RX-865

ok so this morning when i was leaving my friend's house i got in my car and pushed in the clutch and started my rx8, put it in neutral, and when i lifted off the clutch the pedal didn't come back to its original position. It sticks at about the halfway point between its normal placement and to the floor. Did anyone else have the same or similar problem?

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

Get down there near the base and look for a break on the mounting bracket. If it is broken, then that it a known issue, generally occurring around 50,000 miles, where the weak welds break.
Look here for pictures of the break:
https://www.rx8club.com/gulf-rx-8-forum-32/i-just-joined-my-clutch-pedal-snapped-club-182437/ (Some good pics)
https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-do-yourself-forum-73/diy-clutch-pedal-bracket-removal-fix-170387/ (DIY)
https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-trouble-shooting-95/clutch-pedal-snap-off-8-year-warranty-recall-%7E%7E%7E-132912/ (Main thread)

Mazda won't fix it under warranty unless you are really good at convincing people. Cheapest option is to remove the assembly and bring it to a welding shop and have them re-weld it. You can also purchase a bracket from Race Roots here for around $125, a brand new (still flawed) clutch from a dealer for around $150, or a complete assembly that has been reinforced heavily for $175(?) from BHR.

Either way, also report it to the NTSB here:
http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/index.cfm

Every one we get reported is another step towards getting Mazda to address it properly, because it really is a safety issue.

If that isn't the issue, then I am surprised, and we probably need more information on it

Jon316G

iTrader: (1)

Besides what RIWWP mentioned above, you can also have air in the lines and you should bleed the slave cylinder.
Also look at your brake fluid reservoir and verify the fluid level isn't low.
Another possibility is a bad slave cylinder.

Mazurfer

Damn RIWWP...............keep all that in your paste buffer!
Nice to see it all condensed into one post(or two, including Jon's).
Will save us a lot of work in the future as you know there have been numerous threads lately!

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

Hehe, yeah, laying here not wanting to wake up yet, kept finding more and more info so spread out, figured I would post it all in summary

Mine is getting ready to break, so been keeping an eye on thread topics about it anyway. Still debating on if I should get it welded before it breaks, or give myself the ability to file a NHTSA report on it. Every report counts for them.

Mazurfer

I have the old Mazsport(now defunct) bracket for well over a year and still haven't installed it.
I'll be doing it in the coming week or so.....maybe over Thanksgiving??????

Oh................and to the OP................has it been squeeking at all before this?

RX-865

nope no squeaking at all. It really pissed me off this morning standing in 38 degree weather in shorts and a t shirt and can't get my car to move so i had to put it in gear while it was off then start it and drive to my house in 1st gear. Luckily he lives in the same neighborhood or i would have been screwed. I appreciate all the help so far guys

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

Yeah, same story from everyone else that had the clutch assembly spot weld break. Let us know.

RX-865

has anyone else here had this problem and taken it to a dealership? If so how much was it to fix? Did they have to get a new piece or did they just re-weld it?

Jon316G

iTrader: (1)

The dealer will likely just charge you for a new pedal + labor to install.
And this will still leave you vulnerable to future problems unless the pedal is welded or reinforced.

RX-865

this kinda **** is super annoying i swear, plus it would break on the damn weekend so now i gotta wait till monday to get it towed up to the mazda dealership. This sucks

Jon316G

iTrader: (1)

Why not just remove the pedal yourself and take it to a local shop to have it welded?
And I'm still not 100% convinced that your issue is the pedal, but welding/reinforcing it is still a recommended thing to do.

RX-865

would rewelding it make it last longer? Cause i've read in the main thread that one of the guys posted that they break off just as easy. I may get the re-enforced pedal assembly from race roots if that is the problem. Im gonna have to check in a lil bit

Jon316G

iTrader: (1)

Rewelding it?
Must have missed the part where you've already had your pedal welded.

RX-865

sorry my bad that was a typo, disregard the "re" in front. Will welding it really hold it in place better than it was originally?

