1991 toyota corolla maunual transmission problems

[kronkonn]

Well my corolla has problems with the tranny again third time in two years by the way. same problem again. The car is acting like the clutch isn't being pressed down all the way, even though it is, when I slip it into gear. it grindsinto gear esp. 2nd gear. If I can get it into first gear (generally by turning car off then putting into gear then starting it I can get it to go then when I press in pedal to upshift it scratches into 2nd gear "unless" I rev it up to around 2500 rpm then it goes in fine. Wierd huh? Also when I press pedal and take it outta gear it "pops" just like i didn't have the cluth pedal pressed down. i am really new to transmissions esp manual transmissions. I need to know what i can do about it and since bills are kicking my @ss this month and is it a problem that I can wait on to repair. from my research i figure that it could be just about anything from the pedal itself to "free-play" on the pedal/ stick (whatever free-play is) to loose mounts to synchronizers to the clutchplate/flywheel. well since i am poor and can't afford the 90$ an hour labor cost i am kinda screwed huh? btw i am a pizza delivery driver so if i can't drive my car i'm really S.O.L huh? what should I do? Please help me. I live in omaha nebraska and am in short supply of anyone that knows about cars here and not to mention decent repair shops, i have been ripped off by every single shop i've been to here so i am warry about taking my car to a shop. i am really interested in fixing this myself so any and all help will be greatly appreciated. Happy holidays people.

[kronkonn]

well i just dropped the lower dash panel and check the pedal and the pushrod and i'm confused. i see the pedal hieght adjustment and the pedal is around 1/2 to 1 inch away from it. the pedal hieght should be 5.71 -6.1 inches and mine is around 3.5-4 inches uhhh thats not right i can't find a way to make that pedal raise up at all. the only thing that i see thats holding the pedal doen so far it the push rod and i can't find a way to adjust that i looses the lock nut and then what???? oh well i called toyota dealer service dept. and they don't know and they told me to bleed the system???? how can that adjust the pedal hieght???

[joykill]

from the way it sounds the pedal isnt to blame...it could actually be your clutch slave cylinder...its fairly cheap and very easy to replace...and when you do bleed the system to get all the air out you might need a friend to help you out on that one...

[kronkonn]

well today my father got back into town and he "kinda" knows about cars (i say kinda because he worked on 'em back in '70s). anyways after further inspections and i guess just a feeling i had i figured that it was the pedal height. anyways after investigation it actually was the pedal height i got it to raise to about 4.5 - 4.75 from floorboard and now it is perfect again. i got really lucky, in fact EVERYONE doubted my diagnosis of the problem. it was everything from the actual clutch pedal to the hydraulics to the cycilders i head it all but not one person really backed my guess. i got lucky it was free to fix thank god . crimmis time kicked my ace this year.

by the way joykill the about 7/10 toyota mechanics agreed with you so i was pretty sure that was the next likely solution. thank you for you interest and help. my dad said that to be a good mechanix you need to check everything even the stupid "it couldn't be that" stuff. and i was feeling stupid insisting that it was the pedal height. anyways i'm really tired and i'm rambling as usual. so in closing i LOVE IT WHEN I DON"T HAVE TO PAY TO FIX MY CAR. and my 1991 toyota corolla dx manual 4afe car has been the best car ever. i get 30 mpg delivering pizzas and rare breakdowns. thank you again joykill for taking the time.

[joykill]

thank you for the appreciation...we need more people like you in the world...and by the way...congrats on having a no cost repair...im really not that fortunate...all my repairs so far have bit through my wallet and into my ass...