weird clutch problem this morning

[jkeyzer]

I started my 914 this morning and could not shift into 1st gear. It would grind and grind even if I pushed the clutch all the way in and slowly inched into 1st. So I worked the clutch in and out a few times, no good. Then I pushed it into 2nd (it was stiff but didn't grind) and all of a sudden I could shift into 1st with no problem and things were back to normal. Then I drove to work and didn't have any more problems.

Weird, huh??

[M. Hendrix]

Well, even on a brand new transaxle, I always sync into 2-3-4 before going from neutral to 1st.

Keep us posted.


M

[pbanders]

One possible cause - clutch disc binding on the pressure plate because it wasn't floating on the mainshaft splines due to insufficient lubrication. Second gear synchro was stiffer, breaking the disc free from the plate. From what I can tell, this happens a lot with the 901 and its clutch.

[mike95125]

Typical smart @ssed comment to follow:

The peddle configuration in all 914s goes Clutch-Break-Gas.
Make sure that you are depressing the far left peddle not the middle.

;P

[jkeyzer]

Mike, watch your back!

[skline]

Hey Mike, I left my stuff in your car on Sunday. Enjoy. Oh, one more thing, it is spelled, pedal.

[mike95125]

Scott, I was wondering which spelling weenie (weenee?) would pick up on it first;p And, thanks for the stuff (ambiguity left in on purpose).

Jeff, Tailgunner? hahahaha

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

And, as long as we're being picky, "break" is something that happens to your car if you fail to push the "brake" pedal in time.

--DD

[sammyg2]

And why do they call it a gas pedal? When fully depressed it allows in a great deal more air that gasoline, maybe we should call it an air pedal?

now where's that lithium..................

[Scooter311]

Velocitator / decelleratrix.

Now where's that c-c-coffee

[Toast]

Maybe its the Pilot bearing?
Its the roller bearing that fits in the center of the flywheel and supports the input shaft of the transmission. Takes about 4 hours to change by yourself! Heres how: Remove tranny, Remove flywheel, punch bearing out, press new one in, reassemble.
Walla!
I would hope after all that that it would definatly fix the problem.
Good Luck!

[Kenny Powell]

Could be the Dumaflitch Ottamus
Hey pass that......

[jkeyzer]

Toast, I thought that might be a possibility too... If it gets worse I'll take off the tranny and figure out what's going on. I was hoping to avoid that until it was time to put in a new engine, but oh well. I'd like to see what condition my clutch is in anyway.. Might as well drop the whole engine while I am at it. Snowball effect...

[philinjax]

Jeff,
It might be that the shift lever/linkage clamp bolt (the bolt you loosen/tighten when adjusting for proper gear selection) is not sufficently tight. For example, if you were to grab the shift lever and try to move from neutual to first gear while forgeting to push the clutch all the way in or simply slap the lever left and right, just playing around,you might force the shift rod to radially slip just a little. Now, when you push the clutch in, the damned thing won't go in first gear. However, if you then force it in into second (or third, for that matter) and drop the clutch, while moving down the road, the shift linkage radially self readjusts back near proper alignment in order to relieve the tension associated with the misalignment. The next time you select first gear, surprise, surprise, the damned thing works.
Phil

[John 9:14]

Mine does something similiar. When I shift into first from a dead stop I have to hold in the clutch for about 3 seconds or it will grind. But if I shift into second (first) then it slides right into first no problem. Reverse is the same way..............let us know what you find please.
With car guys I find it best not to nitpik about spelling and grammar.

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

Jeff, if you want an extra pair of hands for your trans drop, send me an email. If I'm available (definitely happens from time to time!) I'll bop on over with a few tools and a Haynes book...

--DD

[jkeyzer]

John - I think you have a different problem - that is pretty much normal for worn synchros. The difference in my case is that I could not get into 1st at all even if i waited a few seconds - the transmission was not spinning down at all. Not normal at all.

Dave - Thank you for the offer to help. I will send you a note if/when I decide to do it. Recently I have been busy tearing down that 2.0 I scored and learning a lot about engines.

[Toast]

Originally posted by jkeyzer
Snowball effect...

And then you notice the suspension looks tired, and then...........

[John 9:14]

I hate to interject my problem into your thread JKEY, but do you think it could just be the synchro ring or the hub as well. Isnt it just one ring and one hub for first and reverse.