Any manual transmission experts on here?

July 29, 2013, 11:06:03 PM

This is dodge related, so I put it in the lounge, rather than in the trans section.

The dodge forums are pretty much worthless so maybe you guys can help me out a bit hummm?

Having a bit of a problem (well actually a very serious problem lol) with my Raider (Dakota) with the 6-spd. Clutch problem to be more specific. Couple weeks ago one of the bearings in the trans, I'm thinking throwout bearing since it changed based on how much clutch I was giving it, started squealing like a banshee. Realizing I of course had a serious problem probably about to hit me, I didn't want to drive my truck but since I need it for work I kinda had to. Well, drove it like this for a couple weeks, all the while, squealiing getting worse, clutch hard to disengage, and sometimes even grinding, yes, grinding, when I pushed all the way down. At first I started to think I was loosing hydraulic pressure in the clutch, but I had a full master reservoir. So eventually, worse came to worse, and about 30 miles from home, it finally gave out. I got into 1st gear, barely, then as I started to shift into 2nd, I couldn't get the pedal to fully disengage the clutch. Felt to me as if I had lost all hydraulic pressure. So natually I pulled over, and as I did so, the pedal went from super sloppy to stiff as a board, I could not push the clutch at all. Thinking WTF??? the whole time, I got out and once again checked the master cylinder, thinking surely I've lost hydralic pressure this time or something right? well no, still full. So I had my partner who was riding with me check the lines as I tried to mash the clutch pedal. No leaks, nothing. In fact there was so much pressure that as i was pushing the pedal, I snapped the connecting rod form the pedal to the cylinder, and he saw the hose jolt from the sudden pressure change.

Well thankfully I was still able to hard shift it, so I strapped some tires to the bumper, and got a family member to nudge me out of the lights as I hard shifted my way home. Now if I push on the clutch pedal at all, its super stiff and the clutch makes a horrible grinding sound the like of which I've never heard before.

Well, now I'm terrified of what I'm going to find when I pull the trans and attempt to remedy the problem. I'm 2 payments behind on my loan and absolutely don't have the money to take it to the shop to get the trans fixed, so I'm debating whether to attempt to fix it myself. Now I've done a couple trans swaps on the cougar and other vehicles, so I'm no stranger to trans work, but I've never messed with a manual before, so does any body know what may have happened inside there, and if its something I can fix myself, or should I just let the repo guy come and take this thing away?

Any manual transmission experts on here?

Reply #1 – July 30, 2013, 01:28:54 AM

pull it apart. it should be obvious. a manual trans is much easier to trouble shoot and there is a lot less to go wrong..