into 1st or reverse. Worse with AC on. Local Mazda tech says not clutch related but rather caused by digital controls and lack of throttle cable. Says he doubts anything can be done besides raising the revs to smooth it out.

Are you using Octane 93 Gas? Just try regular 87 octane for the heck of it and see what it does. It's made my RX-8 run much smoother, and it seems like there's no difference in power.

OverLOAD

Also, rotaries do require a bit more throttle for a smooth engagement. Give it a small blip just before engaging the clutch. If the problem persists, then it is something else...

Originally posted by putter
into 1st or reverse. Worse with AC on. Local Mazda tech says not clutch related but rather caused by digital controls and lack of throttle cable. Says he doubts anything can be done besides raising the revs to smooth it out.

hey putter, welcome. which car is yours (colour/ licence plate #)?? i mighta seen it. :)

anyways, this is a fairly inspecific problem. just after ignition?? you've had your clutch assembly checked (or at least your VIN number) for the dreaded loose bolt problem??

if it's on normal start up (coming away from a stop, warmed up), then it probably has more to do with your driving techniques.

...the tech was simply making somehting up to tell you that he hoped you wouldn't understand well enough to refute. there is no reason that an all-electronically controlled throttle body is somehow less smooth than one actuated by a cable.

Sorry, Wakeech, you probably won't see me in your fair city. I should have put Vancouver USA or Portland area in my listing.

The condition persists whether the car is cold or warmed up and has not changed in 2000mi. of driving. I sent an e-mail to Mazda and got a reply suggesting that all RX-8s have a little vibration when shifted, but I have briefly driven two other new RX-8s and both shifted much more smoothly than mine.

I drove a 5-speed Alfa Romeo (front engine rear transmission) for 13 years with no gearbox or clutch difficulties.

Please provide info on how I can check my VIN number for the loose bolt problem. Thanks.

Originally posted by putter
Sorry, Wakeech, you probably won't see me in your fair city. I should have put Vancouver USA or Portland area in my listing.

...crap :( i'm still looking for someone to gimme a ride...

Fraaaaank??? ;)

I do NOT own an RX-8, so this issue shouldn't scare anybody :) But since the hydraulic clutch system is pretty similar, I figured it could apply as general knowledge...excuse me if otherwise.

So Monday before last, I get in my car and go to start it...and notice the clutch pedal lacking resistance almost all the way down to the floor. I start it and notice that I have some trouble getting it into gear (some gears worse than others). So I pop the hood and notice the master cylinder is bone dry.

In the interest of time during the middle of the week, I took it to a transmission shop and explained to them my findings, and asked them to check around for a leak and get back to me. Turns out they couldn't find a leak (the guy's speculations were amusing - just short of "the fluid seems to have vanished into a parallel fluid-limbo universe"), and filled up my master cylinder. I asked him somewhat indirectly if they bled the system and he dodged the question, so that was a "no". Hey, it was all free of charge I suppose, but I was expecting more from a tranny shop esp since I had my uncle who knows the owner give him a call beforehand. The guy also said "If you still have problems, looks like we might have to replace that clutch." Where's the rolleyes emoticon when you need it?

Anyway, my question is in regard to the curious way my car is now behaving. It goes through a cycle where, if I let it sit, the clutch pedal will eventually come back to almost normal (release point a tad high). But after 10 minutes of driving, the pedal will become increasingly stiff, and the release point continues raising, until it's at the very top of the pedal travel, and the pedal becomes stiff enough to kick my knee into the steering wheel if I'm not paying close attention. It did this from the moment I left the shop.

My hypothesis was that since they did not bleed the system, air is still in the lines. However, doing a bit of reading, it seems in pretty much all the cases I've seen where air gets into the system, the release point on the pedal gets lower, and the pedal less responsive, until the pedal is stuck on the floor and needs to be manually lifted. So my questions are 1) what exactly do you think is going on in my case, as in why are my symptoms reversed from the norm, 2) can you think of any possible harm I may be doing in driving it like this (other than maybe excessive slipping, which is bad enough) and 3) what course of action should I take?

