Hydraulic Clutch Issues


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Question to all you gearheads out there.  The clutch in my pickup has gotten short lately.  Sometimes, it shifts like it's brand new, but more and more lately it has been really rough going into gear.  It doesn't rake, it's just that I'll have to put it in say 3rd or 4th before I can force it into 1st.  The clutch isn't slipping, so I don't think it's the clutch pad or the pressure plate, and the clutch fluid is still clearish brown and the level hasn't dropped in the whole time I've had it.

 

On top of it being hard to get into gear, the pedal is short when it's hard to shift.  What I mean is that when it acts up, the clutch engages/disengages much lower to the floor than normal.  Sometimes though it shifts just fine.  I was told by the previous owner that they put a new pressure plate and throw-out bearing in it shortly before I got it, and that was only 10,000 miles ago.

 

Suggestions?

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Thanks for the reply, but that's not the issue I'm having.  Mine grabs just fine, it's just that when I push the clutch in it feels like it's not getting totally dis-engaged from the flywheel.

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My 99 accord does this. Its already had a new clutch and master/slave cylinders replaced. None of that did a thing to help it except stop it from slipping. Another thing I hate it the clanky "slapping" sound I get coasting along, slowly when I take my foot off the gas. I've been told the car not going into gear was more than likely my synchronizers. No way am I dropping 2 grand to rebuild a transmission. I'll put up with it.

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welll apprently if your still driving that 99 dodge dekota it could be a quite a few thing I dont own one so I cant help to much

 

http://www.dodgedakota.net/boards/dea/261.html

 

I would try bleeding it if got an external slave other than that keep searchen

I wasn't trying to sound ungrateful or anything, it's just that the video is a different issue than what I'm having.  I appreciate your replies, :-)

 

I think I've narrowed it down to either the master or slave cylinder.  If I pump the clutch 3 or 4 times then sometimes you'll feel it push back more on the 2nd or 3rd pump, and then it will shift into gear normally.  So I either have a bubble in the fluid somewhere, or one of the cylinders is going bad.

 

The pressure plate, clutch pad, and throw-out bearing were replaced about 10k miles ago, so those should all be good.

 

Edit: These cylinders don't have bleeder screws, so I'm not sure how I'd go about bleeding them.  Maybe take them off and hang them up by the reservoir and hope any bubbles in the fluid rise to the top.

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My 99 accord does this. Its already had a new clutch and master/slave cylinders replaced. None of that did a thing to help it except stop it from slipping. Another thing I hate it the clanky "slapping" sound I get coasting along, slowly when I take my foot off the gas. I've been told the car not going into gear was more than likely my synchronizers. No way am I dropping 2 grand to rebuild a transmission. I'll put up with it.

 

Yeah sounds like your synchronizers.  If your cylinders and clutch mechanisms are in good shape and it's still resisting, then it's probably your synchronizers.

 

I'm pretty sure mine is one of the cylinders because when it works, it goes into gear fine, but when it acts up, not only is it hard getting it into gear, but if it's in gear and you're sitting still on flat ground and you hold down the clutch, sometimes it will "creep", where you can tell the clutch is trying to grab just a little bit.  That tells me that the clutch is not being completely dis-engaged from the flywheel, which is why I'm blaming the cylinders since I know the throw-out bearing is fairly new.

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