whats wrong with my drivetrain?

OonDeanisS · Jan 15, 2004

yesterday i didnt warm up my car before work because i didnt have time, and it drove like crap all the way there, like bogging on the highway and such, then when i get right in front of my job, i slow down to turn in, push in the clutch, and it makes a loud sound like metal snapping (sounded like from under my foot where the clutch is), and now it wont go into any gears. I fought with it for a minute and got it into first and into the parking lot, where it sits now. what the hell is wrong? Is it my clutch? cable? quadrant? tranny? throwout bearing? oh yea, and the petal still feels the same.

jerry beach · Jan 15, 2004

Doesnt sound as if the cable or quad broke if the clutch feels the same as before. This is prolly not related to the way it was running either. Its should not be necessary to warm up your car. I only wait for oil pressure before I start driving. You should drive it easy till its warmed up. You will cause excessive wear if you dog it when its cold.

I would address the clutch prob first. Has it been hard to get into gear for a while? Does the clutch engage just off the floor? If so, its time for a fire wall adjuster and aluminum quadrant. You can do alot of damage to your transmission if the clutch is not adjusted right, so get it towed if you need to. Here are some ideas to help you look for what broke. I hope its not something in the bell housing or trans. Look under the dash above the gas pedal and mash the clutch with your hand. Safety glasses are a good idea when doing this. If you have the stock plastic quad, it can shatter at any time. Mine was flexing alot, it was scary. Then check the bracket under the hood near the drivers side header and see if it popped off the fenderwell. Last check underneath and make sure its moving the clutch fork normally. You will need to take one bolt out of the dust cover to see the clutch fork and cable end.

OonDeanisS · Jan 15, 2004

i have an adjustable cable, but its under the car nest to the tranny. It has been going into gear fine recently, but i have to tighten the cable once in a while because the bolt on it loosens up after a while from vibration causing it to be hard to get into gear, then every time i tighten it its fine. I did this not too long ago and it was all good until this happened yesterday. It is also VERY hard to push down(always has been since i bought the car). I tried to push it down yesterday after this happened with my hand and couldnt even budge it. thanks for the advice.

banditmwp · Jan 15, 2004

Does the shifter feel any different when you are moving it around? Sounds like you could have broken one of the forks. Could also be a bushing, but still could be in transmission...

OonDeanisS · Jan 15, 2004

the shifter feels the same when the car is off, but when the car is on it is the same except doesnt go into any of the gears, so yea neutral feels the same yes.

OonDeanisS · Jan 15, 2004

oh and when i finally slammed it into first, with the clutch all the way in, the car rolled forward unless i held the brake

OonDeanisS · Jan 15, 2004

what bracket are you talking about? can someone get a pic of that so i know what to look for?

jerry beach · Jan 15, 2004

You need to do you routine adjustment again. I recommend getting that alum. quad. quick. If your clutch is that hard to push, you are gonna snap that plastic one. When you adjust it, make sure the nut that is ball shaped on one end is up against the fork. The other nut is supposed to be behind the spherical one, and tighten against it with two wrenchs. This keeps it from moving once you have it adjusted right. Also, take your cable loose from the fork and see if it moves freely.

I was speaking of the bracket thats next to the front drivers side header pipe. If that comes loose, it can make things act strange. It can let the cable housing melt on the header. I was trying to guess at all the things that could have come loose.

jerry beach · Jan 15, 2004

You need to do your routine adjustment again. I recommend getting that alum. quad. quick. If your clutch is that hard to push, you are gonna snap that plastic one. When you adjust it, make sure the nut that is ball shaped on one end is up against the fork. The other nut is supposed to be behind the spherical one, and tighten against it with two wrenchs. This keeps it from moving once you have it adjusted right. Also, take your cable loose from the fork and see if it moves freely.

I was speaking of the bracket thats next to the front drivers side header pipe. If that comes loose, it can make things act strange. It can let the cable housing melt on the header. I was trying to guess at all the things that could have come loose.

1BAD89GT · Jan 15, 2004

jerry beach said:
You need to do you routine adjustment again. I recommend getting that alum. quad. quick. If your clutch is that hard to push, you are gonna snap that plastic one. When you adjust it, make sure the nut that is ball shaped on one end is up against the fork. The other nut is supposed to be behind the spherical one, and tighten against it with two wrenchs. This keeps it from moving once you have it adjusted right. Also, take your cable loose from the fork and see if it moves freely.