I'm planning on monitoring the fluid level to determine if there is indeed a leak, and then find it, replace the hose/etc, and bleed the system with new fluid. That's the course of action for most that have run into the somewhat-opposite symptoms I described above, so I'm not sure if there's other suggestions that I should heed given my differences in symptoms. Thanks for any help.

It sounds like a piece of dirt is blocking the inlet hole on the inside of the slave cylinder. The dirt acts like a check valve. When you step on the clutch you blow it off the hole but when you release it gets sucked back and stops the fluid from returning to the master cylinder. The clutch pedal returns to the top of it's stop and draws more fluid from the resivor so the next time you step on the the clutch it releases higher up since it didn't retract all the way last time. When you let it sit, the fluid slowy returns to the master cylinder because the dirt valve leaks a bit. I've seen this type of thing happen with brakes, to the point where the brake will not release.

That's a very interesting take. I'd have to monitor the master cyl level over time to see if it slowly came back up, or if it dropped and went dry again.

But sounds like a bleed would address that if it was the case, and I could easily search for leaks before bleeding just to make sure none of the hoses are damaged.

I'll pay attention once I get a chance to tinker around. Would be left feeling like "this only happens to me" if that ends up to be it :)
Thanks much for the suggestion!

If you're losing clutch fluid, it's going SOMEWHERE. Check the rubber flex line to the slave for wetness as well as the slave, but I bet you a nickel it's the master cylinder. They can leak out of the back of the assembly on the firewall side, and basically drip out inside the firewall.

With the mileage on the car, I would say you're due for a new master cylinder. They're typically not expensive and not hard to replace. Get a new one, bleed the system with fresh fluid, and I bet you'll be good to go.

Dale

Thanks Dale - I'll take a look.

I know a couple other 4th gen maximas have seen the hose from master to slave leak over time, that seems to be the common cause from similar problems that I've been able to weed out of the maxima board.

I agree w/ Dale, if you are not seeing moisture elsewhere like the hose/fittings/slave - look at the M/C - typically under the dash you can see a rubber boot for the push rod - peel it back & look under it - and you may find what you don't want to find - fluid. Also if the carpeting butts up against the MC on the inside - peal it back and look right up against the metal firewall/footwell...

Bleeding is very easy to do - if you havne't already - it needs it I bet. Any DOT 3 or 4 fluid will do just fine and like brake fluid - it needs to be changed periodically.

The one problem w/ driving the way it is - is that you may find yourself stranded due to lack of hydraulics to disengage the clutch with.

Slipping should not be related - that's just a sign of an old clutch that has lost too much material off the disc. To test for slipping - drop it in say 5th at about 50 or so and floor it and see if the engine just lugs along or the RPMS zing up (thus slipping).

I can't speak for the specific transmission shop you took it too of course (and hey they didn't even charge you!) but they are sometimes a mis-nomer - Trasnmission shops are really 'automatic transmission' shops for the most part. You can also take it to any independent shop or one that specializes in either the nationality of the the car or the specific make of the car over a transmission shop. Transmission shops that actually work on manual transmissions are as rare as hens teeth. But then clutch related work is about as common and standard a job as there is so anybody doing general automotive service can handle it.

Originally posted by pgtr
I agree w/ Dale, if you are not seeing moisture elsewhere like the hose/fittings/slave - look at the M/C - typically under the dash you can see a rubber boot for the push rod - peel it back & look under it - and you may find what you don't want to find - fluid. Also if the carpeting butts up against the MC on the inside - peal it back and look right up against the metal firewall/footwell...

Bleeding is very easy to do - if you havne't already - it needs it I bet. Any DOT 3 or 4 fluid will do just fine and like brake fluid - it needs to be changed periodically.

The one problem w/ driving the way it is - is that you may find yourself stranded due to lack of hydraulics to disengage the clutch with.

Slipping should not be related - that's just a sign of an old clutch that has lost too much material off the disc. To test for slipping - drop it in say 5th at about 50 or so and floor it and see if the engine just lugs along or the RPMS zing up (thus slipping).

