Vipera Russelli
Enthusiast
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2004
- Posts
- 679
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A couple weeks ago, I noticed that it was getting difficult to shift into reverse. Over the last week and a half, shifting into second gear required more force (no grinding, just more muscle needed). Last weekend after driving the car for a couple hours, I parked the car and then smelled something burning, although I didn’t smell it again until last night. Last night, I left my house in the Viper (which was cold), shifted into first and then second two times on the way to a traffic light. When the light turned green, I shifted into first but then couldn’t get it to shift into second. Running out of momentum, I tried to shift back into first and couldn’t do that either. Again, no grinding—it just wouldn’t go into gear. I pulled over and turned the car off, put it into first and started it up. Again, when I tried to shift into second, it wouldn’t go, nor would it go back into first, requiring a repeat of the off-and-on procedure. While waiting for the light to turn green, in gear and with my foot on the clutch, I started to smell something burning that reminded me of the odor I smelled last weekend. Guessing that it was clutch related, I took my foot off the break, and the car started moving forward under its own power, despite the fact that I had the clutch fully depressed. Then while going down a steep hill in front of my house in first gear, and even though I wasn’t touching the clutch, break or throttle, the car twice changed speed, by briefly bogging down and going slower than it usually would in first gear going down this hill. I finally got the car in the garage and turned it off and notice for the first time that there is now almost an inch of play at the top of the clutch before it feels as if it’s engaging anything. What the…? Oh, and today the gears worked fine and even shift easily (that is for the 20 seconds it took me to maneuver out of the garage and behind the flatbed tow truck).
So now I’m guessing, after having a long and very helpful chat with JonB about the issue, that the pressure plate was not disengaging for whatever reason (faulty slave cylinder actuator, leaking hydraulic fluid?) and that, in addition to fixing the underlying problem, the flywheel has probably been glazed and now needs replacement too. Anyone else have any thoughts or problems like these?
So my 04 Viper, with a mere 1198 easy miles (1000 of which were break-in) on her, is in the shop for (i) this clutch issue, (ii) the cam sprocket bolts issue (yup, DC thinks my car was affected—I haven't had any symptoms…yet), and (iii) an ABS warning light that came on the other day (five minutes after I hit a *** hole) that will not go out. Other than ALL THAT, the car seems to be running just fine... Good grief. I've apparently fallen for a high maintenance girl.
Help?
So now I’m guessing, after having a long and very helpful chat with JonB about the issue, that the pressure plate was not disengaging for whatever reason (faulty slave cylinder actuator, leaking hydraulic fluid?) and that, in addition to fixing the underlying problem, the flywheel has probably been glazed and now needs replacement too. Anyone else have any thoughts or problems like these?
So my 04 Viper, with a mere 1198 easy miles (1000 of which were break-in) on her, is in the shop for (i) this clutch issue, (ii) the cam sprocket bolts issue (yup, DC thinks my car was affected—I haven't had any symptoms…yet), and (iii) an ABS warning light that came on the other day (five minutes after I hit a *** hole) that will not go out. Other than ALL THAT, the car seems to be running just fine... Good grief. I've apparently fallen for a high maintenance girl.
Help?
My flywheel had some hot spots on it as a result and is being replaced, as well as the master and slave clutch cylinders just for good measure. All within the initial 1,200 miles.
