Went to shift into 4th and just hear GGRrgggaagggg (and yes the clutch was down).

2600 miles. I sometimes drive fast, but I never do clutch bombs or speed shifting.

Now the clutch is a dead pedal--can't get into any gear.

Nice.

 

Sounds like you snapped the cable.

 

I thought it was a hydraulic clutch?

 

Do we have cables?

I know very little about RWD trannys, but I thought/hoped the cable (or rod linkage) thingie was for FWDs?

 

no cables. could be the pressure plate bolts. is it at the shop now?

 

I thought it was hydraulic failure as well, but I'm not sure. The dealer should be calling me later today or tomorrow.

I already miss my baby.

 

I (on a previous car) actually snapped a bolt on the tranny mount that held the slave cylinder for the clutch. so the cylinder was too far form the arm to disengage the clutch... could be a LOT of things causing this, no real help speculating until you hear back from the dealer.

 

Had you noticed the clutch engagement point changing recently?
I recall that a couple of people had the pressure plate bolts back out, and I think they noticed the engageent point of the cluth moving prior to the failure.

 

^^^
If it was moving prior it was minor.
However I have had a problem shifting into 2nd and 4th a couple times before.

 

You shouldn't have been having any issues shifting into any gears. Did you get a chance to look at the hydraulic fluid resevior tank to see if you were out of fluid? If that was the case though you would feel a very spongy clutch pedal.

 

No didn't look at fluid, but pedal was not spongy (before the incident).

 

I'm not real big on technicalities, as i am only 16...i live on the beach, and the speed limit is 25...so i run first to 35mph and then go into fourth...it grinds and i don't know why...my clutch is on the ground, but i don't know...help please!!! haha...: /

 

^^^
WTF?

 

good luck getting it fixed.

 

thx RX-GR8.

I'll let you all know what the dealer says.

 

I've been having the same problems with second and more so with 4th at high RPM shifts. I'll have the clutch mashed in and still get the grind...makes you look like kind of an *** when everybody is already checking out the car. I think you guys are wrong about the hydraulic vs. cable. I found a site where they brought up a technical problem with the same symptoms, but only from 1st to 2nd gear. Their fix was a steel braided clutch cable swap and it fixed it. I'll try and find the site and put it on here. I was just putting up with it, but I'm about to drive from Alaska to Virginia via Canada and don't need my tranmission locking up on me. The car's light, but thats a tough push. Anybody put thier's into the dealer yet? Mines going in Tuesday(29Jun04) for the M Flash and I'll mention the tranny as well. I might make them take it sooner, we'll see. --Mark

 

That was probably a steel braided hydraulic hose. Steel, or stainless braiding stops the hose from expanding, providing a more direct feel (less pedal pressure is lost to expansion).

If you have shift problems into 2nd it is possibly a fault with your transmission, providing your clutch is in good condition. Try adjusting your clutch pedal so there is less freeplay and see if that makes a difference (there is another thread on how to adjust it).

To the originator of this thread, I am interested in whether it is your clutch or gearbox...Let us know when you hear.

 

markris77,

I agree. I had a couple problems with 1 to 2 and 3 to 4 during high RPM shifts before the clutch went out. In addition it was inconsistent. My car is now at the dealer.

 

Hey all, I'm new here but have been reading the posts for awhile -- thanks for sharing all the lessons you've learned! I picked up my 8 last weekend (titanium MT touring) and I love this car. In the past couple of days though I have noticed it becoming a little trickier to shift into 4th sometimes, almost like 4th doesn't quite line up with 3rd. No grinding, just a little challenging getting the stick into 4th (both from 3rd and from 5th, but not all the time). I'm wondering if those of you who eventually lost the clutch had anything like this going on first, or whether this is just part of the breaking-in process (or a transmission issue -- don't want to think about that!).

I'm tryin' to be a good newbie -- I searched and read other threads about breaking in the synchros and trying synthetic transmission oil, so I'm just wondering if this problem came up with those who later lost the clutch. I've been driving stick for 10 years so I'm comfortable with a manual transmission, and there are only a few hundred miles on the car. I'm a big fan of the 8 so I'm crossing my fingers that this remains a minor problem that a little tweaking can fix.

 

LOL - I don't usually heckle people... but, I can't help it in this case. How, exactly, do you drive from Alaska to Virginia without going through Canada?

 

He said quite clearly "via Canada" meaning "by way of Canada" , I think you misread the post.

 

he was saying that the "via canada" was implied...don't have to say it because there is no other way...

 

never had a problem going into my 4th.... i guess its a rare problem or else everyone would be in here talking about it...

 

Ah, little did you know...you don't have to drive through Canada. There's the Alaska Marine Highway, where you board a ferry in AK and 3-4 days latter port in Bellingham, WA. So you don't HAVE to go thru Canada. --Mark

 

Exactly my point. No sense inserting words of the obvious.

I thought of this too Mark when I read the post. But, then he did say "drive". And, last time I took a ferry, I didn't do much driving. But hey, if you want to call it that... It ought to be a record for mpg.