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steed23 06-14-2010 09:24 AM

a lot of issues
 
Alright, a few issues driving into work this morning...

Drive started out alright, no issues. Start up and drive was okay. Later on in my commute I went to shift into 6th, and it grinded like crazy, so I flicked it into neutral...gave it a second, pushed the clutch in to put back in to 5th and the pedal felt dead, and would not go into 5th. I was able to force it into 4th. I came to a stop like, braked..clutch engaged, in 1st gear..the car just slowly died out, it did this a few more times at a few more lights. I was also able to shift from 3rd to 4th without engaging the clutch at all. As I was turning into work, the car just died..and it won't start now. I'm no mechanic, so I'm not sure what to make of all of this. Any help?

RIWWP 06-14-2010 09:31 AM

It sounds like there are 2 separate issues here, and I think we need some clarification...


First, when your 8 "died", did it stall due to low wheel speed and still in gear? Or did it simply shut off before you came to a stop? Or after you came to a stop? If it stalled due to being in gear as you came to a stop, then the stop and the stall would happen at the same time, and would not feel pleasant for the last couple MPH. If they are separated at all, then this is 2 different issues probably. If they are together, then this is likely all transmission related.


Offhand though, your symptoms sound very much like the symptoms I had when my Corolla's transmission leaked out all the fluid and went dry. Could not disengage clutch, had to shift without touching the clutch, would stall instantly when I came to a stop, had to fire it up and gas immediately to get going without stalling, etc... (This was across 3 miles and like 15 lights to get it to the closest dealer, was the last time I drove it, dealer installed seals wrong and the fluid drained out...long story)


As a side note: Any manual transmission can shift without using the clutch, via rev matching. A handy skill to learn, though clutchless shifting is rarely needed.


Year, Mileage? Any recent transmission work?

steed23 06-14-2010 09:53 AM


Originally Posted by RIWWP (Post 3598566)
It sounds like there are 2 separate issues here, and I think we need some clarification...


First, when your 8 "died", did it stall due to low wheel speed and still in gear? Or did it simply shut off before you came to a stop? Or after you came to a stop? If it stalled due to being in gear as you came to a stop, then the stop and the stall would happen at the same time, and would not feel pleasant for the last couple MPH. If they are separated at all, then this is 2 different issues probably. If they are together, then this is likely all transmission related.


Offhand though, your symptoms sound very much like the symptoms I had when my Corolla's transmission leaked out all the fluid and went dry. Could not disengage clutch, had to shift without touching the clutch, would stall instantly when I came to a stop, had to fire it up and gas immediately to get going without stalling, etc... (This was across 3 miles and like 15 lights to get it to the closest dealer, was the last time I drove it, dealer installed seals wrong and the fluid drained out...long story)


As a side note: Any manual transmission can shift without using the clutch, via rev matching. A handy skill to learn, though clutchless shifting is rarely needed.


Year, Mileage? Any recent transmission work?

It's a 2004 with about 90k..no transmission work done. When it 'died' it wasn't even noticeable, it didn't stall out in a rough way...it just cut off. I actually didn't even realize it at first.

Went back down and the car started up. (5 minutes ago) loud whisteling noise, smell of the clutch when the hood was opened up too.

RIWWP 06-14-2010 10:08 AM

I would highly recommend you find another way home from work if possible. If you have AAA or something else that offers free towing, you might want to use it.

The first thing I would recommend doing is removing the shifter so you can see down into the transmission. Take a picture of it if you can. Don't let anything drop in. If it has a heavy oil burn smell to it, or other apparent signs of being over-cooked, then you are probably low, or out of transmission fluid.

If this is the case, you might be able to limp it home if you add some fluid, depending on how far you are, but it is probably finished, and you should start looking for a replacement. (Fortunately, they are actually fairly cheap...$600 transmissions show up on the boards every few weeks, Mazmart can get you a new one for around $1000 I think, and installation is easier than it may seem)

My guess is that the engine shutting off is indeed due to stalling, but not severe due to a completely burned clutch.


If the transmission itself seems fine (fluid level, color, no burnt odor there), then the next guess is your clutch pedal assembly has bent or broken (common issue), and can't fully engage or disengage the cutch. At this point, your clutch is probably completely toast either way, but your transmission might be fine. When they fail they can certainly cause clutch and/or transmission failure. A few people have even had it damage the master cylinder and lose their braking power, etc... Depends on how it breaks really.

If it is your clutch pedal assemble, that can be fixed through welding it, buying a new one, or buying a bracing bracket. It would also need to be reported to the NHTSA here: http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/index.cfm
(Main thread here: https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-trouble-shooting-95/clutch-pedal-snap-off-8-year-warranty-recall-%7E%7E%7E-132912/)

steed23 06-14-2010 10:14 AM


Originally Posted by RIWWP (Post 3598608)
I would highly recommend you find another way home from work if possible. If you have AAA or something else that offers free towing, you might want to use it.

The first thing I would recommend doing is removing the shifter so you can see down into the transmission. Take a picture of it if you can. Don't let anything drop in. If it has a heavy oil burn smell to it, or other apparent signs of being over-cooked, then you are probably low, or out of transmission fluid.

If this is the case, you might be able to limp it home if you add some fluid, depending on how far you are, but it is probably finished, and you should start looking for a replacement. (Fortunately, they are actually fairly cheap...$600 transmissions show up on the boards every few weeks, Mazmart can get you a new one for around $1000 I think, and installation is easier than it may seem)

My guess is that the engine shutting off is indeed due to stalling, but not severe due to a completely burned clutch.




If the transmission itself seems fine (fluid level, color, no burnt odor there), then the next guess is your clutch pedal assembly has bent or broken (common issue), and can't fully engage or disengage the cutch. At this point, your clutch is probably completely toast either way, but your transmission might be fine. When they fail they can certainly cause clutch and/or transmission failure. A few people have even had it damage the master cylinder and lose their braking power, etc... Depends on how it breaks really.

If it is your clutch pedal assemble, that can be fixed through welding it, buying a new one, or buying a bracing bracket. It would also need to be reported to the NHTSA here: http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/index.cfm
(Main thread here: https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?t=132912)

I'll have to drive it home. I'll take it easy. I've had an issue with the clutch pedal assemble before...a friend of mine had welded it, it seems like it finally went. Pushing in the sensor to let the engine know the clutch is engaged is how I was able to start it at first, and then after that it started by pushing in the pedal itself. Unsure of what to do. I do not want to go out and order a brand new clutch without knowing for sure...I guess we'll have to take it apart and see.

RIWWP 06-14-2010 10:20 AM

Yeah, sounds like a clutch assembly issue. From your description it is also burning down your clutch, and hopefully not destroying your transmission as well.

steed23 06-14-2010 10:26 AM


Originally Posted by RIWWP (Post 3598626)
Yeah, sounds like a clutch assembly issue. From your description it is also burning down your clutch, and hopefully not destroying your transmission as well.

I appreciate your help, thank you!


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