I just replaced the slave cylinder and the shift and select cables on my '85 GT 2.8L 4 speed. The cables were in bad shape, as was the slave and pushrood, so I was hoping this was going to solve my problems. It didn't
I have the same problem as before, the clutch will not disengage, and I can't shift into 1st, 3rd or reverse. Has anybody seen this type of behaviour before? It actually seems to get worse sometimes and I can't get into 2nd or 4th either, and other times I can. With the engine running, if I try to pull it down into 2nd gear, I can hear the engine revs drop, and if I start the car in 2nd with the clutch in, the car lurches forward, telling me the clutch is fully engaged.

I'm really hoping it's not the case, but does it sound like the transmission and the clutch are both shot?

When you press the clutch are you getting at least one inch of movement at the slave ? When the cables were off could you select all the gears at the trans ?

It appears that I'm getting about an inch of travel on the slave. I checked the banjo, and it appears it was on upside down as I've read many are (The loop should be up as opposed to down?) so I flipped that over. When I had the cables off, I tried moving the tranny by hand, and although it did move, I'm not sure how much movement should be there. When I removed the cables I found that the shifter had way more movement than when they were hooked up, which is why I'm thinking the transmission might be stuck. I had a guy over this morning who's a mechanic (although not a Fiero expert) and he says that there's something 'just not quite right' but he can't quite put his finger on it.

How long has the car been sitting ? I have seen a few where the clutch was stuck to the flywheel and wouldnt release.

I'm not sure how long it's been sitting, not quite sure if the previous owner was actually honest with me about his history with the car. Said he bought it knowing the clutch needed work and it died on him on the way from purchasing it. Based on the vehicle history, it's only been driven a couple of hundred miles in the last year and a half, so my guess it's been sitting for about a year and a bit since it's been driven. If this was the case, is there a way to check/repair, or does the tranny have to come off and get a new clutch?

One thing that is commonly overlooked when trying to diagnose a clutch problem is the pilot bushing. It sits inside the crankshaft and is what the input shaft of the trans goes into. It’s usually not replaced but should be every time the clutch is replaced. What can happen is the trans input shaft can get frozen inside of it so even when the clutch is disengaged the input shaft of the trans is still being driving by the engine. There are other possibilities like bent pressure plate arms, a swollen disk but regardless, if you can determine that the slave has the proper amount of throw then the trans needs to come out.

Is there a good way to measure how much throw there is in the pushrod? I've just been eyeballing it, but I've heard that a 1/4" can make all the difference in the world.

I've been looking through the shop manual, and another thing I came across that sounds interesting is 'Shifter Shaft Selective Washer'. It talks about 'hang-up' in shifting in the 1-2 range. The instructions say to measure the distance from the end of the housing to the shoulder just behind end of shaft, and put in washer(s) based on how much movement there is when applying pressure to the end of the shaft. Not sure how you're supposed to measure it, looks easy in the drawing but translating to a tranny in the car is a different story. Anybody have any experience with this?

I've got a similar issue, but it happened while I was driving. I really don't want to have to pull the motor.

^^ Keep your eyes on this thread, if I find the cause outside of the forum I'll post the resolution, hopefully it will help you out!

1/4" will make a huge differance on this system, the only way i know to check the amount of movement is with a helper in the drivers seat and a set of calipers in your hand. There is no Pilot bushing on Fireo transmissions so no need to worry on that. The bushings in the trans the clutch fork rod goes through can wear and cause issues, I have only see this once. A bent clutch pedal can cause issues too, when at rest does your clutch pedal sit higher then the brake pedal ?

At rest the clutch pedal is just slightly higher than the brake. I've heard it should be about 1" higher. Also it seems the resistence on the clutch is mostly in the bottom half of the travel. What's the best way to determine if the pedal is bent, and how difficult is it to re&re? I haven't been able to find that in the shop manual.

https://www.fiero.nl/forum/A...120111-2-111239.html

Best fix is a steel pedal...its a pain to get to, but not impossible.

I think a steel pedal is next on the list, followed by new lines if that doesn't solve it. I've come this far, may as well finish the job!

I just looked at my pedal, it doesn't look bent as far as I can tell. The banjo was loose on the pedal, and when I unhooked it the pedal popped up a bit more. Is that an indication of being bent?

Before this, I had to push the pedal down almost all the way to get the clutch to disengage.

forget the pedals, banjos ect
if you can get the car in first gear,, then start the car & drive away you are A O.K.
but more than likely a poor slave had destroyed the transmission
to salvage a single seal slave ...
FIRST Bleed the slave using the archie method
never pump a fieroslave to bleed it
you can raise the driver side rear up a bit to raise slave air bubble
follow archie directions exactly the most important part is to force the rod back in expelling all air
you can hear & see it expelled

just google V8 archie brake bleed
even if the single seal piston slave works, install a dickman double seal piston in it..
the single seal slave cylinders suck,double sucks
order a double seal piston for your new slave you have now, from Rodney Dickman immediately, if not sooner
about $22.00 shipped
just google Rodney Dickman fiero, he has a lot of neat stuff for fieros
EVERY FIERO NEEDS THE DOUBLE SEAL SLAVE PISTON INSTALLED TO PREVENT TRANNY EXPENSIVE DESTRUCTION
tHIS FIERO FORUMS LOVE OF THE CHINESE & THE LOWEST PRICE, HAS BROUGHT ALL CHINESE SLAVE CYLINDERS OF LOW QUALITY & CHEAPER PRICE ,, THE WAGNER /BENDIX SLAVE IS THE BEST OF A SAD communist LOT
when the slave is bad people tear up first & reverse ,,many experienced mechanixs have been stumped by the attemp to bleed the fiero single piston slave ..

[This message has been edited by uhlanstan (edited 04-16-2012).]

I did replace my slave with a double seal unit from Rodney, but it sounds like the damage was already done and the tranny may be pooched. That still doesn't explain why the clutch will not disengage. I can get it into 2nd gear, and if I turn the starter with the clutch pedal all the way down, the car lurches forward,