Clutch won't release completely *long/funny*

[slow4dr]

I hopped in the Vibe Friday morning to go to work and it just grinded going into reverse with the clutch pedal depressed all the way. I tried 1st through 5th and I got the same thing. Luckily I have a 2nd vehicle so I grabbed the keys for it and went to work. When I got home that evening I did a basic overview to see if I could see anything simple(leaks, broken parts etc). After finding nothing obvious I grabbed some tools and adjusted the pedal as far out as it would go with still having enough threads to hold the jam nut in place. I started the car and I still the had the same problem. Frustrated, I took another look under the hood and I noticed the feed line from the reservoir to the clutch master was traveling uphill. I grabbed the hose and rotated it down about an inch so the fluid had mostly a straight path down to clutch master. I sat there and watched air bubble after air bubble pop up into the reservoir. I thought this was interesting but more on the hilarious side, I thought to myself 'Could it be that easy?". I hopped in the car, fired it up, threw the clutch in, and........ it went right into gear without an issue. Laughing hysterically I threw it in reverse, drove around the block and came back home to put it away for the night.Fast forward to this afternoon, the wife kid and I decide we need some things from the store. Me being very skeptical about the alleged simple fix the night before I hesitantly decide to take the Vibe. We strap the little guy in his car seat and head out. The car shifts flawlessly the whole way(10 miles) and I am actually enjoying the new pedal adjustment and engagement point. After shopping I am strapping the kid back into the car seat while the wife is loading up some of the purchases. I hop in the driver's seat, start her up, push the pedal in and drop it into reverse. Just as I did that the car in front of me pulled out so I decided I could just pull forward instead. I push in the clutch and try to throw it into 1st and GRIIIIIIND. I spent the next 15 minutes in the parking lot screwing around with that line, checking things over again and again and nothing helped. I ended up driving home with the dreaded "shut car off, throw car into 1st gear, start car in gear" BSWe make it home, the little guy goes down for his nap so the wife helped me flush the fluid and bleed the system but the problem is still there. I searched here, newcelica, and matrixowners and I have found noone with similar sypmtoms. FYI: The slave cylinder piston is moving about .75" with the pedal depressed. Is this average/normal? Unfortunately, I didn't check how far the slave was moving when it was working properly.

[slow4dr]

Welp, I was just able to measure the distance it moves while it was working properly and the slave still only moves the arm .75" so that leads me to believe the problem is inside the tranny. YAYYY lucky me!!!!! I'll be in the garage for the next day or so if anyone needs me. LOL

[lovemyraffe]

Good luck. Sounds like you are going to be having tons of fun.

[slow4dr]

I cut out early, I figure the last thing I need to do is overexert myself tonight so I am worthless tomorrow.Oh and I went ahead and yanked the intake manifold while I was in there so I could port it and the throttle body.

[slow4dr]

The tranny is out and I am guessing the throw out bearing was the problem. I bought the car a year ago and the previous owner claims he had just put a new clutch in it. The clutch is definitely new but the TOB looks factory original. I'm thinking about replacing the clutch anyway while I am in there.

[ToolGuy]

Clutch and throw out bearing should always be replaced at the same time. It is cheaper to do just the clutch but then you can have issues like this down the road. Previous owner took the cheap way out!

[djkeev]

Hi,I agree, replace clutch and bearing at the same time, do it now while you are in there, you'll have peace of mind knowing its all new.Depending upon year and mileage I'd slip in a new rear main seal and front tranny seal as well. It's very little work now, a lot of work later plus a ruined clutch if it should leak in a year or so.Also readjust that clutch pedal to proper play specs. If the piston fails to return completely after a stroke you may have problems down the road with that.Dave

[slow4dr]

I bit the bullet and ordered a Fidanza flywheel and Exedy S2 clutch last night. I'm going to shop around for some ARP flywheel bolts too. She's got 130K miles so I am going to do a bunch of maintenance while I am in there so I will definitely replace the rear main and front tranny seals. Thanks for the advice. I am still tossing around the idea of getting a genuine Toyota TOB instead of using the supplied TOB from the Exedy kit.

[wyatt89]

Does exedy not make the oem clutch/ tob for the vibe anyways? I would trust that bearing.

[slow4dr]

I haven't read anything negative about the Exedy TOB so I was hoping to save that $50 for a "Genuine Toyota". I'll be inspecting the new one once I receive it and probably make my decision then.

[ken99287]

I wonder if the throw out bearing solved this issue...