F*CK! clutch problems

[jaws]

So I just spent over 4k on the protege to get it running, including a new clutch for the car. I drove it the other day and it started to grind gears more than normal, then the pressure on the clutch went out! Now I have to grind all the gears to get it into a gear, so I can't drive it in fear that I'll break the fork. Damn... I love my pro but it's getting hard to love it when I just spent all this money and then it dies on me after a few months! My girlfriend's dad says it might be the clutch fluid because it happened to his friend's car. Any Suggestions?

[Lex]

most likely:

1. clutch not bled properly or leaking somewhere in the system
2. need new slave cylinder
3. need new master cylinder

Slave and master can both be had brand new for ~$70 so it's not so bad.

[Turpro]

My 1st guess would be clutch master cyl. Just do like lex said and replace both and bleed it and you'll be golden. Good luck.

[me19875]

wait wait wait let me get this straight, you spent over $4,000 on a protege to get it running?

[Syntax]

wait wait wait let me get this straight, you spent over $4,000 on a protege to get it running?

You can buy atleast three for that price

Clutch fluid, where is that resevoir?

Eitherway, lex seems to have it right.

[Lex]

The reservoir is shared with the brake fluid reservoir. There is a divider in there separating the clutch and brake, so when bleeding, don't let the overall level go below 3/4 of the reservoir.

[Tazman2]

For 4k of work on a old(er) car i'd expect it to be 100% perfect AND a bar or two of gold on the front seat! Then again maybe i'm expecting too much!

PS: Either they screwed up when bleeding it as mentioned or as others have said (in a random post or two) that when you bleed the brakes/clutch because its not used to going all the way to the floor it can actually take out your master/slave cylinder etc!

PPS: Don't hate the car, hate the idiot mechanic!

[jaws]

You're telling me! I know that I could've bought a better car, my dad was really the one who made the decision to keep it... I wanted my friend's 1992 celica gts with tinted windows and alloys and a sound system with a 2.2L engine, instead I got our old clean 92 protege with a 1.8 SOHC, the least common of the proteges lol... 4k and still making repairs... christ. I know. Well the mechanic is great, he did everything right, it's just that all the parts on the car should've been replaced, but that wasn't really anticipated. I was told by an auto technician that I had an air bubble in the line, so I need to bleed it and maybe replace the line or the master cylinder. It's probably not the clutch slave because it's leaking under the driver's side of the firewall. So... yup. Fun stuff. Thanks for the help!

[Tazman2]

Since when do tinted windows + a sound system make a car more reliable/better?!

[jaws]

never but Tinting isn't really that big of a deal, sound system can get expensive... :/

[luckycharms]

bleed the system...maybe the clucth cylinder