Ok,
So i have never experienced a bad clutch before, so i dont know if thats what my problem is....

On thanksgiving, i went to pull out of the garage and my car wont go into first gear.... i push a little harder and it slips in there, so i try the other gears and the same thing happens...

So i stick it in first, and i BARELY let off the clutch pedal and i practically fly out of the garage.

So, my question is.... since my friction zone has moved so far down on the pedal and my shifter is really hard to put it into gear... does that mean my clutch needs replaced?

Also, i did a search on the cost and i read about $500 - $700 depending on the clutch/shop, is that correct?

Thanks for any help you guys can give me.

-Adam

You've lost a signifigant amount of clutch fluid. More than likely, your master cylinder is leaking down the inside of your firewall, under the dash. Grab a flashlight and look up under the dash behind the gauge cluster (up from the pedals). If you see a stain on the carpet, this is the tell-tale sign of this issue.

Rebuilt master cylinder from Napa is about $30 tops or you can buy a rebuild kit for under $20. Takes about an hour to swap it out, plus time bleeding the system.

Have fun with it.

Thanks for the reply. I rebuilt my master cylinder about a year ago, i checked the inside of the car earlier this morning and i didnt see a leak.

In another search i did on this site, i read that it might be my slave cylinder. I did a lot of searching on the slave cylinder but i didnt find much information on it. I found one for about $100, but i didnt want to replace it if that wasnt the problem. Is there anyway to tell for sure if it is my slave cylinder? i dont really even know what to look for. Any information on slave cylinder replacements besides what is in the search would be extremely helpful!

Thanks again,

-Adam

It could be the slave, but I dunno. Check your fluid levels and try bleeding the clutch. It might work for you. If not, Napa also sells rebuilt slave cylinders for under $40 if I remember right.

LOL. Both my master and slave came from Napa within the last two years. They're good to go, man. No need for OEM, imo.

If your Slave is gone it will be leaking into the boot and then onto the ground. Take a good look there and check back with us. One other option is that the "fingers" (I can never remember the actual name of those things) on the pressure plate can get bent, it happened to me with a Clutch Masters stage 3 clutch (I'll add I will never buy another CM clutch nor would I ever recommend one to someone for their cars).

Let me know if your clutch pressure plate is the problem I can get you a new 6 puck ceramic disc with a sprung hub fully assembled with a new pressure plate (10% higher clamping force), a resurfaced flywheel, and new throw out bearing shipped to you for $420 (including core) But I need your clutch back after you do it (core on the clutch is $20 which you'll get back when I recieve your old clutch). I will personally vouch for the quality of these clutches from Savannah Clutch (Savannah, GA). I have been running one in my car since June with No problems and I can get the tires to break free in 3rd. I have put clutches from Savannah clutch in 525 WHP F-bodies, EVO's and more.

-Kevin

________________________________________
95 Eclipse RS - Rolled
96 Eclipse GS - Traded
95 Eclipse GSX- Sold
01 Blazer LS 4.3/5spd dropped and clean DD
88 Camaro RS 361 CID with a 6spd and a bar 10 second street car on motor.

I just dealt with a leaking slave, very sneakly little sob. With the boot they are very misleading.

I did the rebuild kit from Autozone, 3 wrong kits left me and the salesman with the fact that you cant get a rebuild kit for them. I had no idea Napa could source one. If you find a rebuild kit for it then post the P/N in the manual trans section for future reference. I got an OEM one for 70.00 shipped from online dealer parts.

Terry

I went to napa online and i couldnt find the part number for the rebuild kit OR the replacement. Does anyone know where i can find the part number or does anyone know the part number for the replacement?


This is what i found online:

Clutch Slave Cylinder UP360007 $31.99
Engine:2.4 L 2351 CC L4 SOHC

Clutch Slave Cylinder UP360007 $31.99
Engine:2.0 L 1997 CC L4 DOHC; EngineAspiration:Turbo;

Clutch Slave Cylinder BA0728862 $41.49
Engine:2.4 L 2351 CC L4 SOHC;

Clutch Slave Cylinder BA0729105 $44.99
EngineAspiration:Turbo;

As far as i can tell, none of those apply to me.... Any idea where i can get one before wednesday?

So i got my haynes manual today and thoroughly checked out my car and took some pictures for you guys. I checked on the master cylinder and it is fine, no leaks or anything.

The rubber boot on the slave cylinder also seems fine, however the square rubber boot right in front of it had some liquid on it as you can see in the pictures. i lifted it up and its all wet in there. I noticed a more major leak down the bottom of the transmission as you can also see in the pictures, and i wasn't sure if this was caused by the slave cylinder or if its something worse.

My fluid level in the container above the master cylinder seems to be at a descent level, which kind of makes me worried that my problem is something else. Yes its as black as night, but its still pretty full. Im wondering if i flush it out and bleed the clutch if maybe this could help my issue....??

If you guys think it is still the slave cylinder, i will just replace it. I have trusted this site and its members for several years and i have never been steered in the wrong direction, but i just wanted to make sure and see what you guys think with the pictures?


