Clutch/Shifting Troubles PLEASE HELP!?

Question

I have an '04 Saturn Ion with 37k miles and have been having trouble getting the car into 1st gear and an even harder time into reverse. (If it becomes too hard, I have to turn off the car, easily shift into 1st or reverse and restart the car).

I took it to the dealer they replaced the master and slave cylinder but then told me that didnt correct the problem.

Then they told me that the clutch is going bad, not covered under warranty and over $1,000 to fix. I'm just not confident that they really know what the problem is because they are only diagnosing via the phone with Saturn Corp and not physically checking it out...not to mention they were wrong about the master/slave and I dont want to pay 1k if thats not the problem either.

If I start the car on 1st and accelerate while pressing on the clutch...the car does not go forward. I read that this was a way to see if clutch was slipping.

Anyway...Has anyone else had this happen to them? What else could it be?

Thanks!

Answer 1

is the first gear synchronizer( happen to be the same for the reverse)
is inside the transmission .so, You have to find and specialized mechanic(difficult task)
getting a used from the junk yard is Your other option

one thing for sure is not the clutch,the clutch related problems is common to all gears.

do not give it to a dealer ,it will cost more than the car itself.

Answer 2

It might be your transmission...in a standard the first gear and reverse not working are signs that it's going, but not sure if that's your problem. If I'm reading your statement right.....the car won't move in any gear if you have the clutch pressed, it's like being in neutral. I had a plymouth laser that would "grind" when I put it in 1st gear and then one day it wouldn't start at all. Come to find out, there was a switch under the clutch and some how, the pedal came "off track." I had to reset the pedal so to say, so that it went down on the switch all of the way. So that whole time, the clutch wasn't getting pressed down all the way. Take it somewhere else, a lot of places will look at it for free. I also had bolts come loose from vibrations, have someone check them on your trans.

Answer 3

Check the level of the brake fluid in the clutch master cylinder. If the fluid is low, or if there is even one small air bubble in the line the clutch will not fully release, making it hard to shift. Maybe they didn't bleed all the air out of the lines and slave cylinder when they replaced those parts.

Check the level in the clutch master cylinder. Top it off if its low and that should relieve your problem. (It is probably low, you shouldn't be checking for a slipping clutch by slipping your clutch while accelerating. That's just accelerating wear on an already worn clutch)

If adding brake fluid doesn't fix it, the dealer may need to rebleed the lines and slave cylinder to improve the clutch function.

Answer 4

Haven't had tha problem with a Saturn, but am currently having the exact same problem with my '06 Chevy Cobalt. Except they aren't doing anything to even attempt a fix for it.

Dealerships really don't know how to fix anything, they plug a computer into your car and the car supposedly tells them what's wrong.

As far as what can be wrong, it sounds like a fluid pressure leak somewhere in the system because that's kind of what my Mazda truck did right before the master/slave cylinder failed in it, but I didn't expect to have the same problem with a brand new car, and I've been having this problem since the car was new and only had 11 miles on it.

Answer 5

I don't know how the car is driven, but if the clutch is abused (either by poor skills, poor driving conditions or intent) the clutch could very well be failing by now. But most of the clutches in Saturn last well beyond 80K.
Have you had the car to a "Quick-Lube" type shop for service?
If the lube tech checked the transmission and topped it off with the wrong lube, this could very well cause the problem you are experiencing.

Happy Motoring

Answer 6

Accelerate while pressing on the clutch??? No car will move with the clutch pedal depressed!! To properly check for clutch slippage, prematurely shift from 2nd to 3rd(shift early) and accelerate. No slippage should be felt. The symptoms you describe could easily be a clutch related problem and/or a transmission problem that was initially caused by the clutch slave cylinder failure! Good luck!

Answer 7

If the clutch has excess wear it will not make it hard to get into gear. If the clutch is not fully releasing this is what makes it hard to get into gear. if there is foreign material floating around within the clutch disc, flywheel and pressure plate( clutch cover) it will cause this kind of problem. If the dealer is like the dealer that left the oil drain plug loose in my Sisters new Kia then they cannot be trusted to have completed the job properly. Air in the master, slave cylinder will cause this kind of problem too.

good luck

Answer 8

A few more thoughts

Watch while the clutch is pressed to see if the engine and trans seperate. This was my problem I actually fixed just yesterday. My trans bolts had come out somehow. I had to replace them.

Also watch the rubber parts of the clutch line while someone presses the clutch. If the rubber is old and worn it may expand not allowing the pressure to push the slave.

Answer 9

ok, I replied your previous question. attempt this: do away with the shifter pedal from the splined shaft and reinstall it a notch or 2 ABOVE the place it grew to become into. which will verify in case you have valuable engagement of transmission. Does the nuetral easy come on while in Nuetral? that's that the previous proprietor Slammed the pedal down previous the engagement of the splined shaft and you at the instant are no longer in a position to genuinely work together the transmission. look at those machined surfaces heavily. grab lever unfastened play might desire to be one million/8 minimum to 3/sixteen max. If that's not there, after adjustment,the grab cable desires substitute. in case you at the instant are not sucessfull with this, then the shifter drum, pawls, and forks, have been broken and that's a substantial teardown. It sounds like some one beat the piss out of this bike,and you in basic terms % it to run like it is going to , yet i won't be able to say for confident with out understanding the bike's previous history. with the help of ways eastern motorcycles are very chilly blooded, so as a cheapo, attempt keeping your choke on longer.

Answer 10

i own a repair shop,and what its doing right now is simply its not adjusted right on it,if it was it would be easier to shift,they told you sort of opposite of what its really doing,and it should be covered under warranty also,but its does sound like you have a clutch problem with it,just not exactly how they described it to you ,if it was adjusted right it would shift a lot better with it,try having someone adjust it,they cant make it no worse than it is now,good luck i hope this helps.