GGordon

I’ve got a 2004 RX8 that intermittently has problems changing gears. This is usually after spending some time in traffic with many clutch and gear changes. The clutch pedal biting point moves towards the floor until (sometimes suddenly) you are unable to change gear. If you leave the car for an few hours it is fine and you can drive as normal.
This originally occurred two years ago and at that time the dealer had the car in for repairs trying to work out what was wrong for about 3 months. They even got Mazda Ireland involved but it was just collective head scratching.
They ended up changed the whole mechanics of the clutch to no affect and then changed the entire hydraulics (master, slave and whole brake system) in the car which solved the problem. I didn't mind too much at that point because the car was under warranty.
In April of this year the problem re-occurred. This time the dealer replaced the master cylinder and secondary cylinder but as the car was out of warranty I had to pay. I didn’t have much faith in this being a permanent fix as the dealer seems to be pretty clueless.
So now we are in October and the problem has resurfaced. I’m looking for any ideas about what the cause could be and also for suggestions about my next course of action.
Thanks in advance.

nycgps

iTrader: (1)

You have a broken Clutch Pedal bracket. search for answerr.

xun4gvn4everx

iTrader: (2)

Get the reinforced clutch bracket

GGordon

Thanks for the quick responses.
After posting I had read into some of the other posts and saw quite a few people with issues that related to the bracket breaking because it is under-engineered.
Any recommendations on which reinforced bracket to get?

dozer

iTrader: (3)

wow this is starting to become A LOT more common, this isnt the only thread like this, this week

GGordon

Thanks Charles. I'll have a look in the daylight tomorrow and see what state the bracket is in and if is worth saving by welding.
I'll also go and shout at my dealer as they have had the car in and out countless times and it is now on it's third master and slave cylinders because of their ineptitude. Who nows maybe they'll offer to weld it for me (not sure I really trust them with it though).
If not I'll pder the reinforced pedal or bracket and fit that.

Thanks.

alnielsen

iTrader: (4)

As the OP is in Ireland, that would be a very expensive proposition.

GGordon

So I eventually got to have a look at the clutch bracket when I got home from work and unfortunately there is nothing wrong with it.

It looks like new, the welds are intact there are no tears or seperation in the metal. I double checked with the pedal being depressed/ released and saw absolutely no movement in the bracket or in the firewall both under the dash and under the bonnet. There is minimal sideways movement in it and the piston looks lined up. I do agree that the construction doesn't look the best so I may get the reinforcing bracket anyway but I don't believe that this is the issue in this case.

The one strange element of this problem is that the car gets better if left for a few hours.

Say I drive into work and get stuck in Dublin rush hour traffic which consists of a hours drive going from first to second, stopping etc. Sometimes (but not always or with any predicatability) I experience a clutch issue and inability to engage a gear as described in my original post. Luckily this has usually happened close to work so I park up or limp in using second gear only and praying I don't hit any red lights.
So the car sits parked for a few hours and when you drive it again it is as if there was never a problem with it.

Any suggestions are more than welcome.

lepichichi

iTrader: (10)

https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...ht=wooo+clutch

here it go my friend mines broke twice in a year

GGordon

lepichichi,

Thanks but I've read all those threads. My clutch bracket is NOT broken, warped or damaged in any way so I don't believe this is the same issue that many other people are experiencing.

This is an inability to engage gear after driving in heavy traffic for an hour or so. When that happens the clutch pedal moves towards the floor. Leave the car for a few hours, get back in and the clutch position is back to normal and you can drive as normal.

I'm going to order the reinforcement bracket and fit it but it's a last ditch effort that I don't hold much hope in solving my issue. If that doesn't fix it then I'll probably end up selling or trading the car in and unfortunately probably not for another rotatary

There are just too few RX8's in Ireland (about 200) and no one seems to know anything about them. The car has been to the main Mazda dealer so much it's not funny. It even spent some time with Mazda themselves but they were even more clueless. You know when you have to expain the function of an ignition coil to the main dealer and the vendor when they are looking at a low end performance problem, that you are wasting your time (but that's another story).

GGordon

Just tried to order the reinforcement bracket online from raceroots but was unable to do so. It looks like they will not ship to Ireland. even though they initially let me select it for my address. I wonder if they only ship inside the US? so I've sent them a comment to ask.

I love driving the car and have had it almost 5 years but it is just getting too hard to own.

Huey52

iTrader: (2)

If your gearing response gets better when warmed up you may have some air in the clutch hydraulic line and/or the slave cylinder internal seals may be starting to fail.

kersh4w

iTrader: (3)

when was the last time you did a complete flush of your brake system/master cylinder?

i'd get ATE superblue.

WVBoosted8

iTrader: (5)

I just had my clutch pedal completely welded so there is no possible way it would break again. When I leave the car setting for a little while I have to readjust the clutch pedal everytime. It seems as if you are having the same problem. Sometimes I will drive it somewhere and the bolt loosen up on its own. I dont know whether I should put some loctite on it or something but it is annoying as hell.

paulmasoner

iTrader: (1)

do you have to be so smart and exact? wouldn't 1/4 - 1/2 in work? lol

GGordon

Thanks for all the advice from everyone.

The brake fluid was completly flushed and renewed in April when the master and slave cyclinder were replaced (I'm now on my third set). The car has only done about 3500 miles since then.

I absolutely hear what everyone is saying about the clutch pedal bracket and I will get it reinforced one way or another. Raceroots have just come back to me to say they can ship to Ireland (just can't complete the order online) so I'll get that sorted and fitted.

One thing I haven't done to date but plan to is to drive the car until I get the fault occurring. At that time have a look under the dash to see if the clutch bracket is distorting when it is hot.

I'll post the outcome and fingers crossed.

Cheers from Ireland