From RAM to Jag, to Mazda Pup to the garage in one easy step

[Wayne]

As the entire world has undoubtedly read (I'm sure there are 5 people in the world that read my ramblings here), I sold my Dodge RAM a couple of weeks ago because it was financially irresponsible to keep it for the 6 mile journey back and forth to work 2 or 3 times per week.

Since selling the truck and going bike only, it's rained 80% of the time, leading me on the search for a replacement (yet somewhat cheaper) vehicle that I could pay off and just use for the utilitarian stuff that I need. A week into the journey, a 2004 Jaguar X-type popped up on radar for $6,000. Needed a little bumper replacement on the rear, but was otherwise immaculate and only had 62,000 on the clock, which isn't bad for a Ford, erm, Jaguar.

BEAUTIFUL car. Everything I could have hoped for in cheap transport, and had it been ready for resale from the current owner, I've no doubt that I'd be the current owner today. Alas -- or perhaps thankfully based on the multiple concerns over Jag reliability -- it wasn't and the current owner showed no signs of actually getting it ready any time soon. This had the result of leading me to keep looking.

Enter Friday...

Friday morning, after a sleep apnea-induced late sleep in, my dad calls me up and we end up driving to Dalton, GA. There, I found and subsequently purchased a 2002 Mazda B2300 pickup, 5-speed, 4 cylinder, basic get-me-round. Beautiful shape, 70k on the clock, and not a scratch on it. The 3 hour ride home was great, no problems, ran like a top leading me to believe it's a 200k miler potentially.

Enter 8pm Friday night.

We'd gotten home and I decided to go get something to eat. I got in the newly insured truck, then got about 2 miles down the road, when after a quick chatter, the clutch went out on me. Completely and totally out, meaning the truck would neither go in, nor out of gear.

Here I am, sitting in the middle of traffic on a Friday night, having just spent $5k on a dead truck, and flustered beyond belief, For the sake of the sensitive readers, I won't tell you what language I was speaking at the moment.

A few minutes -- and several rude drivers -- later I decide to give it a push to get it out of the middle of the road when all hell breaks loose. I wait for a break in oncoming traffic, then give the beast a very light nudge on the A-pillar when gravity takes over.

This leaves me running after the truck, trying to jump inside, nearly ending up under the truck itself, only to have the pristine paint job meet up with the underside of a big metal mailbox on the side of the road. Imagine scraping off 18" x 6" worth of paint from your own car, and you'll understand why I was crying.

... and it still hasn't stopped raining ...

This is what it's like to feel cursed ladies and gentlemen. It's not something I highly recommend.

Original post : From RAM to Jag, to Mazda P'up to the garage in one easy step.

 

[redrumloa]

Sorry to hear of your troubles Wayne. Hopefully after some time passes you can look back on the incident and laugh...

 

[Speelgoedmannetje]

Since selling the truck and going bike only, it's rained 80% of the time, leading me on the search for a replacement (yet somewhat cheaper) vehicle that I could pay off and just use for the utilitarian stuff that I need.

Hm, and your eh, diabetes?
I don't think it was a really wise decision considering that.
I sure know what it's like to cycle in the rain, (#1 'hobby' here in NL). It's nasty, especially when you have to wait at traffic lights for those lazy polluting *beeps* in cars.

So, get out and cycle!

 

[ilwrath]

Ugh... Sorry to hear it!

Any time you pick up a new car and have problems right away it's a real blow to the system. Ironically, those little Mazda B2000 / Ford Rangers are usually tough as nails. The clutch is about the only thing that ever does die on them. Occasionally the little 4cyl will crack a head. If well looked after, that is usually not until well past 100k, though.

And the paint loss... ouch! That sucks. Why couldn't it be a plastic mailbox???

At least the damn thing didn't run you over while on its dash for freedom.

 

[Wayne]

Hm, and your eh, diabetes?
I don't think it was a really wise decision considering that.

$650 / month for the truck to drive 6 miles each way, 2 or 3 times a week.

or

$75 / month for the "new" Mazda truck's insurance and gas.

