95 Mazda Protege Doing Some VERY weird stuff when shifting or trying to. First started when at a stop had in neutral then when I went to shift the manual transmission wouldn't shift into gear. It wouldn't shift into ANY gear. I turned car off, I was the able to shift into any gear easily. Attempted to start car and acted & sounded like battery was almost dead, jerked forward, then died. Did this several times. Turned car off, shifted into reverse, restarted car and attempted to release clutch and car RACED backward quickly. Had to turn car off, shift into first gear, then restart car in order to get it into gear so the car was able to be driven. Additional things of note to help diagnose: When driving it is difficult to shift into 1st and 2nd gear, but no difficulties shifting into 3rd, 4th, or 5th. Unable to shift into reverse unless I turn the car off, shift it into reverse, and then restart the car. However, I have to repeat the process as I did for reverse but to shift into 1st gear so that I can go forward again- this is ONLY when going to reverse from 1st or visa-versa. When running and driving, reverse is impossible, 2nd is difficult to shift into, and 1st gear is VERY difficult to shift into. In addition, ONLY when shifting to 1st or 2nd gear or reverse- the clutch pedal STAYS all the way down to the floor. I have to physically flip it back up with my foot so that I can use the clutch to shift into another gear or press on the break. Sometimes when I have to turn the car off in order to shift into 1st or reverse, when I try to restart the car it sounds like the battery is very low and jerks forward. Also, sometimes, when in 1st gear waiting for the stop light to change, the car will start acting extremely rough- to the point the entire care is visibly SHAKING very roughly and occasionally dies. If I apply gas to "rev" the engine to try to keep it from dying, it dies. It usually starts right back up, and about half the time runs smoothly again. Occasionally I have difficulty restarting the car. I believe it was the Clutch Master Cylinder that was replaced just last year. Its a 1995 Mazda Protege SE 1.8L engine, 4 cylinder, SOHC, Front Wheel Drive with Manual 5-Speed Transmission. The weirdness of the combination of symptoms has me stumped. I'd GREATLY appreciate if someone much more knowledgeable about mechanic repair than I could offer some suggestions as to what the problem is.
Hi,
First, congrats on the most detailed problem description I have ever seen! Seriously, it does assist us.
All this is completely consistent with your clutch not releasing properly, meaning that the gearbox is still turning when the pedal is depressed. The syncros in the gearbox will then keep you out of gear, that is what they should do. You can indeed shift into higher gears however when driving as the gearbox revs more nearly match to what is needed. The jerking forward when you hit the starter is due to the poor old starter motor having to move the whole car instead of just the engine, because the clutch has not released !
Now as to why, it is likely that the clutch release fork has broken, inside the housing. I had this once with a Mazda, and symptoms were exactly as you describe. The gearbox has to be removed if this is the problem, and you should also then take the chance to renew the clutch, pressure and driven plate both, unless quite new.
Also a possible cause is a complete loss of clutch fluid if a hydraulic clutch, or a broken cable if that type of clutch. Loss of fluid in a hydraulic clutch can be easily checked in the fluid reservoir, and can occur if a hose splits
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Thank you SO much for the information. It is GREATLY appreciated. I know how difficult it can be to try to diagnose anything with only basic generic info, and I know with cars ANY detail could mean the difference between a correct vs wrong diagnosis. I believe it is a hydraulic clutch. Where would I look to find the reservoir for the clutch fluid to check the level? I can't seem to locate it under the hood, so I'm assuming it is under the car? I'm a divorce single mother on a very limited budget, so for the past few years I've been learning how to make any repairs myself. So any additional advice you could provide would AGAIN be greatly appreciated!
It is hydraulic yes, and the fluid reservoir is under the same cap as the brake fluid reservoir. Assuming a LH drive car (as in the USA) this is under the hood, near the firewall at the rear of the engine bay, a bit behind and a bit to the left of the battery in this photo http://mlb-s1-p.mlstatic.com/alternador-...
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Yes, it is your clutch. Not the transmission or anything else.
When I say your clutch, it could be the hydraulic part (which includes the master cylinder, and also another hydraulic cylinder, called a slave cylinder, located on the transmission bell housing) or the problem could be the mechanical part of the clutch-the clutch disc and pressure plate which work together (inside the bell housing-between the transaxle and the rear end of the engine.) which work together to give you a smooth working clutch.
Since you don't talk of grinding gears and since it seems to have just started, I suspect the hydraulic portion of your clutch is at fault. If it were mechanical it would have been happening for awhile and got steadily worse. That is good news, if your clutch is still good, if the disc and pressure plate is good, then the hydraulic portion is a relatively easy, inexpensive fix. It could be just low on fluid (takes regular brake fluid), but you need an experienced person to check it out for you. good luck.
Testimonial: "Thank you SO much for the information. It is so much appreciated! Unfortunately, I can't afford to hire someone to help me, and I don't know anyone who is knowledgeable or savvy enough to do this for me. Where would I look to find the reservoir for the clutch fluid to check the level? I can't seem to locate it under the hood, so I'm assuming it is under the car? I'm a divorced single mother on a very limited budget, so for the past few years I've been learning how to make any repairs myself. So any additional advice you could provide would AGAIN be greatly appreciated!"
Thank you SO much for the information. It is so much appreciated! Unfortunately, I can't afford to hire someone to help me, and I don't know anyone who is knowledgeable or savvy enough to do this for me. Where would I look to find the reservoir for the clutch fluid to check the level? I can't seem to locate it under the hood, so I'm assuming it is under the car? I'm a divorced single mother on a very limited budget, so for the past few years I've been learning how to make any repairs myself. So any additional advice you could provide would AGAIN be greatly appreciated!
It's under the hood. On the firewall, next to the brake master cylinder, clutch master cylinder is similar with a small reservoir on top of it. Take cap off and see if it is full, add some brake fluid if low. If it was low on fluid, very low you may have to bleed the clutch, just like you would when bleeding brakes-but you will need someone experienced for this. good luck.
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