I was speaking of the bracket thats next to the front drivers side header pipe. If that comes loose, it can make things act strange. It can let the cable housing melt on the header. I was trying to guess at all the things that could have come loose.

Look up into your Bellhousing near clutch fork and see what the clutch looks like...sounds kinda like a busted clutch also.

OonDeanisS · Jan 15, 2004

i dont know if my quadrant is metal or plastic, but it might be metal. If not, my brother has an extra aluminum one. Also, i have an adjustable cable, but its adjustable from the end of the cable under the car, like a screw on the end. There are just two bolts on it, neither has a rounded side, and i dont know what a "fork" is to look for.

OonDeanisS · Jan 15, 2004

although, it did sound like a plastic quadrant snapping and came from that area, so ill check that right now.

banditmwp · Jan 15, 2004

the quadrant would be directly over the gas pedal. i searched for 40 minutes one night looking for mine to see if it had been upgraded from the plastic one. The fork is where the cable attaches at the transmission. Sounds like you have either broken a fork or one of the springs on the clutch disc may be broken and binding the clutch from engaging....

OonDeanisS · Jan 15, 2004

i went today to look at it and someone broke the headlight, taillight, and tried to pull off the fuel pressure guage, so i towed it home and pushed in the clutch and it made the same snapping noise again and now theres no pressure at all on the clutch, like its just flopping around

OonDeanisS · Jan 16, 2004

stangbear427 · Jan 16, 2004

Sorry like Hell to hear about the vandalism, that's my worst nightmare.
Sounds like a quadrant or more likely a cable. You should also check your firewall for cracks where the cable goes through under the hood, but if it's swinging freely now then it's most likely a cable or quadrant brake. If you have an adjustable cable and it isn't adjusted just right or your pressure plate is worn out, it can stretch like crazy, causing you to have to tighten it a lot or the clutch won't disengage fully, which it sounds like you have experienced. Then it will make a big old pop noise like you heard when it starts to fray, this means the end is near- usually you have about enough shifts to get through a day or two now before it snaps all the way. It doesn't help the situation if you have mega heavy pedal , which usually means your pressure plate is getting pooped, which will also keep your clutch from disengaging properly. I think you'll find your cable is snapped, and you need a new clutch assembly. May as well get a billet quadrant and firewall adjuster while you're at it. Let us know what you find out. Good luck!

OonDeanisS · Jan 16, 2004

i looked to see if my quadrant is plastic or aluminum, and it is aluminum, but i pulled on the end of the cable and about 5 inches of it came right out frayed as hell. you nailed it on the head though, thanks

stangbear427 · Jan 16, 2004

Hey, I live in CT too- so I know it's been colder than a witch's'tit for the last week. I've found that when I let my car warm up for 10-15 min. in the morning, it shifts like a dream. If I just jump in and go, it shifts like an old truck till it's warm. Standard transmissions don't like the cold, and this puts a lot more strain on your linkage components and clutch parts. May be the straw that broke the camels back, but I think you have clutch problems anyway. I'm not a big Centerforce fan, and I'm trying to be impartial about this- but when you stick a new cable in there it may happen again. The DF clutch isn't supposed to be hard to push, so I think your PP is crapping out. How old is it? I wish I had seen your post yesterday, I'd have told you to drive it home without the clutch and saved a tow bill and maybe some damage repair, I've snapped quite a few and driven it home because I refuse to leave it anywhere. There is a trick to it, but it's pretty simple- not that you want to hear that now... sorry. If I can ever help you with something, Danbury isn't very far away from here. Good luck

OonDeanisS · Jan 16, 2004

thanks for all that, but the tow guy gave me a discount anyway so it was only 45 opposed to 55 plus 4 dollars for every mile. So i should get a new pressureplate, clutch, throwout bearing, cable, and firewall adjuster? anything else i need?

Whats a good clutch to get that holds a lot and isnt hard to push?

OonDeanisS · Jan 16, 2004

where in CT do you live?

whats wrong with my drivetrain?

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