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Warning: half of this point is venting, half is a question. To miss the venting, skip to the next paragraph. I've owned my car for less than two months, and already two people have hit it, and my friend hit a deer in it. I thought that cosmetic things aren't a big deal, as long as it's running well.... well, the other morning, I noticed the telltale knocking sound when making sharp right turns. Damnit, CV joint probably. Alright, 200 bux with labor maybe.<P>Tonight I was driving and came up to a stoplight. When I pushed in the clutch, the pedal hit the floor with almost no resistance. I pulled over(having to match revs for shifting) and there was smoke coming out from under the hood. Flashlight inspection found liquid(I'm not smart enough to know what) on flat surfaces under the VAF... The cause of the smoke? I couldn't tell the color of the fluid. Any Ideas on what happened? I left the car in the parking lot, and will pick it up or have it towed tomorrow. Is the clutch hydraulic, and could that have been the liquid? Help would be much appreciated.<P>-Todd

yup the clutch is hydraulic. Under the vaf there is a steel line that runs to the front of the transmission which activates a lever when you push in the clutch. That line may have broken somehow. There is also a rubber line that comes from the brake booster on the firewall, that could be broken. Check your brake fluid level and see if it has gone down.

Sounds like Tim is right. Either your rubber clutch line broke or your master cylinder gave out.

I just checked the V6 manual. Yup, in bold no less. It is not recommended to hit deer with this car.

Ah... See, I didn't get a manual with the car. I figured a deer or two wouldn't be too bad.

So, assuming the steel line to the front of the tranny broke, how much would it be to fix? I'd imagine it'd be a hassle to get all the air out of the lines, right?

it's likely not the steel line. it's probly the rubber line right under the vaf. you can get a steel braided one from corksport.com for about $18

Alright.... It WAS the steel line. I just so happened to pull over that night into a mechanic's parking lot. (knock on wood?) So, they call me monday and tell me it'll be done oh.... yesterday. They Can't seem to get the steel line in from mazda in any kind of hurry. NOw, I've been seeing all these posts about replacing the rubber line with braided steel. Anybody know what size the oem Steel line is? Otherwise, they're guessing the part will be in on the 29th.<BR>I guess mazda doesn't rush parts for a 10yr old car that barely sold in the u.s.<P>The one upside to this, is that I'm driving my mom's z28 in the meantime. Riceboys beware: Got sum bowtie powr yup yup. <P><BR>T