help! clutch will only partially disengage!

[soccerbummer1104]

so today while leaving campus (crossing perimeter, stopped at a light) i accelerated in first and stepped in the clutch to change to second (4k rpms) and the engine didn't rev down and i couldn't easily pull the car out of first. since my gears are so tall and i live right off the road that i was on, i just left it in first and got home (speed limit is 35 and my first will go to 47mph) and turned the car off.

I can shift through all the gears with the car off no problem, and i still have clutch pedal feel. If i step the clutch in and start the car it will start and not go anywhere with the e-brake (in gear) but you can feel the car jerk like crazy as the clutch is partially engaged.
you cannot put the car in any gear other than the one you had it in when you started the car once the car is on (i havent and will not ram it into a gear)
but when the clutch pedal is released, the clutch grabbs completely and does not seem to slip (smooth accel all the way to 47, minus the start of course)

i havent changed the brake/clutch fluid in ~ a year, and was going to do it soon, but i highly doubt this is due to old fluid.

It could be the slave cylinder i guess, but there isn't any fluid leaking out of the boot (yet?) and i still have pedal pressure.

any ideas?
im trailering it to the dealer tom at ~10:am if no one has any ideas/knows what this could be (they owe me .5hrs of labor anyways)
the clutch/flywheel was replaced last christmas break, and the clutch lines flushed shortly after when one of the quick fittings came loose and all the fluid drained out.

[93redfox]

i was gonna suggest fluid levels, bleed the system, check for leaks, but it sounds as if it's all fairly recent. not sure what else to suggest. my clutch is cable actuated, and the only time it's never worked properly was when the cable snapped, so it was fully engaged all the time good luck!

[soccerbummer1104]

^^i had the same thing happen a month after the clutch install when the quick connect came apart, essentially my hydraulic line "snapped", but with that i had fluid everywhere and my pedal was dead on the floor.

[clemsonhatch]

Maybe there is a slow leak instead of the line snapping/breaking this time is the fluid level low? Could also be the master cylinder crapping out instead of the slave have you checked the master for leaks? In a Honda if you look under the dash above the clutch pedal you can sometimes see fluid leaking when the master is on the way out.

Good luck and let us know.

[soccerbummer1104]

nah, its not really acting like a leaky slave or master. my mechanic and i and a few others think by what its doing that my pressure plate failed, mainly because he installed 3 or 4 clutchmasters around the time he did mine and all of them have had pressure plate issues. so we are warranting the part, getting a new kit, selling it, putting a stock clutch back in and selling the car. Im looking to get an r56 (turbo mini...)
kinda sucks as i jsut put a new stereo in my car that is sweet, but i may take it while im putting everything else back to stock.

[JB]

Pull that sh!t back out! I grabbed everything from my car before selling it, it usually help the resale value too...

[HKYStormFront]

agree, put everything you can back to stock, it is worth the time in effort vs losing the money in parts for nothing getting rid of the car

[soccerbummer1104]

oh i am. the swaybar, shift knob, wheels, antenna and lightbar(possibly) can all be moved over to a new mini (turbo) if i go that rout, as well as the filter for the cai on mine will work on the new ones as a temp upgrade tell i convert the hood scoop to a ram air cai.

[JB]

Can't you get a 135i for about as much as a fairly optioned out new mini? Its got a BMW engine too

Come on man, upgrade to the big dogs. FWD is noooo fun!

[soccerbummer1104]

when i said "new" i meant just an 07+ it will be used though. (my limit is ~20, lower is better, and it has to have good gas mileage and have insurance that isnt through the roof *cough*135i*cough* i did find a 335i sedan in my price range... but i just dont like the way the sedan looks.

[JB]

I get almost 30 mpg on the highway...

135's should be getting below 335's by now, maybe not below 20 but very close to it.

Can't really argue with the insurance, the fact that it is a bigger car should put your parents minds at ease though (my parents would NEVER let me get a Mini, dad thinks small cars are deathtraps lol)

And yeah the sedans don't look great stock, but they can be made to look pretty mean:

[93redfox]

(08-31-2010 06:23 PM)JB Wrote:  

THAT. IS. HAWT! also partial to this one:

[93redfox]

also: not 335, but still very sweet.

[JB]

Lol I had to overlook A LOT of M3 sedans when coming up with the pics above. The M3 sedan actually has the coupe front-end giving is a much more aggressive front. My dream car would be a e90 M3 with my N54 swapped

[93redfox]

ehhhhhhhhh what?