I can't speak for the specific transmission shop you took it too of course (and hey they didn't even charge you!) but they are sometimes a mis-nomer - Trasnmission shops are really 'automatic transmission' shops for the most part. You can also take it to any independent shop or one that specializes in either the nationality of the the car or the specific make of the car over a transmission shop. Transmission shops that actually work on manual transmissions are as rare as hens teeth. But then clutch related work is about as common and standard a job as there is so anybody doing general automotive service can handle it.

The only thing that's keeping me from buying completely into your typical master cylinder leak, or hose leak, is that my symptoms are the reverse of all the instantiations of such cases I've read/heard about.

People with such a leak seem to report a drop in their release point, eventually ending with such a lack of pressure due to air in the system that the pedal is flat on the floor and needs to be manually raised.

This I can at least somewhat mechanically comprehend. My symptoms of the release point raising to the top of pedal travel after I find the master cylinder empty, and the shop refills it, I cannot really - but I have not carefully studied how a hydraulic clutch does auto-adjustment.

The reason I cited excessive slipping was because it's harder to catch at the release point just right if it's changing on you during the drive, and it's tough when the clutch pedal is so horribly stiff and the release point is literally at the top inch of pedal travel. And actually last night I noticed when it's stiff, etc, if I give ample throttle with the clutch 'disengaged', it slips. This makes me think it's not fully disengaging when its in this state, because up to the day I noticed the reservoir dry, my clutch still grabbed fine with no slipping (not that I have done a high-gear low-rpm slip test that recently, but some hard acceleration in general).


But I will be able to look at the MC, hoses, and everything when I get in there, hopefully this weekend if schoolwork, work, etc. comply. I gave the MC a once-over on the day I initially had trouble and noticed it was dry, and also checked on the driver's side footwell and surrounding area.

An update for informational purposes: after bleeding the hydraulics, pedal behavior has returned more or less back to normal. I think I may need to bleed from the lower bleeder to get all air out - twice I bled from the upper until air bubbles disappeared, drove around the block, then came home and bled out another air bubble.

However I still have not located the leak - doesn't seem to be at the master cyl. Only real sweat I saw was below the upper bleeder valve, and some fluid came off when I felt the bleeder nozzle, but since the valve was pretty darn tight I'm not really worried about that.

No dirt that I saw as zoom2X suggested - just air it seems. One of these days I'll remove all the crap to get to the lower bleeder and hopefully find the leak on the way to the slave cyl. Just wanted to update in case anyone ever used this as a reference in the future :)

Blizz,

I had the EXACT same thing happen on my '96 3000GT. My master cylinder seals had worn out, dumping all of my fluid in the process. I had it replaced along with the fluid; however, the service shop had failed to bleed the system. Same exact symptoms - high release point, slipping, etc. Took it in and had it bled, and PRESTO - clutch back to normal like it had come from the factory. :)

ever since i got my 8 i have noticed that its clutch pedal feel is alot softer than probably any other car i have driven. this is great as i have very good control over clutch inputs now, and its very easy on my left leg.

however, i tried driving my friends rsx-type s yesterday, and was thoroughly embarassed when after a couple of clutch depressions my left leg was already spent!

i love the soft clutch pedal feel, even though the miata has a similar trans, all the ones i have driven have not had a clutch feel like this. am i the only one like this, or are pretty much all rx-8's like mine?

Mine is pretty soft as well, it is not very soft like my last Honda or anything but I have definitely seen stiffer. If it doesn't slip I wouldn't consider it to be a problem.

i didnt mean to make it seem like it was a problem. i really like it. i was referring only to the feel, not the holding power of the clutch. the holding power feels pretty good, i can chirp 2nd fairly easily.

Going from the WRX to the RX8 was pretty smooth, both had light easy to activate clutches with good feedback. I don't think I would want to deal with a BMW/Infiniti clutch in rush hour traffice..

