Clutch problem on S14

[Sills]

Hi! im new to this forum and i am seeking advice after a recent tragedy.

I was out in with my new s14 1997 silvia, it just arrived from Japan here to Canada (Its cold and snowy here now) so anyways I was out with it enjoying it, I hadn't drivin it much yet. I was trying to put it sideways of course (which I managed to do many times without fail) however this time as I slowed down and balanced out my clutch pedal stayed down to the floor, and I was in neutral (5 speed manual btw). I grabbed the pedal with my hand and it went back up, however seems to have no function pressing it. The vehicle was idling fine, however when I tried to force it into a gear I could feel the RPM drop as they would if the clutch wasnt in. No noticeable leaks. Also I turned the vehicle off and was able to turn it back on with the clutch in... How should I go about diagnosing this from the easiest things to check to hardest?

[Sills]

gotta bump, really need help :c

[silverarrow27]

Have you checked for fluid in the master cylinder? Try bleeding if there's fluid. Then I would move onto replacing clutch slave and/or master cylinder after that.

[Sills]

Originally Posted by silverarrow27

Have you checked for fluid in the master cylinder? Try bleeding if there's fluid. Then I would move onto replacing clutch slave and/or master cylinder after that.

Sorry for being a noob to this car, I appreciate this response and I was thinking this could be the problem aswell. Where is it located and how do I go about bleeding it?

[Sills]

Today I towed it home and now the car can move through gears on the shifter without the clutch being depressed and it makes no difference to the rpms if this is valuable information. it moves just as it would with the vehicle not running. Next to that it runs fine, engine sounds good, powersteering works greatm and so on.

[Renelovesnike]

id also check the slave cylinder mounted on the side of the transmission, id lightly pull lil rubber grommet back and se if its leaking from there "its said if you see any fluid when the gromet is pulled lightly off to simply replace slave cylinder and you could get remaned ones at an autopart store fore around 20 dollars" also id check if clutch master is full of fluid id start by bleeding the air out of the line by simply pumping the clutch peddle verry slowly about 5-6 times and last pump hold the peddle while a friend cracks the bleed nipple on the slave cylinder to see if air or even any fluid pressure comes out! "tighten up the bleeder nipple before letting off of the clutch peddle to not suck in any air and get air bubbles into the clutch hydraulic system." theres acouple bleeding videos on youtube so yad get an idea* also the seals on the piston in the clutch master could have gone bad and simply just letting the hydraulic fluid/preddure just go around the piston insted of having the actual push/force to give the clutch fork the push to engage the pressure plate* so if theres no pressure after you try bleeding the slave then itll be the clutch mc but test it out first so you diagnose it right first so you dont go spending money on items that arent the problem.

hope it helps

[Sills]

The slave cylinder is replaced, however I am only mid way through bleeding it. The slave appears to press the panel its supposed to, however it still seems to not go into gear... Infact, I can put the car in gear and let off the clutch pedal yet nothing happens.. Should I try again once its fully bled or could the issue be something else, such as the throwout bearing? If youre wondering why I didnt fully bleed it before I tried its cause I gotta go to work now, appreciate any help.

[Sills]

Fully bled now, The slave moves the fork thing but still no power to the wheels in any gears.. What now? I suppose ill be dropping the transmission tomorrow. Any tips for that? And what should i be checking? Thanks in advance.

[Sills]

Bump please? :c

[S14DB]

Can you pull the boot off the fork that the slave is moving and look inside with a flashlight to check clutch operation?

[Sills]

Originally Posted by S14DB

Can you pull the boot off the fork that the slave is moving and look inside with a flashlight to check clutch operation?

Do I need to drain the oil first?

[RZRSHARP_240SX]

No you don't need to drain the oil.

[S14DB]

Originally Posted by Sills

Do I need to drain the oil first?

It's a dust boot to keep crap off the clutch.

[mogli9000]

Replace clutch master and slave with new ones (don't buy used junkyard ones) then bleed properly. Check for kinks in the clutch line, replace if needed.

[soundboy]

If you doing that go with a braided clutch line also. Makes quite a bit of difference especially with clutch response

[Sills]

Well, I put a new slave and a braided line on just for good measure. However I realized what I suspect the problem is- I think the clutch is actually stuck in the disengaged (pedal down) position?? I have made this theory because of the following-
I have already replaced the slave and master (They were old and going bad so it didnt hurt) and still no fix, Also when the pedal stuck down after pulling it back with my hand it still seemed to have a good response however it didnt do anything. The bigger thing is that I can cycle through all the gears with the car running, no pedals pressed and there is no grinding. I just went out to look at it again and realized I can start the car without any pedals in either, this leads me to believe the clutch is stuck. I suppose I will drop the transmission and take a look? Any tips are greatly appreciated, Ill follow up with my findings either way... It went out while drifting if that makes any difference, Ill admit it was taking a decent beating.

