Clutch not fully disengaging - why?

[jsceash]

You need to replace the clutch, and pressure plate at the very least. There is a plastic pivot on the throw out arm that wears overtime the throw out bearing face wears over time, the fingers on the pressure plate wear over time, and in some instances the fingers on the pressure plate bend. All these items add up to not enough travel. A bad clutch and pressure plate do not always mean the clutch slips.

[jsceash]

Even if the tube is pinched 50% closed. The clutch master cylinder pushes an equivalent volume of fluid to the slave cylinder. If you have no air and you have bled the system, then the slave cylinder receives that fluid. The only change is the fluid runs faster through the pinch point than the rest of the system. The physics of it is under a given pressure a difference in area changes flow velocity at the point of restriction. An ounce of fluid displaced from the master cylinder will still cause an ounce of displacement on the slave cylinder.

[j.fro]

Originally Posted by jsceash

You need to replace the clutch, and pressure plate at the very least. There is a plastic pivot on the throw out arm that wears overtime the throw out bearing face wears over time, the fingers on the pressure plate wear over time, and in some instances the fingers on the pressure plate bend. All these items add up to not enough travel. A bad clutch and pressure plate do not always mean the clutch slips.

+1
Had the same symptoms in my 996 and ended up changing the clutch. Everything was/is fine now.

[Xcellr8]

Thanks again for everyone's help. My wife would say since I'm now hearing what I don't want to hear, I'm tuning out. True, I do not want to replace the clutch. That fear however has motivated me to replace the pinched line, and since I'll have the hydraulic system open, the slave cylinder too.

There is an update. I massaged the pinch - a tap here, a squeeze there - trying to open up the line a bit more. Then when test driving the car, the disengage problem was still present and noticeable in reverse. However, once the car was in the street and I turned it off, put it into first, pushed the clutch in, and started it up, I took off and was able to shift into second by double clutching. Never did that before, but I'm not sure I tried it double clutching it before. Could not downshift at all. Double clutching, triple, pushing it five times, could not downshift.

I posted a WTB ad for the clutch line segment that has the pinch. If you have a parts car, send me a PM with a price shipped to Decatur, IL 62526.
Thanks, Joe

[TeamOxford]

Just a wild, but basic, thought. Have you checked your motor mount to see if it is dried out, or has cracks in the rubber portion?

That can cause shifting problems, and since you have bled the system, it may be something to consider.

If it's OK, just keep your head in the sand...................

Just sayin'.....................

TO

[Xcellr8]

Update - having replaced the pinched clutch line and the slave cylinder, there was no difference in shifting (Or should I say lack of shifting.)

Worn out fingers on the pressure plate is moving up the list of possibilities, but I can't reconcile how the car was driven upto this point. Isn't it true that the fingers would have worn out gradually? Which I would think would cause the shifting to become more and more difficult gradually. The condition of the shifting today is so poor that a driver would never have gotten to this point. The car is not drivable in traffic. To downshift you have to shut the motor off, put it into the gear you want, then restart the car. Tony Stewart might be able to do it save gas the last few laps of NASCAR event, but not everyday. I think what happened to this clutch/transmission happened all at once and that does not sound like gradual wear.

Correct me if you have a theory.

Thanks,
Joe
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