1998 toyota corolla e11 3 piece clutch problem to be solved

Aodo

i bought a 1998 toyota corolla e11 with a 3 piece clutch in it there 3 months ago. since the day i sat in it i have noticed it to be a bit of a nuisance, thinking just i need to get used to it but now its gone to the point where i have to be careful where i drive and how i drive the problems im having are as follows (please keep in mind im not a mechanic whatsoever):

- when i take off, it rattles very bad
- when i change into gears sometimes to almost the whole time it just doesnt go into gear so i have to lift the leg off the clutch and put the leg on the clutch to get it into gear..
- when im driving behind a car like in town or city where it would be bumper to bumper, if i was in 1st gear and when i put my foot on brake to stop, it gets stuck in first and cuts out completely.
- also when i go to reverse it does get stuck in reverse ans same again it gets stuck nd car cuts out again completely


i've told a few about it and they don't believe me and sure if i give it to a mechanic thats when he'll find no problems with it which would be my luck.

Any ideas??

Avns1s

By "3 piece clutch" I presume you mean pressure plate, disc and release bearing. In this case you have the same clutch as pretty much everyone else!

It does sound like your clutch is giving trouble. Not sure about the "rattle" on take off. Some Avensis models can give a slight grinding noise at take off which is caused by a dry spigot bearing and is nothing to worry about.

A new clutch fitted will cost about €400 - 450.

Polo_Cluvie

it does sound like a job for a mechanic..if it was my car id be budgetting for a new clutch although in saying that it could be worn linkages or something like that. Probably collasped release bearing or an alignment issue but like i said definitely a job for a mechanic

dooroy

I think your car has a hydraulic clutch - would be worth asking someone to bleed it for you ; air in the system would cause some of the problems you mention ( when you say lift the leg of the clutch and put the leg on the clutch it could mean 'pumping' the clutch - air in system ???)
When moving off does the clutch engage while still near the floor for example?

Aodo

lads cheers for the posts much apprectiated,

ill be brutally honest i dont no much about it, i taught there was a standard clutch for the car and then a 3 piece clutch was like a modified clutch. jesus im hoping it wouldn't cost that much, ill have to get a proper mechanic to look at it before it gets worse or if it does damage to the gearbox cos when i get stuck in gear when im reversing near an car or whatever, ive to force the ****e out of the gear im in just so it doesnt jump my car into the other car or whatever object you know. the car does kinda take off near the floor sometimes aswel.

what i mean is when i go to change into gear and it doesnt go in while im clutching, ive to lift my leg off the clutch and then try and clutch and engage the gear.

Also as well ive only noticed the past few days now, dont know how i found this out but i can actually take it out of gear without the use of a clutch, it doesnt happen all the time but i can take it out of gear and into another gear without clutching??!!.. i dont no does give ye more ideas on my problem or what..

whizbang

Of course you can get quite skilled at changing gears without the clutch, just get the engine rev's matched to the road speed.

My Bet is on the hydraulic master cylinder leaking. It may be visible under the bonnet where the cylinder mounts to the bulkhead, But most likely its leaking into the drivers footwell, under the carpets.

Have you checked the hydraulic fluid level ?

dooroy

Your car has a hydraulic clutch - and it could be 'bled' in about 10 mins .
The clutch slave cylinder is easily visible - follow the pipe from the clutch master cylinder (check that this has enough fluid in it ).
The symptoms you describe indicate a problem with the clutch - and it could be as simple as some air having got in which needs to be bled out .
Do you know anyone who works on their own cars etc rather than going to a garage .
A lot of cars have cable clutches which self adjust etc .

JohnBoy26

whizbang wrote: »

Of course you can get quite skilled at changing gears without the clutch, just get the engine rev's matched to the road speed.

My Bet is on the hydraulic master cylinder leaking. It may be visible under the bonnet where the cylinder mounts to the bulkhead, But most likely its leaking into the drivers footwell, under the carpets.

Have you checked the hydraulic fluid level ?

How did you come to this conclusion?

whizbang

Its common enough problem in older Corolla's to need checking. and leaves a horrible musty damp smell in the car for ages afterwards.

If you dont miss the 'noise' part of the post (which I conveniently did)
then it may be internal mechanical fault, but the OP cant check this, so there's no point in posting it.