I just got back from picking up some dinner and omg.. let me tell you.. im not in a good mood now.. first thing i noticed was i was sittin in line at the drive through and my shifter felt stiff, with the clutch in , i couldnt freely move it around like normal. i finally got it in 1st and started going. driving i found it hard to shift into certain gears and 3rd was almost always impossible to get into, it was griding to much.. i could drive in 4th but it sounded weird. the only thing ive done to my car was an intake. any idea what could be going wrong before i take it to mazda? should i attempt to drive it? or just have it towed to mazda? should warranty cover it?

Dooby,

I've read about the bolts on the pressure plate backing out of the clutch. Thus having problems getting into gear. I also found this thread, either way, take it in, it's under warranty.

http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=136299

as of today, i drove it this morning and i still cant get into 3rd without major griding. so im just driving it and skipping 3rd, im taking it into mazda at 7am tomorrow. im leaving my intake in.

let us know if they hassle you about the intake

Sounds like your clutch and pressure plate are trashed. Same thing happened to me at 7,500 miles and Mazda did replace the clutch, pressure plate, and throw out bearing under warranty but they warned that they would only cover it once.

Originally posted by Speed Racer
Sounds like your clutch and pressure plate are trashed. Same thing happened to me at 7,500 miles and Mazda did replace the clutch, pressure plate, and throw out bearing under warranty but they warned that they would only cover it once.

Only cover it once? If someone in the service department said that to me he would hear this"$#@!$#@!$#@!$#@!$#@!". Sounds like BS to me, granted the clutch wears, but after 7,500 miles it shouldn't need replacement, hell it shouldn't after 80,000!

Originally posted by Digisan
Only cover it once? If someone in the service department said that to me he would hear this"$#@!$#@!$#@!$#@!$#@!". Sounds like BS to me, granted the clutch wears, but after 7,500 miles it shouldn't need replacement, hell it shouldn't after 80,000!

If the clutch fails prematurely again I don't think that I would have Mazda replace it because if it failed twice it would mean that it is a poor design. At that point I think I would opt for a better aftermarket clutch and just be done with it.

Originally posted by Speed Racer
Sounds like your clutch and pressure plate are trashed. Same thing happened to me at 7,500 miles and Mazda did replace the clutch, pressure plate, and throw out bearing under warranty but they warned that they would only cover it once.

Unfortunately (for them) they can't make good on that promise.
They must repair it as many times as it takes until it is right to your satisfaction.
In fact, if it takes more than 3 tries, you should contact Mazda directly under the lemon law about making good on the repair or replacement of the vehicle.
That is the law.

My car is showing indications of future clutch trouble. Has anyone asked the service department if the replacement clutch is a better unit. Is this a quality control problem. Are they replacing with a better unit? If not I want will want rid of the problem before warranty goes up. Especially if dealer only gave me one replacement. I went through the recommended breakin for the clutch and didnt torture the thing the first 1500 miles.

telco68,
I have the same concerns especially when the dealership would not acknowledge that the clutch failure was a manufacturer's defect and they installed an identical clutch. They only replaced the clutch as a "sign of good faith" otherwise they would have told me to take a hike.

sure thing guys, i will let you know first thing what mazda says about my stuff. lets hope they dont turn me down cause of the intake :(

the clutch failing at 7500 miles? thats nuts. mazda better check into this.

When i got my car the guy at the dealership told me that the clutch was soft. So it's not a problem if anyone was thinking that.

Originally posted by Speed Racer
Sounds like your clutch and pressure plate are trashed. Same thing happened to me at 7,500 miles and Mazda did replace the clutch, pressure plate, and throw out bearing under warranty but they warned that they would only cover it once.

hrmm.. so weird.. im a little over 7,500 miles. about 7800

Originally posted by DoobyWho
sure thing guys, i will let you know first thing what mazda says about my stuff. lets hope they dont turn me down cause of the intake :( Think "Magnuson Moss Warranty Act" and other related FTC rules (U.S.). Mazda would have to prove (not mere conjecture) that the air intake was at least partially responsible for the clutch problem at the time of the failure. That might prove to be a tad difficult here ;)

There is a ton of info out there on this act with related rules (google away!). It isn't limited to just air intakes: regular maintenance items are mentioned, too...

i just got a call from them and this sux :( they are putting in a whole new tranny. he said there was alot of damage. teeth missing, springs busted, bolts gone, etc etc. they might have it for awhile since its thanksgiving coming up.

sux though cause i wont have my car, or a rental (im 18) :(

Originally posted by DoobyWho
i just got a call from them and this sux :( they are putting in a whole new tranny. he said there was alot of damage. teeth missing, springs busted, bolts gone, etc etc. they might have it for awhile since its thanksgiving coming up.

