I have a 2001 with 60K miles. I haven't had any sort of problem with the car until yesterday.

I was driving on the parkway in 6th, downshifted from 6th -> 5th -> 4th then when I went for 3rd it locked me out and i could feel a grind and hear it as well. So I went to go back to 4th and it felt like i was pulling a log through mud. It went in but not smooth and required some force. Then I went to upshift to 5th and it locked me out like it did 3rd, so i went into 6th, no problem. These are all rev-matched shifts, and i always rev match.

I pulled over not knowing how to proceed. At a dead stop with the motor running, I clutched in, shifted through the gearbox, a lil' notchy, but got through the gears. I checked the fluids, clutch = good, transmission = good. Proceeded to drive home and i could granny shift through all the gears no problem, but any shift over 4K-5K i was getting locked out of gears until the rpms fell to 2K-3K.

I pm'd a member and he advised a clutch disengagement issue rather than a problem with the transmission since I can get through all the gears at a standstill. The car doesn't roll forward when i put it in 1st gear with the car on and clutch to the floor.

Like i said up top, i haven't had any issues of this sort until now. I did however auto-x the afternoon before these issues, all 1st and 2nd gear, and I drove 60 miles after the auto-x no problem. It was about 2 hours later I made another 60 mile trip where this started happening about 30 miles into the trip.

holler back drivetrain nuts! thanks!

md

 

Do a clutch fluid flush and change and see if this resolves anything. If you can row through the gears with the engine off, it's not likely a tranny problem. Do you have the original clutch? It may have just reached a point in its life where it is becoming "grabby" during some driving scenarios.

Just curious ................. How did you manage to check the tranny fluid while you were "on the road"?

 

It is the original clutch.

I lied; I didn't check the transmission fluid on the road, I did it this morning. I got carried away while stating the condition of the fluids in the original post.

I will flush the clutch fluid asap and post the results. I didn't launch the car at the autox nor burn it on any occasion. It doesn't slip at all. Just mind boggle'n how this could happen with no prior warning signs.

 

Your car's doing exactly what MY2000 was doing before I had a new clutch put it in. Mine didn't get as bad as yours, but basically, you could feel that the clutch wasn't disengaging. Getting the car in or out of gear, you could feel the drag... not good.

Bleeding the clutch did nothing for me. I had the clutch buzz issue anyway, so got the clutch changed. That took care of 95% of the problem. However, every now and then when cold, I detect just a hint of the old problem. I suspect the shaft the clutch rides on wasn't greased appropriately.

 

Oddly enough, clutch drag is the opposite of clutch slip and it is drag that I believe is causing the symptoms you are describing. Most of the time, an old clutch will slip badly and this is one of the first indications that it needs to be changed. However, in some instances, an old clutch will enter a phase where it will "grab". In such a case, a new clutch is also a solution. But since this is an expensive proposition, it's not a bad idea to do a clutch fluid change first before going on to the next step. A dragging clutch can also be a result of it not fully disengaging. The fluid would be your next target in such a case. It's your choice - try something relatively cheap first or just go for the expensive one right off the bat.

 

Xv, I will be changing the fluid before I jump into a new clutch. I understand the concept of drag you described. I appreciate the sound advice and will proceed to change my fluid before I move further.

heffer, thanks for relating to my situation. Although I hope I don't need a new clutch, it is good to know someone has had the same experience.

 

If you are going to tackle this on your own, be it known there are right ways and wrong ways to do a clutch bleed on this car. Here is a thread that may be of some assistance:
https://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=118878

 

Just come to my place tommorow, we'll at least get an answer

 

I think we did a once over on your car not long ago with clutch fluid change and adj, right?

 

Well, if you've got Billman that close to you, you are taken care of.