'90 Camry 5-speed clutch issue

[E_S]

I'm having a problem with the clutch on a '90 Camry 4-cyl.

It started with the clutch pedal not doing much, I could just barely feel a difference with the pedal pressed all the way in - I had to start the car in gear and change gears without the clutch to move the car back home. (thankfully, I know the "trick"..) Tried bleeding, no difference. Replaced master and slave cylinder, more bleeding. Now it was theoretically supposed to be ok, but no - the clutch still sticks.

Pressing the pedal will make some difference, kinda like pressing it half way down when everything is ok. Pumping the pedal makes no difference. Tried more bleeding, pressure bleeding and pump-the-pedal old fashioned bleeding. No air bubbles. Sometimes, the clutch will work like it's supposed to, but that is more like 1 out of 30 times.

Could it really be more air trapped inside the small circuit? I'm beginning to suspect something with the clutch itself. Any tips/BTDT?

[atobe]

have you tried having someone step on the pedal and you look under the hood to see if the slave cylinder rod pushes on the fork ? i remmeber someone having this problem and it turned out the fork was bent/broken.

[E_S]

Yeah, I have tried. Everything looks normal, but I don't know how far the slave should push the fork.

But here's an update: I finally found the specs for the pedal free play and adjusted it according to the specs, as it was too tight. Then everything started working just as it should, but after 5-6 minutes of driving and shifting, it gradually became more and more notchy. It's still possible to shift "like normal" using the clutch, but I can feel that the clutch doesn't release 100%. Master and slave cylinder are both new.

I guess this might mean the insides (friction disc, bearing, pressure plate) are ok, but can air still be trapped inside the hydraulic circuit? I've been reading a bit around, and it looks like bleeding the clutch *can* be a real PITA on these cars..

[Tatohead]

Same issue on my 90. I just adjusted the pedal to start hitting pressure right from the beginning of it's travel. Before, I wouldn't feel pressue until it was about half way down. I also disabled the start switch so I now don't have to use He-man pressure on the pedal to get it to turn over.

Good luck!

[E_S]

I tried more bleeding, reverse bleeding, pressure bleeding, replaced the master and slave cylinder once more + messed around with the pedal adjustment, and nothing made any difference at all, so I guess it's just time to bite it, drop the transmission and replace the clutch itself. After 160k miles, I guess it's just normal..