damation, another 5-spd problem

[eksz]

My 5-speed died (the lower shaft broke in half). I replaced the trans with a used one. I reused the clutch and throw-out bearing as they had less than 1,000 miles on them. I deleted the clutch dampner and bled the clutch. On the first test drive car shifted fine but in 2nd-5th gear the car reved up fine but without the expected increase in speed (clutch slipping) The clutch engaged at the extreme end of letting the clutch pedal out. I bled the clutch again and test drove it again. After 7 miles the clutch was was no longer engaging the trans at all and I had to tow it home. Car sat for a couple of hours and I went out and tested it again. This is what I found:
a. With the engine off I can easily shift between all gears without having to step on the clutch pedal.
b. With the engine running the clutch is engaging again at the extreme end of letting the clutch pedal out, and the car will move.

I am about 100% sure the clutch is gone but I sure hate to pull the trans again and find out it is something else. That brings me to my question, is there anything in the hydralic clutch system or the clutch itself that could cause the clutch to hang up and slip or not engage the trans at all?

[Galanttuner10]

adjust the rod on the clutch master more toward the floor, it has a lock nut so loosen that before u pull out the pin that holds the rod to the pedal then spin the end of the rod clockwise to shorten it. dont go too far just a couple turns. these cars 7Gs/2gs need extra clutch pedal free play or go into a pump up mode as well and that leads to clutch slippage

check the slave is getting full travel when you hit the clutch as well as maybe its the master or slave acting up

i hope its not the clutch.

[eksz]

Galanttuner10,
You were right. The clutch must have been in a pump up mode. Who would ever think just a couple twists of the clutch master cylinder rod would make such a difference. I loosened the lock nut, turned the rod a couple of times and suddenly all the gears are back and working without any sign of slippage. I can't tell you how glad I am not to have to pull that trans. In the past year alone I've pulled/installed three trans and still have a 5-spd swap I need to do.

Here are a couple lessons learned from all these trans swaps:
1. Support the engine on the part of the oil pan that is closest to the trans. If you suport the engine under the part of the oil pan where the drain plug is located the engine can still settle or slope once the trans mount is removed. If that happens it makes it difficult to remove the old trans and near impossible to reinstall the replacement trans as frame members interfer with aligning the trans. A better option for supporting the engine is to support it from above with a support bar. You could use a cherry picker engine crane but the legs of the crane will most likely be in the way of you working under the car.

2. Impact wrench and a 36mm socket is the perfect combination for removing the axle hub nuts.

3. The perfect pry bar for assisting the axles from the trans is shaped like the letter "L" The long side of the bar should be 17.5 inches or less and the short side should be 2 7/8 inches or more in length. If the long side is too long it is awkward to use and gets caught up on things. If the short side is too short it can't fit under the axle hub and give you the needed leverage to assist the axle hub out of the trans. I'll post a picture of what I used once I download pictures.

4. Removing the lower control arm to allow removal of the axle often results in the lower control arm's destruction. This is because the bolt are often seized to the metal bushing due to rust and the metal bushing usually end up tearing out of the rubber as you try to remove the bolts. I applied anti seize to my bolts this time as a test to see if this will prevent this from happening in the future. Time will tell.

[eksz]

This is the pry bar I used to assist the axle hub out of the transmission. It worked great. As indciated the long side should be 17.5 inches or less and the short side should be 2 7/8 inches or more. An extra inch (more of less as indicated) would be about perfect. First I raised the car with the jack then used jack stands. Next I removed the axle from the steering/brake hub and then got underneath the car and used the bar. You might have to rotate the axle so you can apply pressure at various parts of the hub. Use the bar only enough so the hub just pops out about 1/2 to 1 inch. This is about all it takes for the circle clip to release from inside the trans. After that you should drop the pry bar and use your hands to support the axle hub while easing it out of the trans. Be careful not to damage the trans seals with the splines of the axle shaft. Also do not just pull on the axle shaft. The axle shaft can seperate from the hub/CV joint if it is just pulled.

[eksz]

I applied anti seize to the bolts that go into the two bolt holes in the lower control arm. The hole on the left is the one that usually ends up seizing. When this happens the rubber bushing that holds the metal bushing (that the bolt goes thru) ends up getting tore up and you have to replace the lower control arm. You'll also notice I removed the inner tie rod ball joint from the the steering knuckle to allow me to remove the axle. This is an excellent opportunity to check the inner tie rod for looseness and the check the rack and pinion to inner tie rod boot (bellows) for tears. If it is tore, you loosen the lock nut on the tie rod and count the number of rotations needed to remove the tie rod ball joint. Slide the old boot off and the new one on. Screw the old tie rod ball joint back onto the tie rod while counting the correct number of turns or pay for a new alignment. Buy an OEM inner tie rod boot as the generic universal replacement boots from NAPA, O'Rileys and Autozone do not fit properly (too small of an opening to fit on the Rack and Pinion).

[Galanttuner10]

im glad i can help you out man. its happened in my buddies 2gs so i know where to look. make sure you keep that extra pedal paly and you should be all set.

[eksz]

Galanttuner10,
I had never heard of a hydralic clutch going into pump up mode before. Not having to pull that trans was such a huge relief I went ahead and became a TGC Patron. Been looking for an excuse to do that for a while. You'll have to ask Prophet and/or Seth for a kick back, Major thanks

[eksz]

The following you tube viedo explains the cause of the hydralic clutch pump up problem and why adjusting the clutch master cylinder rod fixes it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYJxQyjIhUw

(FYI: Originally posted by MKO in https://www.thegalantcenter.org/showthread.php?t=44861 )