iTs Ghastly

As you may have seen in my previous thread, i was having some clutch problems. These were remedied by replacing the clutch, which was all fine and dandy. Unfortunatly the new clutch lasted 20 miles before my pedal went to the floor and was locked into gear. Luckly with a little rpm matching i got it 20 minutes back to the garage , but i was wondering what would cause this so quickly. im assuming throwout or piolet bearing (both were in good shape and the kit i had didnt have fitting replacments, but thats another story in itself) It occured when doing my one red line a day. i was lazy shifting (low rpm , 2nd to 4th, 4th to 6th as to not attract any attention (cops were everywhere and im not insured because i havent had my car on the road more than 2 days since i bought it). then i shifted to 3rd (shifted into it and it was sitting around 2.5-3k rpm), ran it to the beep, went to hit 4th and slow down, and as soon as i hit the clutch it shifted to neutral, pedal stuck, grinded into 4th, and stuck there unless rpm matched to get in and out of another gear. Was this a poor driving decision on my part that caused the failure, or was this a clutch problem? i know your supposed to take it easy on a new clutch , as far as minimize downshifting and such, but to the extent of babying it im not fully aware of. After i get the car back should i keep it under 5k for 500+ miles or is this an equipment problem and i should just buy a better clutch kit and replace it all? Hydrolics were already bled beforehand and such, i dont believe this is a too much pressure or air problem, adkinsrotary mentioned to check out the slave and master for that purpose, which i passed on to the mechanic, but i really just want to know is this failure my driving's fault, or equipment related. Thanks Guys!

plates

Check out the metal bracket holding the clutch pedal, it is known to snap and cause the clutch to be stuck to the floor. If your bracket is fine then it's most definitely the slave/master cylinder like you mentioned.
Also i don't really see how this would be the driver's fault, did you get the cylinders replaced as well when you replaced the clutch?

iTs Ghastly

No I didn't touch the cylinders. They suspect I threw my throwout bearing but have to tear it appart to verify. And basically what I meant was, does high rpm shifting run The risk of bearing damage or displacment with a new clutch pre-broken in status. I'll look over the cylinders too though. Thanks for the reply

plates

I dont think so because ive gotten my clutch and transmission replaced under warranty and they replaced the TB, and cylinders. I drove it pretty hard the first day I got the car back and It was shifting flawlessly. But i would imagine that high rpm shifting would put more of a strain on the bearing.

04Green

iTrader: (1)

I am thinking clutch pedal. If the springs on the pedal do not bring it back, it is the pedal. I am pretty sure they end that presses against the master cylinder is not attached.

iTs Ghastly

The pedal could be manually replaced to original position, then it would return after attempts to engage, but the action of depressing the clutch had no resulting engagement , regardless of the position of the pedal

dannobre

iTrader: (3)

Sounds like the master or slave seal went...do you have a brake fluid leak under the car? Or on the carpet?

If you look at where the slave attaches to the transmission...if the lever is forward and not flopping around you can rule out the throwout and the pivot as the problem.

It could be something as simple as them not tightening the bleeder properly when they finished bleeding the system...and it rattled open and is full of air.

I have seen more hydraulic failure right after a new clutch install due to the increased pressure from the new pressure plate

iTs Ghastly

So the mechanic took the clutch out again to take a peek at bearings and clutch, and the disk actually shattered. Whaaaa? Alright. That was an expensive lesson, but time to get an exedy, no more eBay garbage .

04Green

iTrader: (1)

Ouch.

yeah, the labor is way more than the clutch..

GET THE OEM STYLE ONE....

iTs Ghastly

exedy oem replacment from Adkins rotary on its way. should have her running again like new by the end of this week. really hoping the mechanic doesnt charge me double labor (he is a family friend, so i am blissfully hopefull, though it isnt entirely realistic) Looking forward to getting it back on the road. I have seen a silver Rx8 near my house for the last two days heading out of town as i was coming back in and im dying to track him down and at least get a wave in and show 'em he isnt the only one around anymore haha

HI_RX8

My clutch peddle is stuck on the ground.

iTs Ghastly

if your also looking for assistance in this area HI RX8 we area going to need some background. did this just happen out of nowhere, have you been having slipping prior, have you recently replaced your clutch, if so, what brand, style ( OEM, Stage 1,2, etc), have you checked your bracket , etc. Pretty much all of the suggestions of possible problems for my situation have been listed above, I suggest you read them. if you do end up needing to purchase a new clutch, don't mess with e bay brands like "e-Clutchmaster" or XTD, just get exedy OEM replacement if you're running a stock 8. it will be sufficient for stock or near stock 8 and be sure to get the kit and replace your piolet and throwout bearing while your in there, or have whatever mechanic that will install the clutch replace them.

HI_RX8

Never slipped once I read everything. Is stock execpt my Megan coilovers. I just got my spark plug,wires, and coil packs changed because misfire. I took it to cutter Mazda. But my got it back from the dealer drove off like around the block and it just got stuck on the floor. I looked at the bracket looked cherry but don't recall if I saw anything on master cylinder.

project_2004rx8

2004 NA with basic mods (AEM intake, hi flow cat, BHR coils, MM tune).
Hot summer afternoon, just got off work, a couple blocks from home, AC on max, and decided to punch it to 8k RPMs in 1st gear after a light for the hell of it. Because it is a fairly congested area with plenty speed traps I decided to coast once at 35-40 mph, so I attempted to put it in 3rd from 1st. Attempted! The damn clutch pedal stuck to the floor. I had to cut off two lanes of traffic to coast my car in a grassy area just off the road. The car would not get into any gear at all. I reached down and pried the clutch pedal up. Then pressed it down and still nothing. Stuck in neutral. I pulled out my phone and did a quick search describing the problem and found that if you restart the car the clutch would engage again. Concerned that it won't start I hesitated, but it did get in gear after the restart. Relieved. Unfortunately it made a nasty noise in the process and the smell of burnt clutch was in the air. I was able to drive home with the first few shifts being noisy, but when I finally made it to my street it seemed to subside almost completely. It was shifting without protest. It was 95+ degrees today and yeah I redlined it with the AC on, but this is scary strange behavior. The clutch seemed to fail completely, then protested, and then finally started working again. Roller-coaster of emotion. I'm so happy I was able to drive home, but was totally bummed out just minutes before. Why would it work again after a restart and a few nasty shifts?