anyone,
Im new to this site and new to the world of Evolutions. I live in Japan and just bought a Evolution IV.

anyway, everything seemed fine and when I drove it, it was very, very difficult to put into gear. Once underway, it became easier, but still stiff to put into gear. The car was already "tuned" when I got it. exhaust, cams, clutch (dont know what kind other than its cover is blue) and a bunch of other stuff.

I took it to a garage and they thought it was the slave cylinder. after replaceing that, it did not solve the problem. they checked the linkage.. it was good. now, they are pulling the clutch out and said it might be that but wants me to pony up the money first before even looking at it...

just want some opinions of people that has this car and if this problem is really the clutch or is it the tranny?

Thank you in advance for your help.

 

check the thrust bearing movement too, evo 4's are prone to crank walk (where the thrust bearing wears out)

it could be lots of things:
worn clutch
worn shifter bushings
incorrect clutch adjustment (clutch dragging)
worn gearbox synchro's
poor/old oil in the gearbox

 

Sir,
Thank you. Do you think the mechanic can tell if any of those things are bad (clutch related) just by removing the clutch?

again, thank you for your input.

 

Hint: If it is easy to shift with the engine off and hard to impossible to shift with the engine on, the clutch is not disengaging. You don't need to be a mechanic to do this test.

 

sir,
Thank you. It is MUCH easier to shift when the engine is off. not really easy, but feels normal.

one thing I did not mention was the clutch pedal feel. its travel feels right, but is ridiculously hard to push.

 

Yeah, sounds like the clutch...I would HOPE the mechanic tried adjusting the clutch first, but most people tend to start lookin in the wrong place, or they just dont know it has an adjsutable linkage. Do you know what kind is in there? Does it make a noisy racket when you push the clutch in? If so it's a multi plate clutch and if it's an Exedy it's a Common problem, I have the same issue and I searched and TONS of people have this issue with their multi plate exedy's. There's an inspection hole at the bottom of the trans you can peek through to see what color the clutch is to see if it is.

I would have them look at the throw out bearing through the hole to make sure it is pulling out the clutch (assuming its the same as my evo 8) while someone pushes in the clutch pedal to make sure its a clutch problem and not a mechanical linkage problem, and I would adjust the pedal linkage more, if that doesnt do it that at least that stuff can be ruled out.

 

Sir,
Thank you for your input. to answer some of your questions, yes. It makes a twin plate "rattle" when pushed. The color looks like a Cusco blue, but lighter, so I dont think it is a Cusco (had one in my Chaser tourer V).
I asked him to check the linkage and everything and he said he already did that and everything looked right.

we had a really big earthquake yesterday and a tsunami, so the car isnt going to be looked at for a while since the cleanup is still going on in some parts of the country.

again, thank you for your advice. sounds solid to me and I will make sure I pass on everything I am getting for you guys on this site the the mechanic.

 

Hey man, alot of us have been following what happened in your country because of the earthquake. Really sorry to see so much devastation over there. We sure hope you guys can recover and wish you the best.

 

Sir,
Thank you for your thoughts.