Hey all,
I had my clutch replaced about a year ago in my 2003 mazda b2300 truck. Recently, it’s been showing some of the same symptoms that popped up about a year ago. Such as, it’s having a hard time going into first gear, and it seems to be generally clunky while switching the lower gears. The first clutch was replaced at 130k so I was alright with that. However, I find it hard to believe that I burned out this new one in a year. I do live in Boston, so traffic is pretty bad, but I try to not ride the clutch in traffic. Any ideas, hopefully cheap ones, on what this may be? Thanks.
Have you checked the fluid in your clutch master cylinder? Did you replace the master cylinder and slave cylinder when you had the clutch replaced?
Yeah, fluid looks fine. Both master and slave were replaced. Could this be transmission fluid? I haven’t checked because I have to get under the truck for that.
I would check it, but it is only gear oil. More than likely it’s the clutch.
So what you’re thinking is that I’m looking at a new clutch replacement?
It’s either that or a bad slave or master cylinder and you said they were replaced and bled properly. I might try a different mechanic. Maybe you clutch was no installed properly to start with.
Gah, alright I’ll take it in somewhere. Thanks.
Hey everybody,
Alright so I brought the truck in to another garage that I trust, to have it looked at for free. The guy said he’ll let me know if the clutch assembly and master/slave cylinder weren’t installed properly.
Just so I’m a bit more prepared, how much do you all think a clutch replacement should cost in a 2003 mazda 2WD b2300 pickup truck? Thanks.
Probably about the same as the last time.
This doesn’t sound like a worn out clutch to me. There’s no clutch slipping right? The only problem is that the gears are hard to shift, esp the lower ones? That could easily be a linkage problem or a clutch hydraulics problem. Or just an adjustment is needed. First thing, you could do this yourself, take a look-see under the dash at the clutch pedal. Is anything, like a wad of carpeting, preventing the pedal from going fully to the floor? Next, push the clutch pedal down with your hand while you watch the mechanism. Any weird noises? Do you notice any play in the pedal or linkage to the rod that pushes on the clutch master cylinder (through the firewall?) If all that is ok, ask our mechanic to test the master and slave clutch cylinders. And to verify the linkage is properly adjusted, from the pedal to the release arm.
I had my clutch replaced about a year ago in my 2003 mazda b2300 truck
Just so I'm a bit more prepared, how much do you all think a clutch replacement should cost in a 2003 mazda 2WD b2300 pickup truck?
Call me a troll if you like but if you just had the same job done “about a year ago”, you already know the cost.
Ask a stupid question… well you know the rest.
I am having the same problem with my 2004 B2300. I have had the master and the slave cylinders replaced several times (about $800-$1000 for slave and master replacement, expensive since the slave is internal and requires the transmission to be removed) I have brought my truck in to two different shops 5 times over the last 2 months. I suspect the true issue is that the transmission is very difficult to bleed and that there is air trapped in there, they have ruled everything else out…but no one seems to be capable of bleeding this transmission.
Thanks for the answer and sorry to hear about. This problem can be very frustrating. So for an update this is what happened with my truck.
The new mechanic tried bleeding it and playing with the clutch master cylinder, but that didn’t work, so they put a new clutch in. I went and picked it up and the clutch pedal definitely felt a lot better. I was pretty happy about it because they cut me a deal, knowing that I had just had this done a year ago. However, it still does not shift that well. In fact, sometimes it shifts really poorly, but other times it will go through all the gears pretty well. But for the most part, it is still rough getting into the lower gears and reverse ( like a metal-on-metal type feel, no grinding, just a lot of resistance like something is being blocked). I called back my mechanic as soon as I got home, and he said this could be because the clutch is new, and called it a “clutch break-in period”.
So my question is, has this happened to anyone else and how long until it went away.
I am a recent veteran of B2300 clutch work. When the clutch and slave cylinder and been replaced (by pulling the tranny, etc.) and the problem comes again soon try this first. There is a clutch master cylinder on the firewall, and it can be full of fluid and still bad. Why? It starts passing fluid around the cup/seal inside, changing the point of contact at which the clutch is actuated. It may, or may not, leak fluid down the firewall too, often absorbed by the carpet, and not noticed. "been there, done it all.
Nice answer and thanks for that but the date on the last post is 4 years old. “Feb '14”
I’d guess the poster has long since fixed or scrapped this truck. The date (or time) of the post shows in the upper right hand corner.