clutch/trannie issue

Hey folks - hoping you'll have some suggestions on this one. I have a '92 carry. The issue is with clutch engagement. If the truck is cold - especially if temps outside are below freezing - the clutch will not engage fully. the pedal doesn't come all the way back, and of course there is almost no power getting to the wheels. Let the truck sit for a while and warm up, and within 10 minutes it's driveable - but not fully engaging still (I can floor the gas and make the clutch slip even at 50-60km/h in 4th). Drive for 20 minutes or so, and it's fine - engages and disengages and has good pedal feel and throw. It's usually fine for the day after that - unless it's really cold out and I let it sit too long; then I have to repeat the warm up tricks.

I had suspected a bad clutch cable - and I still think it isn't great and needs to be replaced - but it isn't the whole problem. When I wiggle the cable at the lever on the trannie, there's slack there, but the lever isn't pulling back to take up the slack. What's more - it's DAMN hard to move by hand to force it to take up the slack. A few shots of blaster around the shaft coming out of the casing and it's easier, and then of course working it back and forth and warming it up makes it go away.

It's like the clutch release input shaft is corroding to the housing somehow. is there a bushing or seal in there?

This a common issue? what do you think is going on in there and what would be the wisdom of the group on remedies?

We are coming out of a long wet winter here - and I drove this little beast hard thru piles and piles of slush and snow - so I'm wondering if I may have a seal issue here. I suppose I should check the trannie fluid, eh?

thanks in advance-

bg

 

i would recommend pulling the cultch cable out of the truck and cleaning it as much as possible and put some lube in the sheath.

it's probably got muck and moisture in there which is causing it to freeze up on cold mornings.

i have had this happen a lot on my forklifts at work, i have to take them off and clean them with some PB Blaster and work the cable back and forth until it is smooth again.

 

The clutch throwout bearing shaft at the tranny/bellhousing is very difficult to move by hand, so I wouldn't be concerned on that basis alone.

Maybe you could lift the rear tires off the ground, start the engine with the tranny in gear and use Vise-grips or a wrench to operate the clutch at the lever on the bellhousing and see how well it works.

I've done a clutch job on my Carry and it wasn't that awful - getting everything lined up when I was putting it back together was the biggest problem. I used some long woodworking clamps to pull the engine and tranny together enough to where the bolts took hold. If you do pull yours, as soon as you disconnect the drive shafts, you loose your fluid.

Hopefully your problem is just the cable.

 

update on the clutch issue: the throw-out bearing was seizing on the shaft. Wasn't the cable at all. Apparently this isn't that rare, according to the dealer who's doing the work on the truck for me.

my throttle cable, on the other hand, IS full of gunk and was seizing up. Sitting at a stop light I think the engine was doing 4500 and I couldn't kick her down at all!

anyhoo, it's being freed up and since we're in there a new one, and new clutch components are being installed...

...I miss my little truck!

thanks for the suggestions and help.

bg