Mitsubishi Colt 3-door 56 plate, 87K miles - Please help me diagnose this gear changing problem

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Tue 3 Dec 2013 08:28
Mitsubishi Colt 3-door 56 plate, 87K miles - Please help me diagnose this gear changing problem - mattrgee

Hi all,

After not driving my car for 2 weeks I set off yesterday morning and had to come home as I couldn't select any gears. Symptoms are as follows:

> Very difficult to put in gear
> The clutch pedal is stiff towards the end of its stroke.
> The clutch and brake fluid is a shared resevoir and this is at a normal level.
> Pumping the clutch pedal multiple times makes no difference to whether it will go in gear.
> The car goes into gear without issue when the engine isn't started.
> When the car is started no gear can be selected, with the exception of reverse with some difficulty.
> Thinking the clutch plate could be rusted to the flywheel, I put the car in gear and depressed the clutch, the car did not lunge forward
> I then turned off the car, put the car in gear and started the car without depressing the clutch. The car did lunge forward on this occasion.
> If someone pushes the car I can get it into 2nd once it's up to speed, at which point it will drive quite happily in 2nd but still won't change gear.

Let me know if you want me to check anything or test anything.

Many thanks.

Matt

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Tue 3 Dec 2013 09:44
Mitsubishi Colt 3-door 56 plate, 87K miles - Please help me diagnose this gear changing problem - gordonbennet

Sounds like its no longer clearing and needs adjustment, if possible many hydraulic systems are self adjusting, or that air has got into the system and it needs bleeding via the slave cylinder.

Thats the first thing i would do anyway (hopefully the bleed point is available), and whilst down there get an assistant to operate the clutch and watch what happens at the business end.

Siffening up at end of travel could signify another problem with the release mechanism, hence have a look see.

Reading through again, have you been able to start the car with the clutch already depressed vehicle already in gear and then physically drive the car semi normally ie where the clutch releases even if not fully?...if you can do this it proves the clutch isn't rusted to the flywheel (or to the pressure plate in the unlikely event the driven plate has become seized to the splines for some reason)....i doubt it would be rusted after 2 weeks though unless you parked it in salt water, if an internal problem in the clutch then maybe release arm or bearing have bent/collapsed.

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