QuestionI was driving and the car bucked a little bit and then i could not puch the clutch down. It was as if it locked somewhere. I took it to a garage and he said he messed with a lever near the transmission and it worked. That was two weeks ago. The problem just happened again. I took it upon myself to find the lever he was talking about and i discovered if you push it in, the clutch will work. If you pump the clutch 10 - 15 times in a row, you can see it slowly work its way out again and then it makes a ting sound, almost like a spring tinging. It locks up again and then i can repeat these steps. What is the problem?
AnswerIt'll take some inspection to find out the issue for certain. In effect, the plunger in the clutch release cylinder is extended to the end of its stroke. Since it will travel no farther, it's impossible to depress the clutch pedal. There are several basic scenarios that would cause this problem:
1. Release cylinder not properly attached to the transmission, allowing it to pivot so far that the plunger is extended.
2. Lever on transmission not securely attached to release fork rod.
3. Release fork not securely attached to release bearing.
4. Release bearing not securely attached to clutch pressure plate.
5. Pressure plate defective.
Items 1 and 2 can be checked visually without removing the transmission. Items 3 to 5 require removal of the transmission to inspect the clutch release mechanism and the clutch mechanism.