The Diabetes seems to be responding well to dietary control (as is my waistline) as of now. The Sleep Apnea is the only outstanding point. The fantastic American Insurance industry (BC/BS) want me to sleep in a mask for the rest of my life with a loud compressor running next to the bed. I want to go ahead and do surgery and hopefully cure the problem once and for all.

The only thing about riding in the rain that bothers me -- as always -- is the other idiots in cages out there who would easily run over me and claim that they couldn't see me (and didn't expect me to be there) in the rain.

 

[Glaucus]

The clutch died just like that? That's unusual. I'd guess it was your slave (or maybe master) clutch cylinder. Check to see if you're clutch fluid reservoir is empty. If so, check for fluid around the master cylinder or on the inside by the clutch pedal itself. I've had the slave cylinder go to me once (on that Blue supra I'm sure fluffy remembers fondly ;-) ). Had it replaced with a new one. Turned out that was bad too. Point is, these things do go and they're really not a big deal to fix. On a truck you'd need to crawl underneath to access the slave cylinder. Bleeding the clutch line could be a bitch though and is a two person job unless you have the right tool - which can be found for cheap at any auto-parts store.

And that's bad luck, but cursed? How about me? I had my crankshaft bolt break on back in 2007, which ended up mangling the threads. Couldn't find a used replacement crankshaft for my car and so I ended up repairing it. Two years later (ie, three months ago) by crank bolt falls off again. Turns out they botched the repair and there was too much play in the crankshaft. Again I couldn't find a crankshaft at any used parts store across North America, finally found a used JDM crankshaft from some Honda nut that seems to collect Honda motors somewhere in Maryland. In total I spent around 7 grand fixing this stupid crankshaft bolt. When you get to the point where you spend that kind of cash fixing the damage from a $25 bolt, then you can say you're cursed! I'm not even gonna mention how many times my car was ran into WHILE IT WAS PROPERLY PARKED. :roll:

I hate cars.

 

[Wayne]

The clutch died just like that? That's unusual. I'd guess it was your slave (or maybe master) clutch cylinder.

Quote the mechanic : "It's very unusual for Ford / Mazda clutches to fail at 70k, more than likely the slave cylinder, which means pulling the transmission since the slave's inside the bell housing, then 3 hours to bleed the clutch, plus parts... While we have the transmission apart, I'll check the clutch and if it needs replacing, I'll go ahead and do that for parts cost. Don't forget tax on the parts though. Rough estimate is $600 for hydraulics, but around $800 if the clutch is bad too"...

... bad luck for you too, but I'm doubting it happened on the DAY YOU BOUGHT THE CAR...

Wayne

 

[Glaucus]

The clutch died just like that? That's unusual. I'd guess it was your slave (or maybe master) clutch cylinder.

Quote the mechanic : "It's very unusual for Ford / Mazda clutches to fail at 70k, more than likely the slave cylinder, which means pulling the transmission since the slave's inside the bell housing, then 3 hours to bleed the clutch, plus parts... While we have the transmission apart, I'll check the clutch and if it needs replacing, I'll go ahead and do that for parts cost. Don't forget tax on the parts though. Rough estimate is $600 for hydraulics, but around $800 if the clutch is bad too"...

Ouch. Never heard of the slave cylinder being inside the bell housing. I did a quick research and it does seem as your mechanic is right. Yep, that sucks. Almost looks like they did away with the fork and the slave cylinder acts directly on the release bearing. Interesting. I noticed they sell the slave cylinder along with the complete clutch kit, so you may as well just get one of those and replace the slave cylinder, clutch and release bearing all in one shot. I did that when I had my engine out even though my clutch had another 50,000km+ on it.

... bad luck for you too, but I'm doubting it happened on the DAY YOU BOUGHT THE CAR...

No, I'm not that unlucky!

 

[faethor]

Quote the mechanic : "It's very unusual for Ford / Mazda clutches to fail at 70k, more than likely the slave cylinder, which means pulling the transmission since the slave's inside the bell housing, then 3 hours to bleed the clutch, plus parts... While we have the transmission apart, I'll check the clutch and if it needs replacing, I'll go ahead and do that for parts cost. Don't forget tax on the parts though. Rough estimate is $600 for hydraulics, but around $800 if the clutch is bad too"...

