Got a problem with the tranny in my car (along with a bunch of other people it seems...). Wondering if anyone has some thoughts on what the cause could be.

Everything was fine until a couple days ago. Then the behaviour of the transmission changed quite significantly:

- the clutch pedal got very light.
- I have to press the pedal all the way to the floor boards to change gears.
- the tranny doesn't always go into the next gear (up and down shifting) easily. Sometimes I have to put the shifter back to the neutral position, and then try again with more force. Other times it will go into gear without too much trouble.
- it seems to get better after having driven for a while, as if being warmed up helps.

I had the stock tranny replaced under warranty about a year ago after the diff pin came out and trashed the internals. I can't imagine why the new one would be giving such a problem so soon after.

Probably take it into the shop monday since I don't have the ability to do much else with it right now. Just wanted to see if anyone has some good suggestions.

damn car... :/

juan

juan, check the level of fluid in your clutch resevoir... bleed the clutch line, to see if you get pressure back in the pedal..

check by the fuse box inside the car to see if your master cylinder is leakin at all...

sounds like you need to bleed the fluid, but it may be something else...

good luck

I'm with Sean, the soft pedal feel makes me lean towards clutch master cylinder or something in that system, rather than a linkage adjustment.

Una salus victus.
"Be like the cliff against which the waves continually break, it stands firm and tames the fury of the water around it" - Marcus Aurelius

Michael J. Kulaga
e-mail: Michael_97RS@2gntDSM.zzn.com aol IM: MJKulga
http://highlander.dsmpower.com/

All motor in the making.

Injen CAI, P&P Intake Manifold, Crower Stage 2 Cams, Hooker Header, GS-T Muffler, AFX UDP, S-AFC, 8.5mm Magnecor Wires, Crane Fireball HI-6DI2, FU/RU/RL STBs, TSW Blade 17x7.5, Bridgestone Potenza RE730, Front KVR Cross-Drilled Rotors & Carbon Fiber Pads

To Be Installed: P&P Milled Head, Rear Disc Brakes, Rear KVR Cross Drilled Rotors & Carbon Fiber Kevlar Pads, SS Brake Lines, AFX 55mm TB (re-installed once exhaust is done, intake was outflowing exhaust)

To be fixed?: Head gasket... unless coolant reservoir is suppose to bubble, hmmmm.

Yeah, sounds like a hydralics problem. Check your master and slave cylinder, and the fluid level.

Possibly a slave cylinder hose problem... Me and a good friend of mine have both had to replace the aluminum hose conecting from the slave cylinder (small cylinder for clutch you can see it if you look down by intake small spungy black cover moves forward and back when engaging clutch) their is a small metal hosing running from it up to the hydraulic lines it seems Mitsubishi made a cheap piece of aluminum for this one so look it over good (also dont order another from dealership for $25 go to Nappa or like stores I found a thicker better replacement for only $7)... Maybe this isnt it just tryin to help =P

the exact same thing happened to me, i was lucky and all i needed was to bleed the clutch line. somehow, and air bubble got in there and made shifting almost impossible. if i'd pump up the clutch between shifts while in neuteral it would engage, but otherwise it would just quit. pretty crazy, but i was happy that it was only an air bubble and not a transmission or a more expensive clutch problem.

I agree, it defenitely sounds like a problem with the clutch hydraluics Juan. Either air in the lines, a leak, or a bad master or slave cylinder. Also, because all of the problems with the clutch seemed to happen within a few days, that also leads me to think it is a hydraluic problem.

I'd bet one of your cylinders has bit the dust. This sounds exactly like what happened to my Saturn. (Your clutch has the same symptoms.) The grab point of my clutch went from the normal location to the bottom of the floor in 2 or 3 days. Because of the grab point going so low, the clutch was not fully disengaging and it was hard to put into gear. The pedal also got a little softer and was easier to push down.

Hope that helps.

Thanks for the comments guys. The master cylinder had gone. Just got a new one installed at the dealer (too much hassle to deal with it myself now, and I haven't messed with these parts before). They actually said they are getting a lot of people with this problem on our cars right now, and there is a national(?) backorder on the part. They had to order them from the Chrysler/Eagle dealer.

juan

Glad to hear you got it fixed!

Yes, hydraulic master and slave cylinders are many times bound to go bad. The nice thing is that many times all you need to do is buy a rebuild kit either just for the maser, or just for the slave cylinder rather than having to buy an entirely new part.

Many times, they only run about $15 to $40 depending on which one, and where you buy it.

>They actually said they are getting a lot of
>people with this problem on our cars right now,

This is probably because all 2gnts are 3 to 7 years old, so it's only a matter of time until those master cylinders reach the end of their lifespan.

alright I think it's okay for me to hijack this since I'm bringing it back from the dead....and I have the same exact symptoms now

Is it easy to replace the master/slave cylinder? I've done the basic maintenance, like oil change, plugs, fuel filter etc myself. Is ti any more difficult? I've got a chiltons so that should help.


Where is the best place to purchase these parts? Is there anywhere online that they can be purchased for cheap?

I'm waiting on my Power Bleeder, I'm going to try that before I buy the cylinders. Hopefully I just have an air bubble, by Murphy's law says otherwise...

advice?

www.partznet.com

or

www.forumdodge.com i think it is...

I would replace both the master and the slave at the same time, since whatever killed one probably killed (or at least mortally wounded) the other. I would also go with a braided SS clutch line while you are at it, since rubber crap lines don't last forever.
-=B-=

thanks for the help guys...

I must be retarded though, because I can't find a SS clutch line anywhere online...I tried ptuning, conicelli, howell (even called them, the guy put me on hold, and a minute later comes back and says "we don't have ANYTHING like that"), and a couple other places with no luck. I did find one for a 4G63 at extrememotorsports, but I'm going to assume that won't work.

Is this something I can get at autozone?
____________________
Black 96 ESI 5 speed
few mods here and there

http://www.roadraceengineering.com/ecldrivetrain.htm

Stainless Steel Braided Clutch Flex Line 89-99 Turbo and Non Turbo
$20

This -3 braided hose replaces the flexible rubber clutch fluid line that runs from the body to the bracket on the transmission. Fits FWD and AWD, 1G and 2G Eclipse and Talon, also GVR-4s. The 2G SS clutch line is now longer and completely replaces the reservoir tank on the front of the tranny. This will help reduce pedal travel with heavy clutches.


You can never go wrong with those guys.

how did i forget RRE....

thx
____________________
Black 96 ESI 5 speed
few mods here and there

Alas. I am having the SAME problems. Fuckin sucks. Its just one thing after another for meh. :(

Wait fuck so the master/slave cylinders are NOT BUYABLE???? Can i get them from the dodge side???? I mean id want them from there anyway cuz theyre like 50% cheaper...but.... am I going to walk away with master/slave cylinders if I go tomorrow?
x( x( :o

GadDammit.

I went to satan, they said theyd have to order the slave cylinder/hose. (they werent sure which hose i needed but, decided on this one that cost $13..I'm thinking it was the non-steel one)

Would it be unwise to just take the master cylinder over to my shop and have em drop it in? Would that most likely fix the problem? Or should I special order the hose/slave and THEN get it all installed?