[S14DB]

Have you popped the dust cover off the fork yet and looked at the clutch?

[soundboy]

The forkkk

[Sills]

Moving the boot out was accompanied by a foul smell and a bunch of debris falling out. I reached my finger in and dug out a couple good 1-2cm chunks of a black substance that appeared to have small wires in it... Friction material? New clutch time?

[S14DB]

Originally Posted by Sills

Moving the boot out was accompanied by a foul smell and a bunch of debris falling out. I reached my finger in and dug out a couple good 1-2cm chunks of a black substance that appeared to have small wires in it... Friction material? New clutch time?

Yep, you chunked your clutch.
Just pray you didn't ruin the pressure plate or flywheel surface.

[97nismo]

Just pull the trans and take it out and inspect it's not that big of a deal

[Sills]

I just ordered a new "Exedy" stage 2 clutch kit, with the pressure plate and new bearing. I guess ill get it ready and drop the transmission and clean it out soon here (I know ive been putting it off). Ill take some pictures for fun... The new clutch kit I got does not come with the flywheel.

What should I look at with the flywheel to make sure its still good or needs resurfacing, Just groves?
Also what caused my clutch to "Chunk" like this? I just bought this car and it only has 60,000km and I drove it less than 200. How can I prevent this from happening in my new one?

[S14DB]

Originally Posted by Sills

I just ordered a new "Exedy" stage 2 clutch kit, with the pressure plate and new bearing. I guess ill get it ready and drop the transmission and clean it out soon here (I know ive been putting it off). Ill take some pictures for fun... The new clutch kit I got does not come with the flywheel.

What should I look at with the flywheel to make sure its still good or needs resurfacing, Just groves?
Also what caused my clutch to "Chunk" like this? I just bought this car and it only has 60,000km and I drove it less than 200. How can I prevent this from happening in my new one?

Should be smooth, No deep grooves, No lip on the edges. Sort of like a brake rotor.
Discolored or rough patches are heat checking. You need to check the flywheel for warpage and more than likely machine if not replace it.

Don't drive like an asshole? If there were no issues keeping the clutch from engaging / disengaging properly. I would say clutch kicking an OEM clutch is not the best idea.
Post pictures of the Disk, flywheel and both sides of the pressure plate when you get it apart.

[Sills]

Well, clutch came and I have the car jacked up now. Everything is good to go exept im having one issue, theres three bolts on the top of either side of the bellhousing that are extremely hard to get to let alone get off and im wondering if anyone has any advice for getting them off... I got off the hardest two on the left hand side (While looking down the car back to front) by using a wrench and going in the engine bay. But im pretty stuck, at least for the ones on the right side. Also, Probably should have known this earlier but what kind of oil do I use to refill the transmission? (Sr20De 5 speed)

Will post pictures of the clutch, pressure plate, and flywheel after.

[S14DB]

I hope you still have the cross member on the trans mount. Easy to get to them from the top.

75w-90 GL4. Do not use GL5!

[Sills]

I still have the crossmember attached. Thanks for the oil type, are any additives necessary? I guess ill try to get them from the top again. Would buying a universal swivel socket be useful do you think?

[jr_ss]

A ratcheting wrench is your best bet for those top bolts. If you have a low profile socket/ratchet set that'll work as well.

[S14DB]

I have some long handle box wrenches that I just tap with a hammer to get them loose then use a ratcheting wrench. Never had any luck with a socket set.

[Sills]

Its almost ready to drop finally, but I have a few questions I may aswell ask now. First off I only have one bolt left, its on the left side right by the exhaust, being a real pain with the exhaust in the way but the ehaust bolts are so corroded I doubt ill have any luck trying to get those off, any tips? Also, with the transmission dropped, I got a new throwout bearing and pilot bushing, How do I take the old pilot out? And will the throwout bearing just be as easy as take the old one off put the new one in? Also I dont have a pump so I was wondering if its possible to measure the gearbox oil and fill it through the shifter? If so whats the amount needed? I went to all the stores in my small town and the only gl4 (or whatever) compatible fluid I found was royal purple 75-w90 incase anyone is wondering what I will fill it with.

[S14DB]

Pilot you can get with a slide hammer if you have the hook attachment. TOB you will have to remove with a gear puller and re-install with a press.