need a second opinion on this clutch issue (or non-issue)

[Dark_Rider2k3]

Last week I drove to my girlfriends house (an hour trip) and it ran great. The next day we were heading to the store when I felt it harder to shift... like I'd press the clutch pedal down, go to shift and it was HAAAAAAARD to shift.. would eventually shift in.. eventually it just wouldn't shift.. and when I'd try and shift it, it would bog down the engine (almost as if I wasn't press the clutch pedal down).. eventually i got it to shift in and had to power shift it home. BTW, it shifts into gears just fine with the engine off.

Now i've been busy and haven't had time to diagnose the problem, but today I go out to check it.. and it shifts fine.. perfectly fine.. I mean I can press the clutch pedal down and shift it through all the gears.. even when moving..

now I was told this could be an issue with either:

clutch pressure plate
throwout bearing

I also had a leak from the one throttle body hose (IAC coolant hose) and I was told that could also be a possibility (coolant dripping onto the clutch).

Either way, what are your ideas? The problem can best be described as trying to shift the car w/out pressing the clutch pedal down.

I've so far only tested the clutch pedal/slave cylinder. You can see when the pedal is pressed down the slave cylinder engages, and then when you release it disengages (the clutch fork moves in/out). And as I said before, I drove it a bit today to test it and well.. it's running as if I didn't have a problem.

Any ideas? Thanks guys!!!

[muttpower]

I'd say it was either an air bubble working it's way throught he clutch line, or like you said earlier, contamination on the clutch from the leaking coolant...just my opinion though.

[Mooneggs]

it could also be the slave or master cylinder or air in the line as mutt mentioned. How's your brake fluid level?

do you still have good pressure in your clutch pedal?

[Dark_Rider2k3]

it could also be the slave or master cylinder or air in the line as mutt mentioned. How's your brake fluid level?

do you still have good pressure in your clutch pedal?

Pressure hasn't changed really. It feels the same now as it did before the issue and during the issue.

Brake fluid is topped off. Though I did previously have a leaking brake master cylinder.

[DeadMaker]

One of my friends had a similar problem too.He went to the gas station for petrol.He turned off the engine for about one minute to fill in and when he turned it on to leave and went to load the first gear...nothing.He couldn't load any gear.No shift.Only the reverse was working
The problem was clutch disk-plate.All happened in that specific time.Absolutely no warning before.

[Mooneggs]

when this happened to me most recently it ended up being a broken shifter fork (root cause was a seized throwout bearing to the shaft)

[muttpower]

it could also be the slave or master cylinder or air in the line as mutt mentioned. How's your brake fluid level?

do you still have good pressure in your clutch pedal?

Pressure hasn't changed really. It feels the same now as it did before the issue and during the issue.

Brake fluid is topped off. Though I did previously have a leaking brake master cylinder.

Then it's quite possible that there was air trapped in the lines, as the clutch and brake master are run off the same resivoir.

[PATDIESEL]

Check the mechanical workings of the clutch master and slave cylinder. If that is ok, then bleed the clutch line really well. If not those two, you are probably going to have to remove the trans and have a look at the clutch, clutch fork, clutch fork pivot and if all is good there.... inside the trans...

[Daninski]

Wondering, when the throw out bearing was hot that's when I experienced problems. Bottom line is it could be a veritable myriad of things so basic diagnosis is your answer like Pat said..
What bugs me are these intermittent problems, you don't know when they're going to act up but guaranteed if you finally get a date with that hot broad you met at the porn festival that's when your shifter will seize just before you get to her house, guaranteed.

[Dark_Rider2k3]

Just wanted to update this. I was getting frustrated with the issue and finally caved in. Took it to a local shop (Transmission shop that has some excellent guys) who, upon checking things, found that my slave cylinder was faulty. I wouldn't have expected that seeing as how it's new, but they said they checked it all out and it was definitely faulty.

Hopefully this does it!