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Topic
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I am looking for a quasi-simple answer to what is likely a complex issue. Some backstory…
My Car:
1996 Honda Civic EX (purchased in US)
Manual Transmission
138K+ MilesMy Issue:
I have been having problems with my clutch pedal sticking to the floor. At first (for a week or so) a few pumps would help revive it, but now it is fully on the floor. After some research, and an awesome vid by ETCG, I realize I should try to bleed the system and/or replace the slave/master cylinder. Seems like a relatively easy fix. Now the real problem…Stupidly, I have been driving the car for about a week with the clutch still stuck to the floor (basically by starting the car in first gear and then shifting into each gear gently as the transmission allows). Yesterday when I was trying to go into reverse to park, I shut off the car, I put it into reverse, I started the car (in gear), shut off the car and tried to get out of reverse. This has worked before, but (I think) because the car was on a slight incline (or decline, I forget), it would not let me get out of reverse with the car off. So, I forced it out of gear. It was very hard to do, but I forced it out. It didn’t sound great when I forced it out, but it allowed me to get back into 1st gear and finish parking. (I told you this was stupid :whistle: ).
Cut to today and I realize I cannot get into reverse at all. I can put the shift knob in the spot where reverse is, but it feels too loose, and nothing happens when I try to start the car in reverse. 5th gear also seems like an issue. I can start in 1st gear and run all the way through 4th, but she won’t engage into 5th.
My Question:
I know I’ve likely caused a big issue, but is there a chance that continuing with the slave/master cylinder replacement and maybe a transmission fluid replacement for good measure will help? Or am I in a situation where I likely need deeper repairs into my transmission, etc?I imagine this may be hard to assess, but I figured it was worth a try…
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Replies
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i would find out why your clutch pedal goes to the floor first, could be the master cylinder for the clutch pedal.
More than likely you have bent or broken a shift cable or mounting bracket. Possible bent shifter mechanism on interior of car.
Fix your clutch pedal mechanism first.
Trying to diagnose shifting issues with a frigged clutch is pointless.
Thanks for all the replies. I am going to tackle the master/slave cylinder today and see what’s what. Hopefully it magically fixes the reverse/5th gear issue, but my guess is there’s a deeper issue.
I’ll report back soon!
Follow up:
I bled the slave cylinder and the clutch pedal came back to life like a champ. That’s good news, though it makes it even more frustrating that a 5 minute bleed would have saved me weeks of anguish and my gearbox.So while the clutch works smooth as butter, I am still unable to use reverse or 5th. When I put the shifter into reverse, it is the same as neutral, and I am unable to get the shifter into 5th. It’s as if I pushed reverse up into 5th and they are both seated where 5th should be.
Am I correct that my only option is a transmission rebuild? If so, given the cost (min $800 probably?) I might have to make some hard decisions about her future.
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