A quick overview of what usually happens since this is exactly how it went today.

-This morning I started the car and had to almost force it into gear. The engagement point was just off the floor and the clutch obviously wasn't completely engaging as the car would creep forward in first even with the clutch depressed. Shifting is a crapshoot. It may go into second and third or I may have to almost jam it in there. Definitely very notchy and tough to shift.

-Go to lunch, same exact issues.

-Leave for home about 5 hours later and no problems whatsoever. Clutch engages at the right point, no issues shifting, nothing wrong at all. Car runs fine the rest of the night.


I just had the engine rebuilt, but these problems existed before as well. I was hoping it was due to the crank play, but it's still there after putting everything back together. Sometimes it would shift perfectly, other times it was almost un-driveable like this morning.

I've already ordered a tick, just curious if it's solely the MC that could be causing these issues or if I'm going to be potentially disappointed. All other clutch parts only have about 8-10k miles on them.

 

Them were my exact issues. Car would not go in gear in the morning. Trying to force it into gear it would creep forward. It would always be better in warmer weather, guess cause of fluid expansion.

All fixed with the Tick Master Cylinder. Haven't had a problem shifting since.

 

it could be many things it is sign of the MC problem have you checked the fluid? I had my slave leaking which drained my fluid reservoir causing the MC to fail because there was no fluid.

on the Tick side I just installed my and I love it waaayyyy better than the POS it comes with.

 

Also, DO NOT OVER LOOK THE PILOT BEARING!

Pilot bearing back of crank, can and will cause a clutch/trans to not disengage/allow to go into gear.
With input shaft walking around, it can prevent the trans from going into gear AT ALL, or very tough/grinding.

I am NOT saying it's not a MC or slave issue, as it very may well be. Im just saying, that the pilot bearing is a known cause of these symptoms as well, and should not be overlooked.

Here is what I would do:

Make sure hydraulics are bled properly.

If so, move on to:

Clutch MC replacement (easier of the MC or slave to do)

IF after proper bleeding, clutch MC has been replaced and STILL same symptoms.

Then move on to Slave and pilot bearing.


Now keep in mind, a worn PP or clutch disc can cause these same symptoms as well.

Rule of thumb:

If one or 2 gears is all that is giving you problems, 99% of time, its TRANSMISSION related.

If ALL the gears, or MOST of the gears are giving you fits, then 99% of the time it Hydraulic/PB/Clutch issue.

 

Who installed the clutch thats in there? I had a not totally identical but very similar issue. It turned out my spec clutch with 3500 miles was done more half *** than anything I've ever seen in my life. No loc-tite or anti-seize used. Bell housing bolts came off by hand, pressure plate bolts almost came off by hand. Clutch disc was not aligned properly causing it to wear unevenly. And the pilot bearing was gutted and reused...It all resulted in really crappy engagement just off the floor like yours and it was extremely difficult to shift and put the car in gear especially first and reverse. Got a new clutch installed and got it installed right and wow what a difference. Im thankful I didn't destroy any internal trans parts either jamming it into gear. I think it's a good example of how strong the t56 is.

That most likely isn't your problem though, since it takes an extremely special type of dumbass to do something so poorly. But it could maybe be just one of those issues. Loose pressure plate bolts, bad pilot bearing, ect. For most people it does end up being a hydraulic issue, but for others like myself it can be much worse.

 

Thanks guys. The builder said the slave looked perfect and the pilot bearing was replaced with the rest of the clutch components earlier this year. Could still be an issue obviously but realistically should be ok. Engine only has about 125 miles on it since rebuild and this morning everything worked perfect again. I'll check the fluid regardless.

 

OP

doubt your problem will go away on its own....most likely issue is a leak in your hydraulics. MC is probally going bad. suggest McLeod or TICK MC to replace

 

It's funny you mention that because when I replaced the clutch earlier this year, it took about twice as long as it should because the previous install was done so poorly. The biggest issue was that the pilot bearing was installed incorrectly and was damn near impossible to get out. I have total faith in the install that was done. It was all done by Damian on here who is as knowledgeable as they come when dealing with these engines/trans. I'm no expert by any means, but I'd think if it was hardware related, it would be present all the time and wouldn't come and go like it does now. I'll go ahead and install the Tick when it comes and hopefully it helps. Oddly enough, the car has been great since I made this thread.