Morris

In the space of a couple days it has become very difficult to put our S in gear, sometimes impossible. Clutch feels a bit too easy to depress. Only 67K miles. Could the clutch be going? If the tranny were the problem, I would guess it wouldn't have come on so fast. Over in the Mechanics section, the only thing I found under "difficulty shifting" was someone posting they replaced the CMC and that was it. What's a CMC? Any suggestions? (yes it is a bit easier after warming up, but this is the warmest it's been this year)
Thanks,
Morris

jukngene

Did you check the fluid level in the clutch reservoir? You could have a leak somewhere in the system.

Lovetodrive2000

When you say difficult to put into gear.....

Do you mean at a stop?

While moving?

Any gear to any other gear?

Any particular gears?

Does it grind when trying to put in gear?

dlq04

As the clutch starts to wear it engages higher when you let it out.

CMC = Clutch Master Cylinder (where the hydraulic fluid to make it work is stored)

kgf3076

Clutch master cylinder. Check the floor under the clutch pedal to see if there is dampness on the carpet. If there is, there's a good possibility the clutch master cylinder is leaking and needs to be rebuilt or replaced. Make sure the fluid level is at the mark for the clutch. It's the reservoir closest to the left fender under the hood.
If these are clean and not leaking, check the slave cylinder. That won't be as easy as it's on the side of the transmission but there shouldn't be any liquid there either. Have someone depress the clutch while you watch the slave cylinder. The movement should be smooth with no hangs or jerks.

If those two are working the way they should, you might want to relubricate the shilft lever. At times the nylon connection at the bottom of the shift lever gets dirty and needs to be cleaned and relubricated. It's not complicated but requres some time to remove the lever, clean it, lube it and replace it and then the center console.

If none of these fix the problem, you might need a clutch but you don't really have that much mileage on the car.

RedY2KS2k

Almost assuredly something hydraulic. Billman, who probably works on as many S2000s as anyone, states that you can often fix this by evacuating the clutch master cylinder reservoir and wiping it clean, refilling, and bleeding the clutch hydraulic system.

raymo19

Can you row through the gears with the motor off with no problem? If so I'm thinking it's the clutch and you might as well start with the hydraulics and confirm that first.

dean

I just went through this problem on my car a couple of months ago. The clutch master cylinder started to leak. A new one will cost around $60, and it can be replaced in a couple of hours.

Triple-H

And when was the last time the tranny fluid was changed?

Morris

Wow, thanks for all the replies.
When the S is sitting, it is near impossible to get into a gear. When driving it is easier although not as good as it was. The level of fluid is maybe an inch and a half from the top, and I don't see any leaks anywhere, but my guess is the problem is somewhere in the CMC. I'll get it topped off today and see if it makes a difference. Then go to replacement as a next step.
If there's a "fill" mark on the reservoir, these old eyes can't see it.

I'll post when this gets resolved. Thanks again.