I'm currently in possession of this, a Mazdaspeed Miata that was recently flooded up to the middle of the door speakers.
For a variety of reasons (mostly related to me wanting to drive it around) it would good to be able to move the car around under it's own power. The carpet was cut out of the car, seats pulled, dried out, fluids changed and it was driven around a couple of times. Everything seemed good. Then it sat for two weeks while the owner sorted out house issues, and when it was time to come to my house the clutch wouldn't disengage. The assumption at the time was that the disk had rusted to the flywheel. I haven't even sat in it yet, so I don't have any idea if this is true, but what's the procedure for diagnosing and fixing this? Is it likely to be a stuck clutch or should I be looking elsewhere?
If all the stuff that's supposed to release the clutch moves appropriately, then yes that's probably it. I'd start it in gear and, if it remains stuck, drive it with the clutch pedal to the floor until unstuck- if it breaks something doing that, it probably needed to come apart anyway.
The problem is that it's not my car, it's just staying with me for a while. I have permission to use it as I see fit, but I'd rather not break anything.
So basically, push it inside, make sure the wiggly things wiggle, go from there?
Yep- I actually wouldn't be surprised if you could break it loose just pushing the car by hand in 4th gear with the clutch pedal depressed. I'm pretty sure this happened to one of my cars, but I can't for the life of me remember which.
Attempt a push start, with your foot on the clutch. If it doesn't break loose before the engine starts, take it for a drive, with your foot on the clutch. If it doesn't break loose then, you have magic rust, and should probably prepare your three wishes.
When you do get it going, I'd take it for a pretty good drive to thoroughly warm all the dampish bits.
That was going to be my next question, high-ish gear when I hook it to the truck?
The other option is that the clutch hydraulics got water in them and rusted. Can you reach the bleeder on the clutch slave cylinder with the car on the ground?
Sounds like a car I wouldn’t want to touch.
The couple times this has happened to me I just cranked it over with the clutch down and it broke free nearly immediately.
The clutch slave cylinder can be reached with the car on the ground if you turn the wheel all the way left.
mazdeuce said:
The problem is that it's not my car, it's just staying with me for a while. I have permission to use it as I see fit, but I'd rather not break anything.
So basically, push it inside, make sure the wiggly things wiggle, go from there?
So, if you break something you are actually doing the owner a favor by saving him a step. If it was going to break, it would happen anyways.
Trackmouse said:
mazdeuce said:
The problem is that it's not my car, it's just staying with me for a while. I have permission to use it as I see fit, but I'd rather not break anything.
So basically, push it inside, make sure the wiggly things wiggle, go from there?
So, if you break something you are actually doing the owner a favor by saving him a step. If it was going to break, it would happen anyways.
This. Take it for a drive with the clutch pressed in, maybe at the same time give it a little heel-and-toe simultaneous brakes and gas. If that doesn't break it loose, nothing will.
The old tractor guys use the shoving it with pedal pushed method. I know you dont want to damage anything, but if you leave it the problem will only get worse.
I had that happen on a Jeep after a boat launch. Just held the pedal down,1st gear, off and on the gas broke it loose. no harm done.
Yeah, Europas are known to do that without having gone through a flood, just from sitting a few months. Get the motor running in gear, push the clutch down all the way, slam on the brakes, or anything else that puts a huge load on the clutch/flywheel interface to break it loose, like starting it in gear with the clutch down and brakes as hard down as you can push. Make sure there is nothing in front or behind you that can cause damage before you do this. Then (in the case of a Europa), drive it until something else breaks.
Jack up rear, start engine with trans in high gear and clutch pedal depressed. KEEP clutch pedal depressed. Rear wheels will be turning. Stomp on brake pedal, rear wheels will stop turning. IF clutch stays stuck, engine will stall. If engine does not stall, clutch is free.
In reply to AngryCorvair :
That's genius. It's going on the lift this weekend.
In reply to mazdeuce :
I had an old Econoline that didn't get driven often, and the clutch disc would stick to the flywheel if it sat for a couple months. It had an open diff, so I'd only raise one rear tire. Worked every time.
Or, while it's strapped down on the trailer, have a helper hold the pedal down with the transmission in a high gear and put a beaker bar on the end of the crankshaft. It usually works for me.
Would this work on a Dyno? Just cinch the body down and hammer the throttle?
Over the years I have purchased several cars that sat and had stuck clutches. Tried everything that could be done in the driveway. Some of which had a better chance of breakage than success. Never got oner unstuck. Then I stumbled on something accidentally towing one of these stuck clutch cars home. Didn't tighten the straps very tight and left the car in neutral. The car was able to move around a bit on the trailer on the ride home. All of the starting and stopping was enough to free the clutch. Ever since then, if I pick up a car with a stuck clutch, I just take it for a ride on the trailer. Had one that was really stuck and I dragged that thing around behind me for a couple of days, but even that one freed up.
I like the rear end in the air plan. I had a spitfire that would get stuck if it sat any length of time. I started it in gear and while driving in first gear pressed the brake, clutch, and gas at the same time until it broke free. Jacking up the rear sounds more pleasant.
Another variation on a theme:
1. Depress the clutch pedal to the floor, put the tranny in 5th gear and run the starter.
2. If that doesn't work, apply a small amount of e-brake. Avoid "freezing" the starter motor completely.
3. Make sure nothing is in front of you in case the clutch doesn't break free. Otherwise you'll alter the wheelbase of the MX-5 or whatever you run into.
4. Profit!
It worked! I decided the "start it in gear and mash the brakes" technique was the best first step. Took three stabs of the brakes and it broke loose. Didn't even have to put it on the lift. You guys are awesome.
Of course now that it's been stuck once, it will most likely do it again. So unless it never gets put in a situation where you don't have space to use questionable release methods it should probably come apart and have the offending bits replaced or media blasted/acid washed.
YMMV
AngryCorvair said:
Jack up rear, start engine with trans in high gear and clutch pedal depressed. KEEP clutch pedal depressed. Rear wheels will be turning. Stomp on brake pedal, rear wheels will stop turning. IF clutch stays stuck, engine will stall. If engine does not stall, clutch is free.
When I started reading this my first thought went to some kind of Ferris Bueller situation. "Put the car on jackstands and run it at 3000 rpm in 5th gear. Have someone push it off the jackstands and you'll either get a sweet burnout or the clutch will break free."
