c_sautter

iTrader: (4)

In the middle of last december, I had my master cylinder and/or slave cylinder go bad on me. Pedal went all the way to the floor and I had to get it towed to a local shop. I'm in the Navy and I'm stationed in an area where there the nearest Mitsubishi dealership is almost an hour away and I'm away from home and almost all my tools (all I have in my car is a small tool bag). I also had zero time to go out and get new parts and install them so I just had the shop do it. They told me they replaced the master cylinder and slave cylinder but for the life of me can't remember why, it made sense at the time and I was in a crunch so I said my thanks, paid and was on my way. After they replaced the parts, I had a lot of trouble getting smooth shifts and there was a lot of vibration, the whole car would shake as I let the clutch back out after shifting. I ended up bleeding the clutch line out and it sort of got better, but it still shakes while shifting. Its really bad in first gear when trying to get going and I have to rev kind of high to even get it somewhat smooth. It seems like it doesn't slip when it should. I never had trouble with the clutch until now. I adjusted the clutch pedal many times and I haven't found a sweet spot. I currently have the clutch adjust all the way up and its not the best but its better than what it was. I've bled the clutch line about 3 times now, hoping that I just had some air in the line but that doesn't seem to be the case. The thing that sucks is I still don't have a lot of time (and money) to get this thing looked at and I wanted to see if you wonderful people might be able to point me in the right direction before I just start guessing my way out. The clutch is a stage 2 Competition Clutch, recently replaced the tranny fluid and transfer case, and I'm not sure if they even used oem parts for the stuff they replaced and I'm guessing not. I'm going to go back to them and have them look at it again, but I've lost my trust in them. Could a non oem slave cylinder be the cause of this? I don't know what to do at this point except possibly getting all new parts, clutch and all since I don't know if its messed up too.

b2

Definately going by your info a clutch problem IMO. The shudder you experience, is it mainly on takeoff and going back through gears (from say 3rd to 2nd)?. In my experience it is due to the condition of 3 things: flywheel friction surface/clutch plate/pressure plate casting. Usually when one of these gets glazed or overheated/hot spotted it will give these symptoms.
The sweet spot you mention is subjective, but usually the take up point where the clutch engages is a couple inches off the floor. Just make sure you can lean on your clutch fork and push the slave cylinder pushrod back into the bore to ensure the clutch is not over adjusted.
Hope this info helps

c_sautter

iTrader: (4)

Mainly on takeoff, its bad. I can rev up higher than usual to get it going smooth, but thats not practical all time like when I'm stuck in traffic. I talked with someone about it and I didn't know this but there is a clip or something for a bearing and the clip can either loosen or get damaged and it could also cause this issue. I've adjusted the clutch pedal so that it sits all the way up and it seems like thats the only way I can smooth out the shifting, but I'm going to adjust the rod a couple of turns to see if that makes it better. Thanks for you input, I appreciate it.

drive955i

iTrader: (6)

I wonder if maybe the shop got some brake fluid on the clutch components when the slave cylinder was replaced. That can cause uneven clutch slip during engagement, making it shudder. It could have caused glazing, making resurfacing of the pressure plate and flywheel necessary, and maybe disc replacement. This is just a hunch, mind you.
As an interim fix, try spraying brake clean in the access opening with the engine running and somebody holding the clutch pedal down. Hopefully that will help remove any residual contamination. The clutch may smooth out over time as the disc removes some material, or it may slowly get worse if the glazing spreads. I'd probably try to ride it out, as it sounds like it has been improving (slowly) for you.

c_sautter

iTrader: (4)

Thanks, I'm not sure its getting better but I think I've made it "less worse" if that makes sense. haha hopefully I can find some time to get it looked at since I've never dealt with a clutch or transmission issue before. One of the lucky ones i guess. I was told there's an inspection hole with a rubber grommet in it to block out dirt and stuff, so maybe if I can get some time and a place to look at it I might try and see what's going on in there. If anything, I think I might just end up replacing the clutch anyway. Don't have the money but what can I do if its toast. Military pay is not the greatest.

barneyb

I don't know what clutch you have. Some made for the track are like an on/off light switch and trying to achieve a smooth shift with one made like that - trying to slip it - may be impossible. You don't want to just dump the clutch, that will break something, but maybe trying for a quicker engagement will help. Otherwise, clutch time.

c_sautter

iTrader: (4)

Its a stage 2 Competition Clutch. I hadn't had any problems with it for 2 years until I got the master cylinder and slave cylinder replaced. It slipped fine and otherwise performed well up until then. If I have to get a new clutch then oh well, time to upgrade some things.