I have read the forums and haven't found anything close to my situation or a final solution to get me in the right direction. 06 6 speed shinka 94000 miles and I'm the second owner. I have had this rx8 for 3 years no issues but flooding it once and replacing coil packs and plugs and wires afterwards. was driving with no issues and all of a sudden the transmission just stoped shifting when I came to a stop and put it in neutral and it wouldn't go back into any gear. I shut it off and started it in 1st and was able to not stall and limp it just a mile to my inlaws. I checked the slave cylinder and it seems to be working correctly and it isnt leaking, reservoir has fluid and the transmission never had any shifting issues before. It will shift while the car is off with or without the clutch engaged. besides dropping the transmission and checking the clutch I was hoping maybe for some other possible options or insight before I get to far tearing out the transmission. Thanks in advance.

 

Inspect the brake pedal itself. The assembly is known to crack and fail.

 

yeah I read about that but i failed to mention that I had inspected the pedal itself and i couldnt see anything like what was posted and pedals still look to be in the same position.

 

Did you just look at it? Or did you move it around with your hand, shift it left and right at different positions? How did it feel? Anything seem odd about it?

Even if it isn't the pedal, how it felt can be big clues.

 

The pedal feels fine, doesnt seem to move side to side and when im pressing down it feels smooth but no big amount of resistance but does return to top after I let off of the pedal.

 

If you get onto level ground (with nothing in front of the car) and you put it into gear, clutch in, and then start the engine, does the car start moving forward with the clutch still down?

 

When I put it in 1st and started it, it started going like the clutch wasn't pressed in at all.

 

There we go, big clue. Starting to sound like a burst clutch disc.

To confirm:

Disconnect the battery

Jack up the driver's side of the car (put it on 1 or 2 jackstands for safety)

Locate the starter. It's bolted to the transmission bellhousing and really obvious


Remove the wire with the black clip from the starter

Open the cap on the end of the starter and undo the 12mm bolt to remove the main power cable

Then remove the two 14mm bolts holding the starter to the bellhousing.

There is now a hole into the transmission bellhousing that you can look into


Take a look at what you see. If there is shredded clutch material everywhere, and/or you can see that the clutch disc looks like a turkey at thankgiving, then it's a burst clutch disc.

 

okay thanks, gonna have to get at it tomorrow to dark to work on it now. i will update tomorrow.

 

Well, fortunately and unfortunately the clutch disc looks fine and there is not a single sign of chunks, bits, or particles except a little road grime. Also from what I can see the disc looks fine. Back to square one I suppose.

 

If you still have it up, see if you can get someone to move hte clutch pedal for you while you watch to confirm that the clutch pressure place is moving off of the clutch.

We might be over to a hydraulic problem. Also look for slave cylinder movement, up the side of the transmission from where the starter was.

 

I saw the slave cylinder move, I also just bled it to see and there was bit of air but I am not sure if it was enough to cause an issue. However; I was unable to see the clutch plate move, couldn't seem to get the right angle to get a good look.

 

Okay, update... I turned the flywheel to get a better view and was able to see the plate moving. I am hoping that once I get it back together and a double bleeding on the slave cylinder I will have my clutch back.

 

The question for me is where did the air come from in the first place....you will either have a master or slave issue with the hydraulic clutch

Bleeding it will only work for a bit if a seal is leaking and it is pulling in air

 

Okay, car is back together, bled the slave again. But still will not shift... Thinking maybe the plate isn't fully engaging, maybe the slave is wore and not pushing enough.

 

You mean not fully disengaging And yes, the symptoms you detailed are indeed describing exactly that, not fully disengaging. Without clutch damage itself, and the clutch pedal still working correctly, then the hydraulics are left. You may have had a master or slave failure that keeps pulling air into the line.

 

yes i meant disengaging thanks lol... getting a little cold out so i called it quits for now... ordered the slave, braided hose, and the master... will update when I get them in.

 

If you don't have a pressure bleeder...bench bleed the master and slave before you put them in...will save you a lot of grief. Bleeding this the traditional way when dry is basically impossible