Hey everyone! I have a 2017 Mazda Miata, manual transmission, with 75,000 miles and recently it has been doing something funny. When I start her up she won't go into ANY gears: reverse, first, second, etc. However, I have found out if I shift my left foot, the one on the clutch, more to the right it will go into gear smoothly. The weird thing is that once the car is in first it will go into second, third, etc smoothly until I come back to a stop. I want to say it's the clutch, but I don't wanna guess on such an expensive item. As always thanks for y'alls answers. Y'all really help everyone out and really don't get enough credit.
if I shift my left foot, the one on the clutch, more to the right it will go into gear smoothly
To me, it sounds like a malfunction of the clutch master cylinder (worn/damaged piston seal e.g.).
How is the fluid content of the clutch hydraulics?
It's fill to the max line. It was the first thing I checked to solve the problem. Sorry for the late response!
My thought too. I don’t know much about Miata’s but I think that’s a common problem
Sounds like your clutch is not releasing fully. That kind of thing is usually due to a problem in the clutch hydraulics.
Do you have an explanation as to why it only does it when the car is not moving? Not disagreeing just trying to learn.
Possibly when the car is being driven on the road the hydraulic system gets pumped up during gear changes. It would be interesting to try pumping the clutch pedal several times after first starting the car before putting it into gear. Also while the car is in motion you have the synchronizers assisting in the gear changes. It's actually possible to shift without the clutch when under way if you get the engine RPM right. I had to do this years ago when a hydraulic clutch line burst while on a trip.
Is there any possibility of the clutch being bad itself? When I try to pump the clutch it doesn't help, pumped it about 10 times idk if that was enough.
Usually when a clutch goes bad it slips or chatters. In your case it seems like it's not releasing fully. That's usually a problem with the clutch hydraulic system. I would bleed the hydraulics before tearing into the clutch itself.
The only other time I've seen a problem myself with not being able to get into gear is if the clutch disk has been installed backwards.
Maybe check for excessive Clutch Pedal freeplay.
If there's too much, lengthen the push rod adjustment
As I read the OP, he has his foot on the clutch pedal, a bit to the left, he presses the pedal, the gears cannot be selected.
Now he moves his foot sliding on the pedal a bit to the right and presses again, and -presto!- the gears can be selected.
Is this right?
Almost, when my foot is all the way down on the clutch if it is a bit to the left it won't go into any gear, but if I keep the clutch all the way down and shift my foot more to the right it will go into gear. I don't ever need to let my foot off the clutch just shift it more to the right. The only reason this is an issue for me is because I'm 6'1 and if I shift my foot to the right my hamstring will literally be touching my steering wheel.
Maybe some wear in the clutch pedal pivot?
2 questions. 1. What is a clutch pedal pivot? 2. Is that something I should just change with the clutch?
Wow thanks!
What would you say is an appropriate price to pay for a mechanic to replace the master and slave cylinders in Houston, Tx?
You're welcome. It depends how long it takes to do the job and how much they charge per hour. Scotty has said in videos, he had charged $100 per hour in Houston. I assume prices there are higher now.