Well, I think it is fair to say your clutch came apart and it didn't just "wear irregularly".:(

who knows, i'll know more later. all i know is they are fixing it under waranty and they didnt say jack about my intake!

What type of intake did you have, just a different filter or cone or something?

So how many times have you dropped the clutch at 8000 RPM? :D

Seriously man, that sux. How long till they get you your car back? And did they give you any problems about the intake???

Originally posted by DoobyWho
sux though cause i wont have my car, or a rental (im 18) :(

You are entitled to a loaner car as long as they have your car in the shop, it's part of the buying contract.

Originally posted by brothervoodoo
What type of intake did you have, just a different filter or cone or something?

its the intake from thunder fabrications. it replaces the whole intake.

Originally posted by Omicron
So how many times have you dropped the clutch at 8000 RPM?

Seriously man, that sux. How long till they get you your car back? And did they give you any problems about the intake???

LOL. I actually never dropped it at 8,000 ;)

They said they dont know when ill get the car back because its the holiday weekend coming up so they dont know exactly how its going to pan out. im guessing ill get it next week sometime :(

Originally posted by neit_jnf
You are entitled to a loaner car as long as they have your car in the shop, it's part of the buying contract.
I am? My father co-signed for me (i'm paying for the car, but I have zip credit so that was the only way) and my friend who works at mazda told me they will only give it to you if you are 21 or older. Otherwise they will shuttle you around. heh.

You should demand a loaner car! Check the car's window sticker with all its features, the loaner car program is listed there as one of the car's features.

Originally posted by neit_jnf
You should demand a loaner car! Check the car's window sticker with all its features, the loaner car program is listed there as one of the car's features.

im sure somewhere in the small print it says something about an age requirement.

the rental car is provided in teh purchase agreement. however, there are legal requirements on leasing vehicles. those laws apply to both parties. It may be that your father will have to take responsibility and sign for the leased vehicle, but since he is one the loan of the car also, there should be no problem with that. If the service department gives you/your father any problems, get in contact with mazda directly. Sometime, asking the person you are dealing with directly for their name, position, and the number for customer complaints is enough to persuade them. if its not, be diligent and see to it that all of his supervisors understand the situation, then call mazda

2nd gear is hard to get into. third grinds a little and 5th pops out when its in gear. Aslo when i switch gears the clutch pedel feels like its skipping or something. Im bringing it in today if its teh clutch i hope they fix it under warrenty. I only have 9100 miles in 3 months.



p.s i dont have my galsses on me i left them in my car so please dont mind teh spelling


I need soem advise from people what do u think it could be.
I dont ride the clutch.

9100 miles in 3 months....your're a drivin foo!

i love to drive it a little to much lol. I drive about 50 miles a day just back and forth from school and my house

Rx-7's are soft too.
It's great!
I prefer hydraulic clutches better then sping clutches.

If it is the clutch u think they will replace it under warranty, because it’s been like this since the first month. But thought it was normal.

Sounds like it could be the sort of clutch problems others have had (loose pressure plate bolts, springs, etc). But I'll have to go back and check to see if anyone reported popping out of gear. Isn't popping out of gear more of a transmission thing than a clutch thing?

whatever the cause, it's definitely not 'normal'

They ended up giving it to him. I'll just drive around his car until I get mine back. Stupid accord *grrr*

This has happened to a couple other forum memebers, it's covered under warranty. Unless they can prove you have been abusing the car and since you haven't just go and get it fixed.

