Miata Mailing List: May 1996, Message #221
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   From: Sean Archer 
Subject: Re: Clutch Question
   Date: Fri, 3 May 1996 18:27:32 -0400

At 04:04 PM 5/1/96 -0400, you wrote:
>>At 11:01 PM 4/29/96 -0400, you wrote:
>>>Hello all.
>>>
>>>I have a 91 BRG  with about 55k miles.
>>>When I start out in first gear the car kind of shudders. It almost feels like
>>>
>>>the clutch is slipping and grabbing. It is not just me it is the same when
>>>others drive it. I also noticed the clutch pedal seems to engage higher up
>>>than in my 90 red .  I have checked to see if the clutch would slip in higher
>>>
>>>gears, but it doesn't seem to. I also notice it gets worse after driving for
>>>awhile.
>>>
>>>Does any one have any ideas or suggestions?
>>>Do I need a new clutch or what?
>>>
>>>Any help would be greatly appreciated.
>>>Thanks
>>>Ted --Tedsmiata
>>>91 BRG
>>
>>
>>
>>Mine too. I have never solved the puzzle. It can come and go in two clutch
>>releases or stay all day and be gone the next. Stay gone for a month and
>>return for a week only to go away again. My biggest suspicion is that it is
>>fuel related. I would sure like to get to the answer on this one. My Service
>>Manager has seen it and feels it is not the clutch due to it's
>>inconsistancy. Oil from the leaking valve cover gasket is another
>>possibility I suppose but we are talking a very small leak at the rear of
>>the engine with nothing showing up on the driveway.
>>
>>             Regards
>>
>>                  Arch
>
>Check the crank angle sensor for oil leaks on the back of the cylinder
>head.  I've had two of these leak oil on my Miatas.  There could be oil
>getting to the clutch from this source.
>
>My 92 has a similar clutch chattering problem, usually when it has been
>driven in traffic for awhile on a warm day.  I just replaced the o-ring
>seal a week or two ago, and I haven't noticed the clutch chatter since, but
>I haven't driven it very much since then either.  I'm curious to see if
>this fixes the problem.
>
>Skip Cannon  
>
>
>
My 90 started experiencing these problems late last summer, but only in
reverse gear!  It turned out to be a front transmission seal leak that
contaminated the clutch.  Unfortunately the dealer who replaced the seal and
the clutch were totally useless, damaged my consoled, overfilled the
transmission by 1 litre and never resurfaced the flywheel.  It recently cost
me $400 to have the whole job done again because the clutch never seated
properly as a result of the flywheel not being resurfaced.

The moral of the story is, check the underside of the transmission
frequently for oil leakage if you have this symptom and always insist on
having the flywheel resurfaced when you replace the clutch.


Drive Careful Fast ...

Sean N. Archer                  P.O. Box 61143
President,                      Kensington Postal Station
CDN Rockies Chapter             Calgary, Alberta
Miata Club of America           Canada T2N-4S6

1990 Mariner Blue Sebring Supercharged MX-5 Miata "MAX" (short for Maximum
Headroom)