Hard to get into gear
12-15-2011, 03:55 PM
#1
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Hard to get into gear I have a 98’ SS w/ a T56 and have been driving it since June of this year. The car has 150k miles. The car ran great when I got it besides mild grinding getting into 5th gear, sometimes 2nd and very hard to get into Reverse unless the car is either off or it’s rolling. If the car is on it needs to be rolling to get into 1st gear and reverse now…and it feels really stiff getting into all of the other gears. But if the car has been ran and warmed up it’s still hard to get into the gears but not as bad as a cold start up. The clutch pedal has recently started to become a bit lighter and the pressure point for engagement is closer to the floor . I know there are numerous variables, but can anyone tell me what I could do to diagnose where the problem may be, whether it be a clutch going bad, slave cylinder going bad, tranny fluid flush, or even a rebuild. If I do need a rebuild, where would you guys recommend I ship it to? Any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks.
12-15-2011, 04:01 PM
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Oh and also, when the car is turned on from a cold start and not put in gear prior to starting it up, it's nearly impossible to get it in, and when my foot is pressed on the clutch and trying to get it into 1st gear the car will actually move just a LITTLE bit as if it wants to go forward.
12-15-2011, 04:03 PM
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Any slips in gears? I just bought a 02 z28 m6 and the previous owner said he replaced the clutch with a full clutch kit including slave cylinder and it was fine afterward. He had the same symptoms as you except no grinds. The car eventually couldn't get into gear completely.
Good luck.
Good luck.
12-15-2011, 06:13 PM
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no slips in any gears. Yeah, it's feeling like it's getting worse and worse...I've never pulled a tranny out before, is it pretty straight forward? anything I should look out for before I attempt to do so?
12-15-2011, 06:20 PM
#5
clutch swaps a pretty straight forward if you have the right tools. I would never attempt to do one without a lift and a trans jack/stand. It really sounds like you need a new clutch and a good clutch bleed. Do you know when/if the clutch was changed last?
12-16-2011, 08:29 AM
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Not sure when it was last changed....but yeah Im sure you guys are right...I just got in the car earlier and started it up with the clutch fully depressed while in first gear and the car already started rolling when it fired up
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12-16-2011, 07:11 PM
#8
Pulling the tranny is pretty straight forward. I've pulled mine 3 times now in my garage using nothing more than ramps and jack stands. It could be the master cylinder maybe.
12-17-2011, 06:02 AM
#9
If your car is moving.with the car in gear and the clutch fully depressed then your clutch is dragging. If your clutch is still touching the flywheel when you have the pedal at full depression then your gonna be locked out of gears. I would definitely not drive the car like that because you will wear your synchros out very quickly. There are some really good clutch install writeups if you Google search them. The only special tool you will really need is a trans jack (about 100 bucks at harbor freight).
12-20-2011, 06:54 PM
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If your car is moving.with the car in gear and the clutch fully depressed then your clutch is dragging. If your clutch is still touching the flywheel when you have the pedal at full depression then your gonna be locked out of gears. I would definitely not drive the car like that because you will wear your synchros out very quickly. There are some really good clutch install writeups if you Google search them. The only special tool you will really need is a trans jack (about 100 bucks at harbor freight).
12-20-2011, 07:21 PM
#11
I would imagine its your master cylinder getting weak and not applying enough pressure to the slave to fully disengage the clutch. I would at least bleed the clutch and see if this helps the issue. Also when you start it pump the clutch pedal a couple of times and see if it goes into gear easier.
12-20-2011, 07:56 PM
#12
Slave could.be the issue. I would get under the car and see if there are any obvious signs of leaks from the hydro system. Any void in the system will cause the hydraulics to not work properly. As Zmg said, bleed the clutch and see if there is any improvement. If there is an improvement but you still can't get gears you may have to jack up the rear end. Basically jack up the rear (safely) with jack stands so the wheels are off the ground. Put the car in gear with the clutch to the floor and rev it up to redline. If the wheels move at all while revving then your clutch is still dragging.
