Boostmaniac

If I was you, I'd pull the tranny and clutch and check/replace the pilot bearing. If the pilot bearing fails, it can chew up/fuse to the eccentric shaft. I remember reading that somewhere on this site I believe.

eriksseven

iTrader: (6)

Another update: I crawled under my buddies TII and removed the inspection plate to see how a properly working clutch should... work. Anyways, I think I wasn't getting the full view when under my TII, because his did a similar thing. It's hard to describe, but I'm going to have to get under mine again to re-check.

Tomorrow I will be flushing the system in one last-ditch effort to not have to pull the tranny. If nothing gets fixed, than I will be ordering a new clutch kit and hopefully doing the swap this weekend. I'm curious to see what's going on... Not only that, but this will give me an excuse to change out the tranny and differential fluids while I'm under there. Tranny fluid...

eriksseven

iTrader: (6)

Let's just hope this didn't happen... lol.

eriksseven

iTrader: (6)

Interesting update:

First off, my clutch-fluid resevoir is FULL--it has been at it's MAX mark the entire time. I decided to bleed the clutch, just in case I could get everything to work with a "freshening up" of sorts.

Anyways, this is very unusual, after doing about 5-6 clutch "bleeds", I took a look at the resevoir bottle, because I knew that I would have to refill it... However, NOTHING had changed--it remained at MAX. Not trusting what I was seeing, I left the cap of the resevoir container OFF , loosened the bleeder-nut and told my Dad to manually pump up the pedal, while I watched to see how much fluid was getting sucked out of the master-cylinder resevoir and shot out of the bleeder... Anyways, after about 10 pumps and NO movement from the fluid level, the fluid from the bleeder began spraying, until eventually there was NO FLUID AT ALL coming out--all the time I'm looking at a full fluid resevoir!

So yeah, I'm gonna go buy a new master-cylinder right now that hopefully will be able to distribute fluid like it should...

Any comments?

eriksseven

iTrader: (6)

F**K... So the saga never ends.

I went out and bought a new master-cylinder for $75, and brought it home with the intentions of installing it.

I removed my original master-cylinder and gave it a good visual inspection. Before removing it, I firmly tightened the cap on it, so that the fluid wouldn't be sloshing out of it while I jostled it out of it's tight-fitting spot. Anyway, after removal, I decided to see what would happen if I manually simulated the clutch-pedal rod pushing on the master-cylinder piston, using a screwdriver. I did this, and to my amazment I heard a weird popping noise, and a 4ft. stream of fluid came gushing out of the hard-line outlet. I pumped on the piston a few more times and the fluid completely emptied out of it, spraying out the hard-line end.

It was obvious at this point that no-one had changed the fluid in a while, because the bottom and sides of the resevoir were coated in a thick, black sludge--which I assume had been blocking up the master-cylinder (that's why the clutch-line and slave ran out of fluid, but the master-resevoir was still full). But something doesn't add up...

In a smart move, I decided to wait before dirtying up my new ($75) master-cylinder, just in case I had magically fixed the old one by unclogging it--so I flushed it out good and reinstalled it... Before hooking up the hard-line, I filled it up with a little fluid, just to make sure that it would still squirt out when I pushed in the clutch. It did, so I tightened down the hard-line to it, filled it with fluid, and began the process of bleeding it.

After bleeding it, I sat down in my drivers seat in anticipation--hoping to feel the smooth and firm feel of a properly working clutch... It wasn't so. The clutch felt the same 'weird and unresponsive' way it had felt before. Even though the clutch sprung back up after being depressed--there was just no feel in it... It felt just like before.

So yeah, even though I didn't start my car and really attempt to stuff a gear in, I know that the master-cylinder can't logically be the culprit... All it really is, is a piston that pushes fluid from the resevoir to the slave etc... If it's able to shoot fluid out the other side with no leaks--while retaining pressure, then there's obviously nothing wrong with it.

I could take a $75 gamble to fully eliminate this variable and fill the new master-cylinder up with fluid, but why bother? I know it'll just do the exact same thing my old master-cylinder does... I.E. pump fluid from one end to the other...

So at this point, the next step is to order a new clutch kit and start the transmission removal.

eriksseven

iTrader: (6)

Alright, final question before I give up on Rx7club (lol).

Is it normal at any time for bubbles to come up through the master-cylinder resevoir...?

Cause there are bubbles... Many bubbles that I failed to notice, coming up through the resevior when the clutch pedal is depressed.

eriksseven

iTrader: (6)

Alright, after bleeding the clutch again and still seeing bubbles every-time the clutch was depressed, I decided to go ahead and throw in the new master-cylinder. Alas, even with the new master-cylinder there are still bubbles--meaning they must be normal.

After bleeding the setup, the clutch still felt the same, so I decided to get under the car again and compare it to what I saw in my buddies TII last night (now that I know what to look for).

So yeah, the pressure plate isn't moving even a millimeter off of the clutch-disk, even with the slave-cylinder moving it's normal 1/2"-3/4"... I assume it's either the clutch-fork (or whatever) not engaging inside the bell-housing, or...?

Either way, I'll soon find out because my tranny's coming off tomorrow.

Dom_C

yea i'm doing it opposite. . my enigne's comming out instead of my tranny. I hate doing the tranny on these cars. The engine seems to go in and out so much nicer. . haha but i'll let you know what mine is hopefully tomorrow as well. I'll also be ordering a new clutch kit. I'm almost posative I messed up the pilot bearing while putting the tranny back in a month or so ago and that must have messed up the clutch disk. We'll see. Good luck to you Erik

eriksseven

iTrader: (6)

Hey, same to you bro'.

eriksseven

iTrader: (6)

Hey, I found the problem.

I removed the tranny yesterday and began poking around the clutch-fork, or whatever it is that the slave-cylinder piston pushes against. I was trying to simulate the slave-cylinder with my hand, but it didn't seem to be working correctly. I slid it and the throw-out bearing off the tranny's imput shaft and flipped it over. Sure enough, the thing that the clutch fork "pivots" on was snapped!

Does anyone know what this is called? It's like a funky, ribbed, 17mm bolt with a round head.

Edit: Just found out it's called a clutch pivot-ball.

Dom_C

yup, just replaced that on my car about a month ago. I wish I had replaced the clutch when I put that in .. oh well now i'm in the same position as you. But yea it's a 10 dollar peice from mazdatrix.

Boostmaniac

Good times. Glad to hear that was what the problem was. Make sure to go ahead and get a new beefy clutch, it'll make you like your car more.

rxspeed87

had the same problem one time. just caused by somethign a little different in my rx7 turned out to be a broken clutch. shifting at 8k rpms by accident cause I was distracted by um.... it was worth it to look. ironic thing though is I was taknig my car to a tranny shop to have them look at it at that moment because it has been slipping for aw hile. I broke abotu a block away.