Here's a couple threads to wet your whistle, go find more:

http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=15144&highlight=clutch

http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=136299

i get the same problem with 5th gear sometimes, but its cuz maybe I grinded the gear while racing. damn the miata transmission! try releasing the clutch later and smoothly and not just popping or kicking it real quick.

Yea - as brothervoodoo showed ya, I have the same issue basically. It's at mazda getting a brand new transmission. Wont get it back for about 2 weeks

Dooby,
What did they say happened to the tranny that was causing the problems? We havent seen any at my dealership yet, but it would be nice to get a heads up if we ever do.

Wow, you're on pace to hit 36k in one year.. That's nuts.. I wonder why these trannies(SP) are failing, aren't we running a beefed up Miata version?

I havn't really been told yet - The dealer called and they got the part in so im hopefully getting it back tomorrow. We'll see, I will make sure to ask what they think happend.

I get my car back today after i get off work. They said they dont know what happend. They took the transmission apart and found parts they didnt even know what they were. They just packed it up and sent it back to mazda. So i guess i'll never know what happend :-\

So i got it back - but there was no engine cover. they are claiming it wasnt there when they got it. BS. anywho. imma fight with them to order me a new one

Originally posted by DoobyWho
So i got it back - but there was no engine cover. they are claiming it wasnt there when they got it. BS. anywho. imma fight with them to order me a new one What the F is wrong with them? I hope you have other dealers close by, I would go elsewhere should you need additional service.

Wow, it's deja vu all over again! Same story with the Miata in 2001. Many premature clutch failures. Mine was replaced at 6000 miles, due to excessive wear and 'shudder' on launch. Known defect, fixed under warranty. I wonder if the RX8 has a similar issue?

Originally posted by DoobyWho
its the intake from thunder fabrications. it replaces the whole intake.





hey dooby did you ever get straightened out with Thunder? the last i heard you were having trouble getting in touch with them.

this sounds like the same problem I had last week- tried to go to lunch and could not get it into any gear. had it flat-bedded in and they fixed it. HOWEVER!, my service-tech lady said they had some BRAND NEW cars on the lot (rx-8's) that were having the SAME problem!!!!.......interesting huh?

I got a new clutch free of charge. The other one was falling apart Defect in quality (9600 miles). They did a fuel consumption test and came up with nothing ( yeah right there has to be something wrong) Well the service guy told me let the car breathe he told me don’t shift at 3000 rpms anymore shift at 4000 rpms. Ok ill try anything.... Well ok 3 days down the road I have my gas light on with 210 miles dam it works( ha ha yeah right now I have like 15 mpgs).Well i am getting fed up i am going to go home and reset the ecu and then teach it to be driven at high rpms maybe that will help. Well till then I will keep you posted of the results.

Originally posted by zoom44
hey dooby did you ever get straightened out with Thunder? the last i heard you were having trouble getting in touch with them.

nope never did. i still have yet to get a person on the phone or a returned call.

Warranty though?

Nick

Yea - they covered the transmission under warranty. thank goodness!

Hey,

Im having some car trouble with my RX8. The other night I took it out and wanted to see what it was capable of. I was driving for a while and then pulled into a parking lot. I decided to peel out a couple of times and I did so sucessfully but on the third or fourth peel out it didnt work well and I think I let the clutch off too slowly because several seconds later there was a stinking smell of burnt rubber coming through the a/c. At first I thought that it was just burnt rubber but I got it home and it still smelled. So this morning I got up and the smell was gone but when I started the car there was the smell again coming through the a/c. So I popped the hood and it seems like the smell is coming from somewhere around the clutch and brake fluid tank. I have no idea what it is. Please someone help.
Thanks!!

hahahahahahhaha man thats some funny shit.....thats called burnt clutch...hahah thats your clutch disk! nice...

uhh acutally your a dumbass b/c there is no such thing as a "clutch disk" and i figured it was something w/ the clutch but wanted to make sure

Originally posted by lsu5236
uhh acutally your a dumbass b/c there is no such thing as a "clutch disk" and i figured it was something w/ the clutch but wanted to make sure

Actually it is a clutch disk.

