Hey guys
I've got an '03 rx8 and recently have noticed that the clutch is slowly getting harder and harder to disengage.

It all started after I got my car back from the smash repair after my car was rear ended and the rear bumper and entire exhaust system was replaced. At the time I didn't think too much of it (which I should have) and just thought the strange clutch feeling was because I hadn't driven the car for 3 weeks.

This strange feeling was basically as if the clutch play disappeared till all but near the floor where it would disengage. This only came about after about 20 minutes of driving, when the car was cold the clutch pedal play was much firmer and it engaged higher off the floor. After about 20 minutes the pedal play was almost non-existant until right before the floor where it would engage.

This got progressively worse and worse until now after 20 minutes the pedal becomes all loose and unresponsive until it almost reaches the floor at which point full depression still does not disengage or engage the clutch.

The only way I can drive my car anywhere is to wait for it to cool down and for the clutch to become firmer again.

I am reluctant to drive it anywhere at the moment and am open to ideas as to what is wrong.

Thanks

 

I have checked the repair bulletin and that seems to be what I am experiencing.
My car however is an '03 build but I am aware that in the US the earliest build date is the '04?

It is JM0FEXXXXXXX
Is JM0 before JM1?

Thanks Abbid

I am also out of warranty so am not sure if it is worth paying the premium at a Mazda dealership to get it fixed.

 

Do you think that low clutch/brake fluid could be the cause?
I checked the levels and although it is not at MAX it is not LOW either. I'd say probably a quarter of an inch from MAX.
Which is strange because clutch/brake oil isn't burnt up like engine oil.

Maybe there is a leak?

I plan to take her to Mazda tommorow and ask them to change and replace the clutch/brake fluid, bleed the lines, and while the car is at the shop ask them to change out the tranny fluid to redline. I'm also going to ask them to take a look at the clutch and see if there is anything mechanically wrong with it.

I guess I'll go from there.

It sounds like the stainless steel clutch is a good idea but I'd like to make sure everything is in good order with the clutch and tranny before I lay down some $$ for a clutch line upgrade.

 

The clutch and brake fluid levels go down as the friction material wears. You wind up with more fluid in the wheel cyinders, calipers and clutch slave cylinder and less in the reservoir. Normal behavior, no leak.

A stainless steel clutch line may be a nice thing to have, but it's an upgrade, not a fix for this problem.

All I know about the problem described in the TSB comes from reading the TSB. It makes sense, sounds like a good explanation, although I wonder why it took four years for it to show up. Maybe sitting idle for three weeks let the ethanol do its thing? Since the symptoms do match those in the TSB, it makes sense to go to a Mazda dealer.

BTW - US 2004 model year included 2003 production.

Ken

 

I took it to the local mechanic today and as luck would have it I could not replicate the inability to shift. The clutch became spongier and free play increased but the gears would still change.

The mechanic went ahead and bled the clutch, checked for leaks and decided I need a new clutch master cylinder as I was getting air bubbles in the clutch lines causing my pedal to increase its free play to the point where it may not disengage at all to change gears.

If the new cylinder doesn't improve my clutch's performance I will probabaly go ahead and take it to the Mazda dealer and get the ethanol thing checked out.

I am just glad that I don't think it is a case of a faulty gearbox or clutch component requiring a new clutch since I am out of warranty and could be quite pricey.

 

That should take care of it. I had a similar problem with a Miata a few years ago and the slave cylinder had sprung a leak.

 

Is the clutch release cylinder part of the clutch master cylinder?
I've got the master cylinder replaced and the problem seems to have gone away for now.

Just wondering if that also took care of the TSB regarding the clutch release cylinder?

 

no it is not,

but fresh fluid and bleeding shure might have helped.


beers