Thanks again for all your help

-Adam

I think I'm having a similar problem as you. Mine won't go into any gear with the car running and I didn't want to force it into gear, but if I start the car with it in gear and the clutch pressed in, it will try to take off. My fluid level is fine as well. It is dark, not quite as dark as yours, but it's noticable. I think I'm going to try the slave cylinder first.

I just pray to God it's not the clutch. I would think if it was the clutch, that instead of just all of sudden it quits working, it would slip first and eventually it just wouldn't have any material left on the disc. Also, I think if it were the throw out bearing, you would hear a lot of clanging around and I don't think it would go into gear or at anytime.

-Roman

I wouldnt waste your time, i rebuilt mine today and its still F'd. It will shift gears fine when the car is off, but once its on it will not go into any gears. If i start the car already in gear, with my foot fully depressed on the clutch peddle, my car will slowly creep forward.

Im thinking i may not have bled the clutch properly, so im getting some hose and im going to try again tomorrow the way it says it in my haynes manual. If that doesnt fix it, im going to assume i need a new clutch.

If you figure it out, please let me know.

I am currently having this EXACT SAME ISSUE. Clutch pedal goes to the floor, have to rev up to like 4500rpms, tranny will then engage, barely lift foot, car takes off. When this first happened, I replaced the slave cylinder and removed the restricer plate, thinking if I put more fluid to the slave cylinder, it'll react faster, therefore raising my engagement point off the floor. No dice. I blead and blead and blead the system, still nothing. I checked the clutch master cylinder, no leaks are visible. It COULD be leaking internally since my clutch used to engage right about 1/2 way but over time the engagement point went to the floor. My clutch is a SPEC Stage 3 and I'm thinking of just replacing it and the TOB and PRAYING that fixes the issue.

If anyone does get this figured out, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, let me know ASAP as I NEED to get my car back on the road ASAP.

96 Indy Red Dodge Avenger I4 5spd
225.7whp/227.2wtq @ 10psi, currently running 12-14psi.
HRC Stage III turbo setup
JE 8.8:1 pistons
Eagle rods
block bored .020" over
GReddy FMIC w/ custom piping
1G crushed BOV
SPEC Stage 3 clutch
2.5" DP, 2.5" high flow cat, 3" ERT catback w/ Magnaflow muffler and 3" tip.
much much more...

______________________________
If a sentence found online has 35% misspellings or greater and includes at least two racially charged expletives, chances are it is a YouTube comment.

'95 Eclipse TurboGS (garage deco)
'95 TSi AWD (restoring a survivor)
'97 Talon ESi-T (poor impulse control)
'99 Eclipse RS-T (daily beater)
'13 Evo X (mostly stock)
'17 Sienna (Middle Aged Dad Mobile)



Factory Service Manuals: http://nawdu.de/files/

Yeah i did, i just took that picture to show it was all gunky. Picture didnt come out like i wanted it to but i was uploading the pictures so i figured i would upload them all.

When i rebuilt the slave cylinder i replaced the round rubber boot on it, it seemed fine when i rebuilt it but it was pretty nasty and the rebuild kit was only $15 so i figured why the hell not.

Did you try rebleeding it again? If it works out for you, I'm going to get the rebuild kit. If not, then I'm ordering one from Mitsu. I can get it through them for $79.

-Roman

Yes, i rebled it 4 times and i finally gave up. Im calling the tow truck on Monday. I love my car but god DAMNIT it pisses me off!

If you find a fix PLEASE let me know ASAP, as this is my daily driver

1998 GS
Mods: Cold air intake, Ported/polished stock intake manifold, AFX 55mm TB, Pacesetter header,
Custom Magnaflow cat-back exhaust system, AFX Underdrive pulley,
B&M short throw shifter(cut/welded), Symborski Shift Kit, Solid front motor mount, Monster ground wire kit.

Status: Finally up and running!

anyone figure this out?

1998 GS
Mods: Cold air intake, Ported/polished stock intake manifold, AFX 55mm TB, Pacesetter header,
Custom Magnaflow cat-back exhaust system, AFX Underdrive pulley,
B&M short throw shifter(cut/welded), Symborski Shift Kit, Solid front motor mount, Monster ground wire kit.

Status: Finally up and running!

I've been broke so I couldn't get the slave cylinder yet. I've been driving the parts truck. I talked to one of the mechanics up here, and he said that even though the master and slave aren't leaking, they could still be the culprit. He said not to mess with the rebuild kits either. As soon as I get the money, I'm probably going to replace the slave cylinder, and see if that works. If not, I'm going to replace the autozone master cylinder with one from satan because I'm almost positive it's something in the hydraulics and not the clutch itself.

