just replaced transmission, in my 97 2.0. after taking the broken transmission off i noticed the clutch pedal wouldnt move at all. so i figured i would fix it when i got the transmission on. intalled the transmission and everything, and the pedal still wouldnt move. i didnt touch the clutch lines or anything when i installed the transmission. but, the pedal still wouldnt move so i bled the clutch, and it still wont move. my neighbor told me it could be the clutch master and/ or slave cylinders. my dad isnt sure what to do, and neither have had time to try much. i really dont want to take it to a professional because i should be able to fix it myself, i just dont know whats wrong. any help would be appreciated. and just ask for more info if you need it. thanks a lot.

 

can you push the rod into the cylinder? you should be able to push it in and then the clutch pedal will push it out.

be more specific

 

i can push the rod into the slave cylinder, and then when i push the clutch it goes in. but when i let the clutch out and try to push it in it wont. i started the car today, its not running to well but that doesnt surprise me because it sat for 3 months without runnning. anyways, i have to push the rod into the slave cylinder to start it, then i leave the clutch in and tried putting in gear but it wont. also, its not idling right. it idles at 500 rpm and idle hops from 500 to 300. but when i rev it up it runs like crap, which im not too concerned about because my dad said it just needs to be driven. pretty soon im going to take it to a shop when i get paid because im getting irritated and i have no car to drive. thanks for the help.

 

The clutch pedal isnt disengaging the clutch.

The reason you have to push the piston into the master cylinder is because when the pressure plate isnt pushing back on the release arm enough it wont push the piston back into the cylinder, this makes it so the clutch pedal wont go all the way down. The reason the car starts when you push the rod back into the cylinder is because it enables you to push the clutch all the way down. When the clutch is all the way down the pedal hits a button that enables the car to be started. But since the clutch is not disengaged you have to have it in neutral. The reason you cant get it into gear is because you cant disengage the clutch so itd be like trying to throw the car into gear without using the clutch.

So there are a few reasons why your clutch isnt being disengaged, ive encountered most of them

1) The throwout bearing isnt snapped on to the pressure plate-----this one would be an easy fix, did you snap it on? if not then unbolt the cylinder and push the release arm toward the fire wall in a counter clockwise orientation, you will hear a snap. Then put back the cylinder and try again.

2) the throwout bearing fell off the fork. this is easy to detect; if the release arm can be moved easily clockwise (toward radiator) then it fell off...nothing else you can do but tear the tranny off and put it back on, I had the TOB fall off the fork, to fix this i put the TOB on while the tranny was on the ground and put the top bolt on with the release arm how it should be, if you do this while you install it it cant fall off.

3) Your TOB did snap on to the Pressure plate but your clutch is installed improperly. This is a little more tricky to detect. If your arm still feels like its attached to something you need to get under the car, get a flashlight and look into the vent holes of the tranny. You should be able to see a small amount of the pressure plate. Have a friend push the clutch in, if you see the pressure plate move, or disengage somewhat, then you may have this problem. To confirm you need three friends, one needs to be in the drivers seat, one on the passanger front tire, and one on the driver front tire. With the front wheels in the air and the car in gear (but off) you have your friend push the clutch. the driver tire should be rotated forewards while the passanger tire held still. If your friend cannot turn the driver wheel while in gear and the clutch depressed your clutch is not completely disengaging. You need to tear the tranny off and check the installation of the clutch. My remedy was that the friction plate was installed backward, make sure the sprung side is facing toward the tranny.

Take pics when you do this, so we can confirm everything is right

Hope this helps.

 

I'm betting either the TOB isn't snapped in place, or he installed the clutch disk backwards.

 

IT WORKS!!!!! hahaha, thank you soooooooo much. the TOB needed to be snapped. when i did it, it didnt feel like it snapped in but i hooked it up and it worked!!! im soo happy, ive been waiting 3 months for this. thank you soo much for the help, i had no idea it needed to be snapped and either did my dad. thanks!!

THANK YOU ALEX!!!!!!!!!!!

 

No problem, your dad probably only worked on push type clutches which dont need to be snapped in. Ours are shitty pull type so we have to suffer

Im glad 4 u that it was only number one, i had all three happen to me, a few times lol.

Glad you didnt take it in the garage eh? The mechanics would have tore it all apart, down to the flywheel, and then put it back together and snap it in place and it would have worked fine, you would have asked what was wrong and they woulda said "you installed it wrong, dont try to DIY" lol

and it woulda cost you a shit load of cash.

Glad it works. Now let it break in for at least 200 miles.

 

ok bear with me, its 6 am and i just got home from the shop...MY CARS DOING THE EXACT SAME THING...im hoping it wasnt snapped in...anyways my mechanic is getting me a borg werner clutch which is better than the perfection clutch i had purchased. god i hope this works...having to be driven home in a honda was just embarrasing sad.gif

 

The TOB was most likely not snapped in completely. Either that or the snap ring on the pressure plate isnt working properly. Try snapping it in again, and snap it hard. if it goes again, replace the PP and or TOB.

1 of the downsides of having a pull type clutch.