Question Hi Anthony,
My daughter says her '95 Eclipse still has clutch pressure,but she really has to force it into gear.There's no grinding,so I don't think it's the clutch.Do you know if the Eclipse's were known for linkage problems?
Thank you for any help you can give!
Jim Stanchick
AnswerJim,
The cable linkage may be loose on the shift knob. The small leather shift knob cover should be easy to remove, which will allow you to check your cable linkages. There are also two arms that are attached to the transmission, which the shift cables are also attached to. You can see them move when looking under the hood (flash light is helpful). The transmission is located near the middle of the engine; a bit closer to the passanger side. It's possible these linkages to come loose, but it's not a common problem.
Find out if the hard shifts only happen while the engine is running, or if it also happens while the car is turned off. Also find if it happens more when the engine is warmed up or more so when it's cold. It's possible the clutch pedal needs to be realigned. Sometimes the pivot point on the pedal gets worn, so you feel the clutch pressure, but the actual master clutch cylinder is not travelling as much as it should. Lack of clutch fluid can also cause hard shifts.
If its been more than 30,000 miles since her last transmission fluid change, that should be performed. Old, dirty, and lack of transmission fluid will cause hard shifts.
The worst of all scenarios is that the synchronizers are so worn, they are not able to line up the gears when shifting. If that's the case, the transmission would need to be rebuilt. But check the other items I've mentioned first. They are a lot less expensive than rebuilding a tranny.
Good luck!
