new throwout bearing, new hydros

[rgrafton]

So about a year or so ago I had the clutch replaced (everything but the hydraulics) So a few months ago I had trouble on the highway getting it to go into gear (was trying to downshift getting off an exit) it would not go into any gear whatsoever

so.. had the hydraulics replaced (master cylinder, slave cylinder and lines) also had the throwout bearing replaced although it was only a year old.... because it had some play... after all that was replaced.... everything was good and smooth and easy to shift. Easier than i ever remember. clutch pedal went in so easy. It was like learning to drive my car all over again.

recently (getting a little hot out) it's getting a little harder to shift (nothing too serious, but surely not as easy as it had been). neither the clutch pedal nor the shifter moves as smooth as it had before.. Also I noticed if I had the A/C on it's difficult to get into first gear, but when I got the RPMs up to 1k it slid right in. I tried doing this (revving the rpms just up to 1k) without the A/C on as well... this (revving the rpms up to 1k) also made it easier to put into first gear.

All the gears don't shift as smooth as they used to...

My question is: what is causing this??? Throwout bearing?? Should I consider changing my tranny fluid? I'm sure it has never been changed and the trans has somewhere around 250k+ miles on it...

[td1238]

Trans fluid should be changed at least every 30k. It'll probably be gray with metal flake.

Some of us have found that if we wash our engines, and any of that water gets into the trans, which it does via cooling of the trans and suction into the vent, the transmission shifts like garbage, even with the engine off. Changing the fluid cures the problem.

Otherwise, if it's only difficult to shift when the engine's hot, even after a fluid change (please do change your fluid!), then it might be hydraulics. I have had about 3 different hydraulic systems on my car besides the original, and they all were marginal. They'd perform great in warm weather, and then trouble occurred as it got colder out. The fix (somewhat) was to change the reservoir check valve spring (on the master piston) to one of a higher tension, but of the same dimensions. The original applies 1/4 lb at 1/2 compression. My replacement exerts 2 lbs.

I found that the problem got worse as the weather got colder, but I installed my system when the weather was hot. I found that removing the reservoir cover briefly to equalize pressure solved the problem. Perhaps you installed your system when it was cold out. Try briefly removing the reservoir cover to equalize pressure. I do this whenever it changes from warm to cold or cold to warm, as shifting always starts to become difficult with a great change in temperature. I have not completely eliminated the problem with the valve spring change, but it is almost completely gone. The system just needs the reservoir cover tweak whenever there is a temp change, and then it shifts beautifully, with no hang-up. I still haven't gotten around to trying to remove the vibration damper from the hydraulic system.

Hopefully your pressure plate spring is not becoming weak. If it is of good design, the diaphragm spring should last quite a long time. If the fingers lose their temper and become soft, they won't move the spring adequately.