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1997 Saturn SW1 hydraulic clutch/transmission issues

Tiny
BRETKING
  • MEMBER
  • 1997 SATURN SW1
  • 4 CYL
  • FWD
  • MANUAL
  • 170,000 MILES
I've had the car listed above for short time, about 600 miles, and have run into problems with the manual transmission/cable shift linkage.

I was expressway driving when the car kicked out of 5th gear 4 or 5 times. It stayed in gear for the rest of my express travel, about 10 minutes, and gave me difficulty downshifting as I exited. It would shift/engage the gear desired but I limped it home. Since then I have tried to move the car in my driveway and now I cannot remove it from reverse gear. I checked the hyd cluck fluid level and it was low, I topped that off but still cannot move/shift the car.

What should I look at first. I need some insight, this is my first hydraulic manual vehicle.
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Wednesday, October 27th, 2010 AT 1:57 PM

7 Replies

Tiny
SATURNTECH9
  • MECHANIC
  • 30,870 POSTS
The first thing I need to know is the clutch pedal have pressure all the way down or does it drop some before you have pressure?I would also make sure that the cable's were attached at the transmission. Also pop out the cup holder by the radio and look under the shifter see if the outer shift cable came off of the shifter. Let me know what you find.
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Wednesday, October 27th, 2010 AT 2:04 PM
Tiny
BRETKING
  • MEMBER
  • 4 POSTS
I have removed the counsel and everything is connected properly and the clutch pedal has the same pressure for full travel, but it seems soft for the full travel. I did have a typo/missed a word in my first question, it was very difficult to engage a gear, as if it wasn't getting full clutch disengagement.
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Wednesday, October 27th, 2010 AT 2:27 PM
Tiny
SATURNTECH9
  • MECHANIC
  • 30,870 POSTS
If your not getting full clutch release then you have a hydraulic issue with the clutch master and slave assembly or a issue with your pressure plate. If your clutch master was low that maybe a sign that it's a hydraulic because it should never go low it's a sealed system. So can you feel your shifter linkage move?You said you were stuck in reverse.
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Wednesday, October 27th, 2010 AT 2:47 PM
Tiny
BRETKING
  • MEMBER
  • 4 POSTS
Looks like I'll have to investigate the hydraulic clutch. When I depress the pedal it stays in gear, so that's where the issue is I believe, where should I start to look for hydraulic clutch problems. As I've said before this is the first hyd clutch vehicle I've owned. I just need a place to start. Thanks for your help, I really appreciate it.
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Wednesday, October 27th, 2010 AT 3:07 PM
Tiny
SATURNTECH9
  • MECHANIC
  • 30,870 POSTS
If your hydraulics are good then you have a issue with your pressure plate not releasing your clutch disc.
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Wednesday, October 27th, 2010 AT 4:11 PM
Tiny
BRETKING
  • MEMBER
  • 4 POSTS
Where is the best place to start to correct hydraulic clutch problems?
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Wednesday, October 27th, 2010 AT 4:30 PM
Tiny
SATURNTECH9
  • MECHANIC
  • 30,870 POSTS
If the clutch pedal is hard all the way down and doesn't drop a little with no resistance then the hydraulics are good. If it drop's a little before the pedal is hard then you have to replace the whole clutch master/slave assembly. If it's good then you have a issue with the pressure plate not releasing.
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Wednesday, October 27th, 2010 AT 4:44 PM

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