Billman250

It sounds like you are setting it right. Use only light finger pressure to turn the rod once the nut is loose. you can take all the play out between the rod and the master, but don't force it to the point where it starts pushing the piston.

This is the biggest misconception people make. They think if theres any pressure at all on the master in the released position, the TO bearing would be slightly activated. This is not true at all.

You would have to turn the rod far enough to get the master piston to move beyond the supply hole in the resovior.

Set it at zero freeplay, then move on to things like possible air in the system, or trans fluid.

Race Miata

I didn't consider that as freeplay but I know exactly what you mean (I've always associated freeplay in hydraulics as air ). That brings to an interesting question... Could the problem be that the rod is adjusted so far into the master cylinder that the piston never pulls back enough to suck in enough clutch fluid thru' the pinhole to fully disengage the clutch? I can't imagine it's "right" to have to adjust the pushrod to its extreme end. I would imagine the piston in the master cylinder more like a one-way valve where clutch fluid can flow around it but... I don't know. Just throwing in my thought.

xviper

I and others have cautioned readers in the past on adjusting the clutch pedal ONLY as a last resort and ONLY if the operator understands what they are doing. It is not something that should be casually fiddled with as the consequences may be dire. If the adjustment in that rod was once correct, I see no reason why, if that nut did not come loose, it would need to be adjusted. Always exhaust all other investigative avenues before playing with that rod. I consider that rod to be a tool to confirm or reject other theories. It should not be used as a "fix".

Goldtrom

Well.... I got word back from the mechanic. They didn't find anything wrong. But, hey they want $1600 to open up the transmission and check! (plus lube some spline)...

Is it really $1600 to drop the tranny? Gee whiz...

Rob

Race Miata

[QUOTE=xviper,Jan 27 2006, 01:53 PM] I and others have cautioned readers in the past on adjusting the clutch pedal ONLY as a last resort and ONLY if the operator understands what they are doing.

xviper

This would imply that they were able to get it into gear without problem. Is this the case?

Goldtrom

Hi Xviper,

Yes, they were able to get it into gear no problem... When I picked it up it was working fine!

The clutch rod is still set to the extreme end. The only thing I did different is drive it on the freeway. Before when I was doing all my testing (after the fluid change, and the the clutch rod) I was only driving around town. Never go into v-tech and never went about 45.

After driving with the clutch rod "adjusted" and new fluid on the freeway all of a sudden everything is fine!?!? WTF?!?!

AS I stated in the first post I've had this problem almost 100% of the time for >month. How can it suddenly go away?

Stuff like this always happens to me... I tore my knee once, couldn't walk on it for a month. Go to the doctor its fine!... Then a week later I go to sit on the toilet and it gives out... The gods are working against me!


Rob

xviper

I somehow doubt that driving on the freeway made any difference. Sometimes, little "gremlins" invade a modern automobile. Perhaps it was just a matter of time after your clutch bleed before the system fully "loaded" itself. Did I mention earlier that bit about rapidly pumping the clutch pedal during the first couple of inches of travel right after completing the clutch bleed? Having not done it at that time, maybe it just took this long for it to do it from ordinary driving.
You might want to see if you can put that rod back to the way it was in small stages.
Having "found nothing wrong" and now that the car works fine, there is no Earthly reason to tear the tranny apart.

Race Miata

It's good to hear that the problem is gone entirely. What xviper said on his last post.