It doesn't make sense that the clutch would fail. Unless of course the driver didn't know how to drive a stick. Either way the job is the same. It's well described above. IMO have him replace the clutch and throw out bearing even if it doesn't appear to need it. It's just piece of mind more than anything and doesn't really add that much to the overall cost. It has been a while since I've replaced a clutch but $200 seems a bit high for just the part? If someone is halfway mechanically inclinded this job isn't difficult. It might take you 5-6 hours just because you're not used to doing these all the time.

Also, I see no reason to not go back to the seller and request some cash back. The worst they can say is no. At best you get some cash to help cover the repair. These trucks are reliable. Many have more than 200K+ miles on them.

 

[redrumloa]

Fair warning Wayne, do some hard research before you let anyone change the gear oil in that manual transmission! I had a Ford Ranger some years back, which is the same as the Mazda. The clutch blew so I had the shop replace it and the tranny fluid (normally gear oil). I get the truck back and next day the tranny seizes up! I tow it back to the shop, they tell me bad luck tranny went out. With few options, I pay them to install a used tranny and change the tranny fluid. That night I am driving down the interstate at highway speeds, just about to exit when the transmission COMPLETELY locks up! I cannot take it out of gear and the clutch does NOT free up the back wheels! Needless to say I start skidding wildly, barely avoid hitting other cars and barely able to skip onto the shoulder. If it would have happened 30 seconds earlier while I was in the far left lane with Florida drivers, I probably would not be here today.

So why did 2 transmissions fail spectacularly? Well after the 2nd time the shop claimed the 2nd tranny was used and just bad luck, but I had to call bullshit. Transmissions don't go like that! I did some research and found that year used 2 similar 5 speed transmissions that look alike, but are very different. The one I had was a Mazda MANUAL transmission that uses ATF and NOT gear oil! Each time they drained atf and put gear oil in! I ended up having a long fight with the shop as they tried to cover up their failure... You may want to find out what type of tranny you have and what type of fluid it uses!

 

[Wayne]

Thanks for the heads-up Jim.

One would presume that a shop which specializes in Mazda (Jag, Nissan, and Honda) would know which fluid to use, but as of yet, I'm not having them change the fluids, only the clutch and the clutch hydraulics (which are clearly marked as "Use DOT3 brake fluid"). This particular shop's been in business 43 years, so here's to hope.

My biggest problem is that it's 60%+ chance of rain today (I *will* get wet) and -- due to lack of alternatives -- I had to ride to work today while the truck's in the shop. It was either that, or stay home today, and this truck (along with sleep apnea) has already cost me too many hours away from work.

Hopefully I won't die trying to ride the 6 miles home with all the frigging idiot drivers who won't be able to see me in the rain. If I do, anyone want a cat?

On the hopeful side, maybe the truck will be ready today, and once I get it back, it won't rain for the rest of the summer.

Wayne

 

[Glaucus]

Also, I see no reason to not go back to the seller and request some cash back. The worst they can say is no. At best you get some cash to help cover the repair.

Actually, I was thinking about that yesterday... I've been told here we have a "Lemon Law", where if you buy a used car you have 24 or 48 hours to get a refund if it turns out there's a bunch of "hidden" problems. In this case I wouldn't be surprised if the seller knew about the slave cylinder. If you just keep topping off the clutch reservoir it'll drive nice until you of course run out of fluid. He could have been doing that until Wayne bought it. It's sneaky, but not unheard of to do stuff like that. Unfortunately, it's not easy to prove. Some signs of this: huge stains around the transmission where the slave cylinder is, and mixed with a lot of dirt and debris indicating a long term problem. Also, fresh DOT 3 in the lines which would indicate topping off.

 

[faethor]

Also, I see no reason to not go back to the seller and request some cash back. The worst they can say is no. At best you get some cash to help cover the repair.

Actually, I was thinking about that yesterday... I've been told here we have a "Lemon Law", where if you buy a used car you have 24 or 48 hours to get a refund if it turns out there's a bunch of "hidden" problems.

We have this law in Minnesota. It doesn't apply to peoples however just businesses. So if the car is a person to person sale, legally, you're pretty much out of luck.