The clutch disk contacts the flywheel which transmits power to the driveshaft.


Looks like the "dumbass" is you.

Originally posted by lsu5236
uhh acutally your a dumbass b/c there is no such thing as a "clutch disk" and i figured it was something w/ the clutch but wanted to make sure


Actually not acutally

dumb ass not dumbass

I not i

When I first got my car the clutch was smooth as can be, but this has changed somewhat. My car now has ~2000 miles on it.

When I press the clutch in at idle it is smooth, if I rev the engine up at around 3-4k and press the clutch in it feels like its a tad "jagged" and uneven (in neutral). There is also a faint whistle sound from 2k to around 4k rpm.

I have no problems shifting gears.

Any clues?

/twospoons

Well... maybe it has a little something to do with this.. maybe.?

itwospoons said:

"I downshifted from 6 to 2nd on the highway once. I was trying
to keep up with a guy which were playing with me.

Luckly I was only doing 75 when I let go of the clutch in second gear.. Bells and whistles rang and I hit the clutch again fast.

First time I have seen my rpms at 10k.

So, be aware of downshifting from 6 to 4, you might hit 2

Should be a small (or large!) indicator somewhere showing
you what gear you are in so I avoid doing n00b stuff like this.

/twospoons"

I can more warranty replacement dollars from Mazda being shelled out for something that wasn't thier fault :(

"Well... maybe it has a little something to do with this.. maybe.?"

I wasn't asking about what caused it, I was asking about what the problem is :)

Anyways, the clutch was misbehaving before I did that.

/twospoons

Originally posted by twospoons
I wasn't asking about what caused it, I was asking about what the problem is :)

Anyways, the clutch was misbehaving before I did that. If you want some good advice you need to offer as much information as possible and not discount other pertinent info that you describe in one post and then leave out in this post. If you give half-ass information you usually get half-ass advice.

The problem here were you jumping the gun an assuming that what I wrote in a previous post caused this problem.

How come that is my fault?

My clutch is feeling wierd exactly like I described, and I first noticed it on trip to work when I shifted at 4k rpm. I drive my car slow and nice.

Dude, all I'm saying is that something you mentioned in a previous post could help explain some of your current issues. Droping into 2nd from 75mph will take it above redline with no protection. Given this information, other folks with rotary and tranny experience may be able to ask additional questions about your problem. I don't think we have mind readers on this forum, you need to explain as much as possible if you want somebody to help you.

maybe you two should arm wrestle???? but watch out brother voodoo- if he has an arm strong enough to shift into second at 75 mph- he is gonna have one hell of a arm wrestler weapon there!

Crap, all I wanted was to figure out what was wrong with my clutch, and I end up in a bar brawl. I was kinda hoping that my rotten personality wouldn’t give me away when I was typing at a message board, but I guess I was wrong.

sweety! anyway,....It is hard to say-could be coincidence and your 8 is one of many that need the pressure plate tightened down on the tranny- or who knows

Could possibly be. Guess I'll have the service rep look at it when I take it in for my 3k oil change.

Now all I have to figure out is how to get rid of the rattling sound inside(!) my dashboard when I make left turns. This would make more sense if I was on drugs.

Tranny is wigged out, rattling making turns... I would take it to the dealer now...

It could be a number of things related to the clutch as simple as the pressure plate coming loose, to something more serious such as a bad pilot bearing or a blown disc. It is kinda hard to diagnose over the internet.

Originally posted by eclps0
I got a new clutch free of charge. The other one was falling apart Defect in quality (9600 miles). They did a fuel consumption test and came up with nothing ( yeah right there has to be something wrong) Well the service guy told me let the car breathe he told me don’t shift at 3000 rpms anymore shift at 4000 rpms. Ok ill try anything.... Well ok 3 days down the road I have my gas light on with 210 miles dam it works( ha ha yeah right now I have like 15 mpgs).Well i am getting fed up i am going to go home and reset the ecu and then teach it to be driven at high rpms maybe that will help. Well till then I will keep you posted of the results. Popping out of gear is definitely not a clutch problem so I am a bit suprised about changing the clutch. What ended up failing on the clutch? Thanks!

