clutch pedal sticks...

[RoughRex]

Ok folks, hit me with your wisdom...

So my wife tells me this started yesterday when she was driving my car, It only seems to happen once the car is warmed up say.... 30 minutes or so into a drive. The clutch pedal starts sticking halfway down or all the way down and the point where the clutch engages moves down to wherever the clutch pedal stuck (sometimes being all the way at the floor and the clutch will not disengage). This only appears to happen while driving, and only after about 30 minutes. If I stop the car and put it in Neutral I can pump the clutch all day and nothing unusual happens, likewise; I can turn off the car and put it in gear and pump the pedal all day with no unusual result. I also tried putting the car in reverse and backing up my driveway when I got home and the car was then stuck in R until I shut it off.

My best guess at this point is the throwout bearing is sticking or the PP is failing (not likely and not sure how being in gear has an effect on either of those) If anyone has an idea I'm wide open to suggestions... and help if your local ;)

BTW car has over 200k mi on it and as far as I know the tranny is original.. I imagine the clutch has probably been replaced at least once but, not while I've owned the car.

Thanks for any help fellow rotorheads :)

[FerociousP]

so you get pedal pressure back as soon as it goes into neutral or the car turns off?? that would rule out the master and slave...

[RoughRex]

If the pedal is stuck when I stop, it stays stuck until I lift it. but after that as long as I'm in neutral I can pump the pedal all day wether the engine is running or not. If the car is in gear though.. it sticks down.

Edit... I was just talking to my wife some more and she mentioned that she had cracked a PP in a car once and she had similar symptoms but she said she was able to use first and second gear with no issue in that car it would only stick the pedal to the floor in 3rd and up... crap, I think I'm just gonna have to tear into it and see what I find. Any tips or suggestions?

[djmtsu]

Check the hydraulics first. My 7 was doing this, so I replaced the slave and master cylinder, and put on an SS line. No problems.

I cracked a pressure plate once in my Escort GT back in the day. It wouldn't come out of a gear once it was in. Unless you shut it down. Made for an interesting drive to the trans shop.

Take off, get to 5K, shut car off, yank it out of first, slam it into 2nd, start car back up, repeat!

[RoughRex]

DJ, you car was doing this only when it was in gear? If so, can you get me a price on clutch master and slave?

[Max777]

wow... that sucks...

how much was it for a new master and slave? I cleaned off my master, and it looked decent, but I'm a bit worried about my slave cyl. Might as well replace them both?

[JL1RX7]

like about 75 bucks. Look for dave from spooled up racing on here he sells new ones. Fast shipping and good guy to do business with.

[Max777]

what about the old cores? what do I do with them?

Also, is it really that bad to get reman stuff? I mean, it DOES have a warranty for a reason, right?

[JL1RX7]

in most cases thats what you are getting anyway. Yes you can rebuild them yourself and save a few bucks. But you don't get the warranty. So it all depends on your budget more than anything. I switched out my system with stuff from spooled up and still keep the old ones for back up just in case. I do that with most wear parts. That way I know I can keep the car on the road while I wait for a "new" part.

[djmtsu]

Don't buy reman hydraulics for clutch parts. They are cheap enough (compared to things like calipers).

[djmtsu]

DJ, you car was doing this only when it was in gear? If so, can you get me a price on clutch master and slave?

You've got PM!