How do you diagnose clutch linkage problems?

[Peyomp]

My clutch stopped working while I was pulling a full throttle run from 1st through 3rd to get on the highway. Well... 3rd wouldn't go in. There is no effect when the clutch pedal is depressed. There is a slight grinding feeling when its fully depressed.

I can still shift if I match the rpms just right in neutral, but the clutch has no effect. The clutch had been slipping a bit more than usual for 10,000 miles and there's 55k miles on this stock clutch. When it finally stopped working it was immediate, and was kind of jarring.

This makes me wonder if it is the clutch. So I have to check the clutch linkage. The master cylinder is full of fluid. I have a Helm's Manual, but other than giving pictures of the components for a visual inspection, it doesn't tell me how to debug the linkage.

My question is: how do you check if the linkage is good, or do whatever else is required to see if the clutch is bad or if its something in between the pedal and the clutch?

Thanks in advance.

[Turismo]

When you say you depress it and it does nothing do you mean it still feels like it's working (building up hydraulic pressure) but just doesnt allow you to shift into gear?

I JUST replaced my clutch after having the most erratic trans/clutch type symptoms I've ever experienced and the culprit was a broken OE pressure plate. A local guy that does a lot of GSR work told me it was this also and even said I would find a crescent shaped piece of metal floating around in there when I tore it apart (or possibly a disc spring) but it was the small metal piece apparently from somewhere in the pressure plate assembly.

Mine started off just grinding going into 3rd at high rpm, but soon became very erratic, shifting hard, not shifting at all, then acting normal, then chattering REAL bad but only at times. Double de-clutching helped 99% of the time.

If any of this sounds familiar I would get a clutch ASAP and be easy on it till then. Turns out I have a bad synchro possibly caused by the broken part and numerous half-disengaged shifts that I'm having fixed next week since my warranty is out in a few weeks.

[Peyomp]

You push the clutch in and nothing happens. The car isn't drivable, since the clutch has NO action, you MUST be rolling to get it into first... try that shit in Atlanta traffic. I hadda play "drive 20 miles without stopping" just to get it home.

There is no hydraulic pressure at all when you push the clutch in. It goes in real easy to the floor. Then there is a crispy kind of chattering/scraping you can feel, only once it hits the floor. There is fluid in the system though, because the fluid level is full.

[This message has been edited by Peyomp (edited March 27, 2001).]

[Type Rs]

Have you had a shop look at it yet. When in gear can you spin the tires. One thing I found was that tranny shops would not install a clutch that was'nt bought through them. Hope your problems get solved soon!!

[Peyomp]

I was wrong there is hydrolic pressure, it just doesn't do ANYTHING. Like the previous poster described.

[Turismo]

If the hydraulic system is working and the release lever on the tranny seems to be moving a normal ammount I would almost bet you have a similar problem as I had. Probably a broken pressure plate and the piece thats come loose is keeping the disc from disengaging properly and therefore wont let it shift. Since it happened after a pretty hard pull onto the highway it could of happened right then.

Mine started doing it after a drag run where i missed a shift but then heard a small strange noise coming from the clutch area for a brief second and thats all I ever hear, just went to hell shortly after that, and not as quick or abrupt as yours seems to have done.

After searching it doesnt seem like this is too uncommon with the OE clutch and hard driving.