 

[Wayne]

We have this law in Minnesota. It doesn't apply to peoples however just businesses. So if the car is a person to person sale, legally, you're pretty much out of luck.

Same here, and in Georgia where the car was sold. It applies to dealerships, not individuals.

"Here's the cash, here's the title" transactions with individuals do not apply. I just wish they'd hurry up and finish fixing the blessed truck.. This whole dependency on others kinda sucks. Not so much for me. I can always take off work, but I hate imposing on friends.

Looks like the rain here is slowly pushing off until about 2 or 3, at which point it'll be time to go home anyway, so no big deal.

Wayne

 

[Wayne]

Ok, so I got the truck back yesterday. The price was about 20% higher than I expected, but it is what it is.

The problem I seem to have now is that, even though the clutch seems to operate better, there are times when swapping into first, or fifth gear (sometimes reverse) is very very difficult, even with the clutch pressed all the way in.

I'm very afraid all the sudden to take it to the same shop, have ZERO money to take it elsewhere, and just know that someone's about to try and convince me that either the syncros are gone, or the tranny needs a rebuild.

Anyone had experience with stuff like this?

Wayne

 

[Glaucus]

Hmmm... I've never experience syncros so bad it can't shift so i can't say anything about that. I have experienced grinding. Maybe Red was on to something when he mentioned transmission fluid (although I'm not sure they'd need to drain the old fuild to replace the clutch). Or maybe they just didn't bleed the clutch line properly and there's a tiny air bubble in there. Is the pedal slow to come back up or feel mushy? Do you hear any noise? Any creaky noises? Or chirping? Check your master cylinder and make sure it's topped up.

Come to think of it, my Blupra (as I called it) would move the car slowly forward when I was idling in first and foot was off the break. It was also hard to put it into gear with the car stopped (while moving it was fine). Can't remember if I fixed it though, but if yours is doing that, it could be a bad or improperly installed release bearing - although it could still be air in the clutch line. Now that I think of it, I think fixed my issue with a new slave cylinder, flushing the clutch line and new gear oil. Supras had otherwise bulletproof trannies.

EDIT: Did you replace the entire clutch & release bearing and machine/replace the flywheel?

 

[Wayne]

Stopped at the mechanic's at lunch. He's fairly certain it's an air bubble in the line. He showed me the schematics with the lines going through all sort of crazy loops and uphill 90 degree turns in the line. Gave me some suggestions, such as to take the reservoir top off overnight to see if the temp change helps the bubble escape. If not they'll rebleed it again (3rd time) next week...

I don't know, but I'm already beginning to hate this fscking truck with a deep seated passion.

Wayne

 

[Glaucus]

Stopped at the mechanic's at lunch. He's fairly certain it's an air bubble in the line. He showed me the schematics with the lines going through all sort of crazy loops and uphill 90 degree turns in the line. Gave me some suggestions, such as to take the reservoir top off overnight to see if the temp change helps the bubble escape. If not they'll rebleed it again (3rd time) next week...

Well, not sure how your lines are, but you could try bleeding it with the rear or front wheels elevated higher then the rest of the car. That can help with air bubbles. But one thing I noticed this weekend when bleeding my break lines is that air bubbles will move downwards quite nicely if you apply enough constant pressure. I have a little tool I use that sucks the fluid out of the lines by applying negative pressure on the bleeder valve. I'm sure they're using something similar, so they should be able to get the air out no problem. Have they ruled out that there's no leak somewhere? they probably just don't want to remove the transmission to check if the new slave is leaking. Or it could be a slow leak in the master. Since you obviously pumped all the fluid out of the system, you may need to bench bleed the clutch master cylinder.

I don't know, but I'm already beginning to hate this fscking truck with a deep seated passion.

I hear ya. A number of times I wanted to smash my Prelude with a baseball bat. Considering I spent more money repairing the car then the car is worth, I should have opted for the baseball bat. It would been more fun at least.

 

[Glaucus]

Partially in jest, but I've had to do this when my slave died on me while driving: How to Clutchless Shift

So technically, the clutch pedal is optional.

 

[Glaucus]

Here's another useful site: Diagnosing and Replacing a Faulty Clutch