Extreme shift difficulty in cold

Maintenance/Repairs
1

2003 PT Cruiser, 2.4 turbo 5 speed manual with 33k. When temp dips, literally have to have a cheater bar to shift until the engine warms for an extended period. Dealer says it is a slave cylinder problem involved with the clutch plate and is not covered by warrenty (have extended program). Checked with warrenty insurer and they seemed to think that the problem was about 95% of sufficency for Chrysler to declare a recall. Anyone know where this is going? What pressure can be brought to bear on Chrysler/Dealer. Is there a better correction of this problem short of getting rid of the vehicle? What would it cost to have the slave cylinder replaced?

Thak You.

2

Is it still difficult to shift with the engine off? If so, it has nothing to do with the clutch master/slave cylinder. You might try changing the fluid in the transmission to see if this helps with hard cold shifting. The transmission uses 2.5 quarts of Chryslers ATF+4.

Tester

3

Will the transmission shift normally with the engine not running? If so, it’s the clutch dragging, for whatever reason. This is NOT a clutch wear issue which is never covered by warranty. This is a mechanical problem with the clutch mechanism and it should be covered under your powertrain warranty…

As Tester suggested, make sure the transmission has ATF in it and not 90W gear oil…

4

It is likely that Tester and Caddyman are dead-on in their diagnosis. I can only add that topping off the transmission with 90W when the clutch is replaced can thicken the oil enough to cause your problem. In my neighborhood it rarely gets below freezing but I have `run into that problem here more than once.

5

I had that problem whenever the winter came, both on original transmission fluid and after a fluid change. Learning the lost art of double clutching did the trick.

6

“Dealer says it is a slave cylinder problem involved with the clutch plate and is not covered by warrenty (have extended program). Checked with warrenty insurer and they seemed to think that the problem was about 95% of sufficency for Chrysler to declare a recall.”

While I’m no help on your problem, this is another example of the headaches associated with 3rd party warranties. What Chrysler warranty might apply?