30, 2005 10:27 pm

Once I get back into CO I'll check the fluid, then just get a new slave if that doesn't fix it. It honestly feels like the slave, not the clutch itself.

It isn't a big deal, that 2.8l needs to go anyways.

Shaun41178(2) · Post by **Shaun41178(2)** » Thu Jun 30, 2005 10:38 pm

what are you talking about dude? Didnt' you say after you first got it that it was fast with the stock motor?

looks like that wore off quick.

Aaron · Post by **Aaron** » Thu Jun 30, 2005 10:41 pm

haha, I didn't say it was fast, I said it moved pretty good for how little power it has. Don't get me wrong, it pulls pretty good for 1st and 2nd, but it is in no way, shape, or form, or by any stretch of the imagination, fast.

It definately needs a 3.4l DOHC, and I really can't wait. Until then, I'm trying to be positive about the 2.8. I still want to swap it though.

Aaron · Post by **Aaron** » Thu Jul 21, 2005 12:31 pm

And the winner is:

Doug!

Well I looked again, and actually pulled off the cap this time, and wouldn't you know it, empty. So I got some Dot 3 fluid, and filled it. Started it, revved it a little for a few minutes, and nothing. So I turned it off, put it in gear, then started it again. It tried to pull with the clutch in, so I let it out and worked it a little, and then I got pedal pressure. Drove it around a little, and its good as ever.

So Doug was right, figures...lol. I will probably change the slave when I do the swap anyways, hopefully that stops the leak.

Thanks for all the help guys!

Kohburn · Post by **Kohburn** » Thu Jul 21, 2005 12:49 pm

is the slave actually leaking? or do you need new clutch line?

Aaron · Post by **Aaron** » Thu Jul 21, 2005 12:54 pm

I can't visually see the leak, but Doug, the previous owner, said it is the slave, so I'll take his word on it.

It couldn't hurt to replace, it isn't very expensive, and from what I hear is a common problem. So chalk another $100 to the engine swap :scratch:

Real Fiero Tech

Can my life suck any more? Clutch problems

Can my life suck any more? Clutch problems

Re: Can my life suck any more? Clutch problems

Re: Can my life suck any more? Clutch problems