Weird problem with clutch today... advice needed.

[Arshad]

Anyone ever have this happen?

I start the car today with the clutch pressed down as normal (car was in 1st gear), handbrake on. Even with the clutch all the way down, the car jumps forward a bit (not too much because luckily the handbrake was on). I'm a little freaked out, and put the car in neutral. After this I cannot get the car into any gear even with the clutch fully pushed in. I turn the car on/off and try again, same thing. I release the parking brake and allow the car to roll back and try again, same thing. The shifter resists being put into any gear (as if the clutch is not pushed down).

I go up to talk to a coworker about it.. come back after 5 mins.. try again and it works perfectly fine. No fluid leaks under the car, no smell, everything seems to be normal again and I drive it safely back home.

Not sure if this is some kind of weird one-time thing... or the beginnings of a larger problem? Any advice on what I should have looked at? Could it be an issue with the hydraulic pressure in the clutch cylinder?

 

[lrsudog]

If the clutch master cylinder or slave cylinder start wearing enough, you can get a leak down resulting in the clutch not disengaging completely. Next time this happens, stick your toe under the clutch pedal and see if it sort of pops up. Check the fluid in the reservoir as well. If it gets low enough, a similar dynamic comes into play.

 

[ryan1926]

Anyone ever have this happen?

I start the car today with the clutch pressed down as normal (car was in 1st gear), handbrake on. Even with the clutch all the way down, the car jumps forward a bit (not too much because luckily the handbrake was on). I'm a little freaked out, and put the car in neutral. After this I cannot get the car into any gear even with the clutch fully pushed in. I turn the car on/off and try again, same thing. I release the parking brake and allow the car to roll back and try again, same thing. The shifter resists being put into any gear (as if the clutch is not pushed down).

I go up to talk to a coworker about it.. come back after 5 mins.. try again and it works perfectly fine. No fluid leaks under the car, no smell, everything seems to be normal again and I drive it safely back home.

Not sure if this is some kind of weird one-time thing... or the beginnings of a larger problem? Any advice on what I should have looked at? Could it be an issue with the hydraulic pressure in the clutch cylinder?

What kind of clutch are you running? My brother (NSXBRO2) experienced the same problem with his brand new aftermarket clutch and Shad over at Driving Ambition figured out what was going on. You should PM him and he will give you all of the juicy details. :biggrin:

 

[Larry Bastanza]

And the clutch fluid level is????

Regards,
LarryB