Weird transmission problem

[Mikelb]

Hey got the tranny back together... and something went terribly wrong... the gears are all working...I b/l... but it's as though the clutch isn't releasing... the gears are all grinding terribly... I've been double clutching to get in and outta gears... and everytime I shift, it smokes the tires... I even bled the clutch slave... and that added a little feel to the pedal (a lot more than it had, but not as much as there used to be)... I'm not sure what happened... but I know that it's not good... the only thing I can think, is that maybe I didn't get the pressure plate bolts tight enough.. I b/l they're supposed to be 13 ft/lbs... I was using in/lbs... I think I did it to 12 ft/lbs, b/c I wasn't thinking... but I'm not sure, the torque wrench (micrometer style) wasn't working right... and this was my first rebuild, any tips, hints, ideas?

[Linebckr49]

i had something similar happen to me last night. its been about 3 weeks since i got my transmission put back together (after the LSD insert install) and i was racing a friend. on the 2-3 shift, the shifter felt like jello and it didn't slide into the next gear. i let off the gas, pulled over. when turning the car off, thinking i was in neutral, i let off the clutch, but the car died. so i was stuck in gear. turns out the shifter cables had come loose so there is a mounting bracket that is free to move around. this mounting bracket holds the shifter cables tight and secure, but with it loose, there is no ridity in the cables, and so when i move the shifter, the cables simply bend and flex, as opposed to moving the cables forwards and backwards (thus moving the gear selectors inside the transmission). only thing that stumps me is how i overlooked something like this. i'm very particular about disassemlby/reassembly. this bracket looks as if it was never fastened down...so why did it just randomly decide to come loose?

mike, that's my only thought on your situation in which the clutch won't release: check the shifter cables. as i diagnose and look at mine more closely, i'll get back to ya.

[Mikelb]

aight... I'm almost certain that was a problem... b/c mine was loose.. but if I remember correct... I put it back on and it was on tight...

[Mikelb]

yeah, the linkage doesn't seem to be a problem... everything there's tight... and the car shifts gears perfectly when turned off... so I don't know...

[Linebckr49]

hmmm. i have gotten a chance to touch my car in a few days b/c of classes. i'll tear into it this afternoon and hopefully have something for ya by tonight.

sorry to hear that your linkage is tight, and that its not the problem. hmmm...i read in your other thread that you're dropping the tranny again. something inside me says check the throwout bearing. not trying to be sarcastic, but you just might check that out. couldn't hurt.

[Mikelb]

yeah, that's something I've thought of too... but it spun freely when I put everything back together... so I didn't worry about replacing it... the clutch only has about 7-12k miles on it... I have a deep gut-feeling that's saying it's the bolts on the pressure plate... so I'm gonna check them... but I don't really know...

[Linebckr49]

well i finally got some time to look at my car after classes today. the problem was exactly what i thought it was. a bracket to secure the shifter cables from wiggling had come loose. it actually came off from where it was bolted down...or so i thought it was bolted down. i simply placed some larger washers on the bolts to hold the shifter cables in the bracket. i think perhaps the old washers had warped and just given way. anywho, it shifts just fine now, and i'm back on the road!

[Mikelb]

Glad to hear it... I'm back on the road... but not in my car... the car lot I work for (part-time) has allowed me to borrow a '95 Jetta III.... so I'm no longer immobile... thank God for that much... but I wish my car was back on the road... I'm also thinking about purchasing this Jetta... it's a fairly nice car, decent performance, and 40MPG!!!... I could use it during the week and the Stealth on the weekend... Idk... I'll hopefully get everything there straightened out...

Getting back to my car... It will shift in and out of gears fine, while the car is off... While the car is on... you can't get into any gears... if I cut the car off, put it in gear, and crank it... the car will move... even with the clutch to the floor... and won't shift anymore... so I'm pretty sure it's clutch related... as the gears were working before... I'm gonna check the release bearing again, as well as the pressure plate... Other than that, I don't know where to go with it... I may just run down to Advance Auto Parts and pick up another transmission... and simply replace it... but I am pretty sure it's all clutch-related... as the shifting seems fine while the car is off...