-Roman

Thats what i keep getting told too, its the hydraulics. I just had a tow truck come yesterday (who locked my damn keys in my car so i had to pay to get one made) and he took it to Mitsubishi. As much as i hate going to the dealership, i have yet to find a mechanic around here that i trust.... plus they all think eclipses are pieces of shit. There is this guy over there that is real cool, and although the prices are high, he's the only one that knows how to properly diagnose my car. I was hoping someone on here would figure it out before i had to resort to this, but i will post up here as soon as i hear back from them on monday.

1998 GS
Mods: Cold air intake, Ported/polished stock intake manifold, AFX 55mm TB, Pacesetter header,
Custom Magnaflow cat-back exhaust system, AFX Underdrive pulley,
B&M short throw shifter(cut/welded), Symborski Shift Kit, Solid front motor mount, Monster ground wire kit.

Status: Finally up and running!

Mine's doing this too, it's the master cylinder on mine. There's a tiny leak inside the car above the clutch pedal, but because air got into the system it's doing exactly what you're describing.

There's a chance it's your fulcrum ball or the throwout fork broke, but I can pretty much guarantee you it's a hydraulic issue. Especially since your clutch fluid is nasty black, its probably been wearing down your rubber seals with all that grime in it.

This is a good thing since the hydraulic system is super simple. Just a master cylinder on one side with a reservoir, a couple lines easily visible, and a slave cylinder.

I wish you were right, and i thought the same thing. The slave cylinder was the cause for the fluid on the bottom of the tranny, so i replaced that... and just for fun i replaced the master cylinder (P.S. Im never messing around with rebuild kits ever again!). Checked the lines.... no dice.

The car is now driveable... however the clutch lets out almost at the floor and the shifter is still kinda hard, not smooth like it used to be. It is now at mitsubishi, i sat there while they checked it out and rebled it, and still nothing.

At this point, im going to assume its the clutch fork or something is not engaging properly. I have already wasted $340 on tow-bills/service charges on this, so hopefully i get it figured out soon. I will post here as soon as i figure it out, because i dont want anyone else to have to go through this, its my daily driver and its been down for 2 weeks....... now, to teach the newbs to search so they dont figure it out the hard way like me.... eh, thats a challenge for another day

1998 GS
Mods: Cold air intake, Ported/polished stock intake manifold, AFX 55mm TB, Pacesetter header,
Custom Magnaflow cat-back exhaust system, AFX Underdrive pulley,
B&M short throw shifter(cut/welded), Symborski Shift Kit, Solid front motor mount, Monster ground wire kit.

Status: Finally up and running!

I learned something over the weekend. The little brass shaft coming out of the master cylinder that the clutch pedal bolts to will spin once you loosen the locking bolt. That's the adjustment for pedal engagement.

Once adjusted, there should be about 1/4" of play between the first time you touch the clutch pedal to where you feel it stiffen up against the hydraulic piston. Lock down the nut after it's correct.

How did the fluid get bled? On mine, we had to use a syringe to vacuum all the air out of the fluid, and it took half a bottle of fluid to get it correctly bled. Also try taking out the bleed screw and coating the threads with teflon paste to avoid air sneaking in thru the threads while bleeding.

This hasn't been asked yet, but did any of you lose any pressure in the pedal?

-Roman

Yeah i did, i had it bled 4 times by Satan, and i still cant get the pressure back. They said they bled it good, and i trust the dude i know over there. He said the problem may still be something internal, he thingks probably the clutch fork, but im not willing to pay them $540 to unmount the tranny to find out. I guess ill fix this when my clutch starts slipping.....

New master/slave cylinder gave me my shifting back btw... its "notchy", but it gets me from here to there.

1998 GS
Mods: Cold air intake, Ported/polished stock intake manifold, AFX 55mm TB, Pacesetter header,
Custom Magnaflow cat-back exhaust system, AFX Underdrive pulley,
B&M short throw shifter(cut/welded), Symborski Shift Kit, Solid front motor mount, Monster ground wire kit.

Status: Finally up and running!

See thats the thing about mine. I didn't lose any pressure in the pedal, maybe just a tad but it's not really noticable. If it's something internal like a broken fork, fulcrum ball, or throwout bearing that came apart, I would think it wouldn't have any pressure because there would be nothing for it to push against, but at the same time if it were a hydraulic issue, I would think it would have lost pressure there also. I can't even pump it up and get it to go into gear. If the car is running it won't go into gear.

I guess I'm just lazy and don't want to pull the tranny out, but then again, who wants to pull a tranny out if they don't necessarily need too. I've got my slave finally and I'm going to try and flush all that old black crap outta there. I'll let you know how it goes.

-Roman

So yea, I'm going to have to pull the tranny and find out what's going on in there. It's definately something in there because after I replaced the slave cylinder, and only after I replaced it, I heard something knocking around. This sucks.

-Roman

1998 GS
Mods: Cold air intake, Ported/polished stock intake manifold, AFX 55mm TB, Pacesetter header,
Custom Magnaflow cat-back exhaust system, AFX Underdrive pulley,
B&M short throw shifter(cut/welded), Symborski Shift Kit, Solid front motor mount, Monster ground wire kit.

Status: Finally up and running!