Jon316G

iTrader: (1)

It will hold it in place better and reduce the chance of the pedal "snapping off" while driving.

RX-865

ya i will probly just do that. How hard is it to remove the assembly?

dannobre

iTrader: (3)

3 nuts and a couple of electrical connectors

Jon316G

iTrader: (1)

This should help:
https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?t=170387

RX-865

Took it to the dealership, they just called. Bracket broke and damaged the master cylinder. So time for a new assembly and master cylinder. Its gonna run me around 500 dollars to repair. This blows

Huey52

iTrader: (2)

Sorry to hear that RX-865; but it's also why we advocate 'an ounce of prevention .....'

It was a bit of a PITA to remove-brace-replace my clutch pedal, but far cheaper then a new assembly plus a slave cylinder, not to mention the time and aggravation.

Others - you've been forewarned - if you're above ~35k miles, get it welded or braced before you too have this issue.

RX-865

ya i had never heard about this type of problem until saturday afternoon, but i've already warned my friends with 8's and urged them to buy the reenforcement bracket to save them from this PITA. I've also ordered the reenforcement bracket and am gonna put it on to prevent it from happening again.

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

Another owner came by today on another issue, and showed me his original clutch pedal assembly, which he personally welded several times, since it was breaking about 2 months after each weld. He finally got one from a junk yard, but that one is about to break as well. I pointed him to the same places above, but it was interesting to note the additional failure point on his original assembly, probably most of us don't see it because the common weld breaks first and is replaced or bypassed before this one happens:


This is where the spring anchors to the pedal assembly.

laserjock

Reposting what I put in other threads about the same topic:

The exact same thing happened to me last night! Same conditions, driving down the road, went to shift gears, pop!

I took my 8 to the dealership this morning, not very far away. The pulled the transmission out. The clutch had burned out after the pedal broke. My clutch pedal didn't break, it bent in half. Total price as of this afternoon $1900 + tax, not to mention the 4 days without my 8. My warranty won't cover the work because it is a clutch problem, normal wear and tear. Up till it happened the clutch operated normally, no slippage, no indication of anything.

Anything that can happen to an RX8 has happened to mine:
- the visors broke on both sides, shorted out the electrical system and blew a fuse both times
- engine replacement at 20k miles
- flooded at 40k miles, had to replace battery after going through the de-flooding procedure and 3 weeks in the dealership.
- replace the front main seal, 2 O2 sensors, all the plugs at 75k miles
- now the clutch pedal, entire clutch, fly wheel...

All in all, total cost of repairs out of pocket, before warranty.... $20k

Once it is all done it will be like a new car.... anyone want to buy an RX8, I'm tired of fixing it...

2004 GT, silver metallic, leather red and black interior, fully loaded, 80100 miles, 20k miles left on the warranty (platinum warranty, bumper to bumper till 100k or July 28th 2011.

I filed a complaint with the DOT NHTSA tonight... I will post any feedback I get.... No doubt that this is a dangerous failure, Mazda should be responsible.

Rocketman1976

My clutch did a similar thing to what you guys are describing and I have 45k miles. I heard a snap and the pedal fell to the floor, then it felt kind of crunchy and wouldn't disengage entirely for me to put it in gear. My problem also happened on a weekend, but while driving, although I was luckily only a block from my house.

I'm not quit sure but I think it is the bracket that broke, although the dealership who already wanted to sell me a new clutch a few week prior, said that my clutch went out and it would be $1200 for a new one, including throw out, fork, and pilot.

I ended up buying an F1 racing clutch for $200 and got it installed (after a ton of bargaining) by the dealership for $300.

But now after the break in period, my clutch pedal sticks to the floor when shifting quickly at high rpms.

What could cause this? Is it a bleed problem?

Or maybe a slave cylinder problem?

Could it be that like in RX-865's car, my master or slave was damaged because of the break?