Gear change issues
Discussion
A few months ago I posted something on here about my recent purchase...
"I have recently purchased a mk1 1.8 mx5 and have been absolutely delighted with it until the other day. I drove a long distance, and on the return journey I was cruising on the motorway when traffic ahead forced me to change down my gears. Now I was able to take the car out of 5th but couldn't put it into any other gear. I stopped on the hard shoulder to cool down and managed to set off again and get home noticing the clutch pedal was lighter and the biting point very low.
I read up quickly about it and checked the master clutch cylinder reservoir, which was empty of any fluid. I filled up the reservoir with dot 3 fluid which allowed the operation of the clutch through all the gears except 2nd. I currently have to go from 1st to 3rd because I get gear crunching if I try putting it in 2nd. The only way I can get it into 2nd is matching the revs. I regularly check the fluid levels which have not dropped since.
Could it be that there has been a leek in the clutch cylinder, and that it is likely to need replacing or bleeding to remove any air, or does it sound like something more ominous?"
Anyway...I have had the clutch drained (no difference)and replaced the clutch slave cylinder (still no difference). Speaking to the garage that fitted the cylinder, they said it could be the selectors or the syncro??
Has anyone else had a problem like this before?
Any help would be much appreciated.
"I have recently purchased a mk1 1.8 mx5 and have been absolutely delighted with it until the other day. I drove a long distance, and on the return journey I was cruising on the motorway when traffic ahead forced me to change down my gears. Now I was able to take the car out of 5th but couldn't put it into any other gear. I stopped on the hard shoulder to cool down and managed to set off again and get home noticing the clutch pedal was lighter and the biting point very low.
I read up quickly about it and checked the master clutch cylinder reservoir, which was empty of any fluid. I filled up the reservoir with dot 3 fluid which allowed the operation of the clutch through all the gears except 2nd. I currently have to go from 1st to 3rd because I get gear crunching if I try putting it in 2nd. The only way I can get it into 2nd is matching the revs. I regularly check the fluid levels which have not dropped since.
Could it be that there has been a leek in the clutch cylinder, and that it is likely to need replacing or bleeding to remove any air, or does it sound like something more ominous?"
Anyway...I have had the clutch drained (no difference)and replaced the clutch slave cylinder (still no difference). Speaking to the garage that fitted the cylinder, they said it could be the selectors or the syncro??
Has anyone else had a problem like this before?
Any help would be much appreciated.
Definitely sounds like clutch hydraulics to me - maybe even a bad bleed first time round when they've replaced the slave cylinder?
Was it a genuine one, or a rebuild kit?
An interesting, easy thing to check would be to put the steering on full left lock and poke your head in, you should be able to see through to see the slave cylinder and the release arm.
If you get a mate to press the clutch right in, and maybe also to pump it a few times, you can watch to see how far the cylinder is pushing out.
Also, if theres a leak somewhere you might find that if they push the pedal in then hold it there, you might see the piston slowly retracting.
Was it a genuine one, or a rebuild kit?
An interesting, easy thing to check would be to put the steering on full left lock and poke your head in, you should be able to see through to see the slave cylinder and the release arm.
If you get a mate to press the clutch right in, and maybe also to pump it a few times, you can watch to see how far the cylinder is pushing out.
Also, if theres a leak somewhere you might find that if they push the pedal in then hold it there, you might see the piston slowly retracting.
Definitely sounds like clutch hydraulics to me - maybe even a bad bleed first time round when they've replaced the slave cylinder?
Was it a genuine one, or a rebuild kit?
An interesting, easy thing to check would be to put the steering on full left lock and poke your head in, you should be able to see through to see the slave cylinder and the release arm.
If you get a mate to press the clutch right in, and maybe also to pump it a few times, you can watch to see how far the cylinder is pushing out.
Also, if theres a leak somewhere you might find that if they push the pedal in then hold it there, you might see the piston slowly retracting.
Was it a genuine one, or a rebuild kit?
An interesting, easy thing to check would be to put the steering on full left lock and poke your head in, you should be able to see through to see the slave cylinder and the release arm.
If you get a mate to press the clutch right in, and maybe also to pump it a few times, you can watch to see how far the cylinder is pushing out.
Also, if theres a leak somewhere you might find that if they push the pedal in then hold it there, you might see the piston slowly retracting.
The pedal does have a bit more feel to it but nothing in the way of a massive difference. First gear used to engage after about an inch of clutch release, but seems to be a little more now. (which is fine)
The only thing that makes me thing that this is not air left in the system, is because initially I had it bled, then when that did not work, had the slave cylinder replaced (for which another bleed is required) which still did not fix the problem. The cylinder was not the genuine one but the OEM on from mx5parts.
So what you are saying is that the clutch pipe lines could shagged or it could be the master cylinder?
I am taking it to mx5 city in conisbrough today - sheffield where they say they should be able to run some diagnostics and see what is wrong.
I will report back what they say!
The only thing that makes me thing that this is not air left in the system, is because initially I had it bled, then when that did not work, had the slave cylinder replaced (for which another bleed is required) which still did not fix the problem. The cylinder was not the genuine one but the OEM on from mx5parts.
So what you are saying is that the clutch pipe lines could shagged or it could be the master cylinder?
I am taking it to mx5 city in conisbrough today - sheffield where they say they should be able to run some diagnostics and see what is wrong.
I will report back what they say!
Right, just got back from mx5 city and their engineer took at look at it. Apparently the synchromesh on 2nd gear has gone, so they are offering me a replacement gearbox for about £150 (awaiting confirmation) with £37 an hr labour (taking about 2hrs to complete). Sounds pretty good to me, but still disappointing! I will keep you all apprised of what happens with it, and hopefully I should have my full boosting ability returned to me!
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