Originally posted by MyRxBad
Rx-7's are soft too.
It's great!
I prefer hydraulic clutches better then sping clutches. What is a "sping" clutch? How is that different from hydraulic clutch? Actually the stock RX8 clutch is almost identical to the Turbo II clutch. A hydraulic system does tend to be more efficient and therefore easier on the foot.

What makes the release point consistent is the ability for the fluid to transfer from the master cylinder to the reservoir through a port that is open only when the master cylinder piston is all the way back. This is how the hydraulics self-adjust for wear. If the release point is changing the port is getting blocked at the M/C by either misadjustment of the pedal assembly or debris.

The coefficient of friction is always higher until the clutch is broken in. Higher friction will often produce chatter. Loose clutch bolts will also cause chatter, as will a damaged disc.

I got home today and parked my ride in the garage. I put her in neutral and to my surise when I let the clutch out I hear a new rattling sound. Has anyone else experienced this problem? When I push the clutch in the noise goes away. Do you think this will have damaged my transmission at all?


Thanks,
SPOOOOOOOOOON

Destiny honks the horn of gotta go!

I have always had a "whine" when letting the clutch out after starting the engine, but no knocking or mechanical sounding anomolies that I would consider unusual.

Did you hit something, mis-shift, or otherwise do something to 'harm' the drivetrain?

Mike

I did not do anything unusual to the car. I have been driving manual transmissions for over 20 years and this is the fisrt time I have ever heard this 'rattling' sound when I let the clutch out in neutral :(

maybe its weird cuz u dont know how to drive properly or are not used to a "Sensitive" clutch?

Yeah, that seems logical. The clutch seemed ok when I first started driving the car, but now it is uneven and jagged. I guess I were an experienced driver and used to know what the clutch felt like. Guess I forgot it all.

I am having a similar problem with my car. When I let the clutch out in neutral I get a grinding noise. I never shifted from 6 --> 2 :) I just took it to the dealer today and the tech said he thinks it is the throw out bearing. Won't get my beloved car back until after the new year. For some reason he says he has to pull the transmission out :(

Just to set the record straight.

The clutch was behaving like this BEFORE I did the 6 -> 2.
AND How can the clutch be damaged when you do something like that? If anything were to blow up it would NOT be the clutch. AND I am positive that it is the clutch since this behaviour is present even when the car is in neutral.

I was only doing 75, and by the time I dropped the clutch in to 2 my speed was a little lower. But for the heck of it lets calc with 75mph.

So lets do the maths.

6 gear is 0.843, second gear is 2.269.

Divide second gear ratio with sixth gear ratio and you
end up with ~2.69.

At 75mph you have approx 3750rpms in 6 gear.

3750 * 2.69 = ~10093 rpms in 2nd gear.

If anyone has seen the best motoring vid you know that it can handle 10k rpms.

Ok again:
This was present BEFORE I did the 6->2.
And by doing the maths we proved that what I did could hardly
harm the car.

/twospoons

I think there is a bit of a difference between accelerating up to 10k rpms in second gear and dropping it in at 75mph. Dropping it into 2nd gear at 75 mph I think exerts more pressure on the cluth and transmission than if you had accelerated in 2nd to 75 mph. But wtf do I know. I bought the car cuz it looked sooooo coooooool. heh.

i have this same exact problem very annoying please post or preferably e mail me at fredinlou@hotmail.com if you find anything out, maybe its tied to loose bolt prob i have seen mentioned i wonder if you look for recalls like i did in mymazda.com nothing came up good luck

can you type out what the rattle sounds like, maybe that will help us diagnose. Is it kinda like tapokatapokata....?

I took my car into the dealer and the mechanic said that it was the throw out bearing. He said I wont get the car back for quite some time because he has to pull the transmission to check for damage!

please let me know what happens after they check the tranny out good luck fredinlou@hotmail.com