2001 323 Astina Gear change problem
 

Hi all

I have a 2001 323 Astina hatch with only 38,000km on the clock.
Over a period of time the clutch take up has been getting closer to the firewall.
It still disengages and all is ok till you are in traffic on a hot day and it will not go into 1st gear and hard pressed to get it into second.

Took it to a repair shop and they changed the slave cylinder at the gearbox and also took the gearbox and changed the clutch and pressure plates.

Made no difference and they did not charge me for labour. They said that the pedal travel etc was within Mazda's spec.

I'm curious to know if this is a common problem and if so what can I do about it.

Open to suggestions. :)

Steve

Sounds like either the clutch master cylinder needs replacing or the clutch fork is slightly bent and not allowing full travel.You can tell by having someone fully depress the clutch pedal while you try to push the clutch fork in with a prybar to see if it has full travel. Hopefully nobody has resurfaced the flywheel past minimum thickness specs.

Thanks Hixx,

The master cylinder seems to be ok and was originally tested by the mechanics when the slave cylinder was replaced.

I will check to see if the arm is bent using your suggestion of a pry bar.

Are there any adjustments around the clutch peddle that would be worth considering?

Aalso wondering why it's really a problem on warmer days (28degC plus) and after being in stop start traffic for 15mins or longer.

Steve

We don't actually have Astina's in the U.S. so i can't say with any certainty. You can look under the dash at the clutch rod and if you see a metal rod with threads and a nut on it it is adjustable.