Clutch not fully disengaging - 2006 yaris 1.3

[Stevie J]

Ever since I've had my 1.3 2006 Mk2 Yaris, i've had issues with the clutch. The car is driveable for the most of times, but the biting point on the clutch is almost at the bottom of the pedal travel, ie, I have to really make sure the pedal is mashed into the carpet to enable a gear change. The problem seems worse after the car has been run on a longer journey and the transmission, clutch etc has got warmed up. A particular problem is engaging reverse from neutral, and sometimes, even with the pedal fully depressed, the gearbox will grind as I try to get it in reverse, but it usually goes in. Its as if there is slight drag between the friction plate and the flywheel, and this is also sometimes noticeable when going from neutral into first gear, and on subsequent gearchanges.

I have already tried bleeding the system and replacing the clutch fluid, and even with no air in the system, its as if the slave cylinder piston does not quite go out as far as it needs to, resulting in not quite enough disengagement of the clutch, but just enough to enable gear changes. When driving other cars, there is a good few inches of clutch pedal travel from the carpet until biting point is reached, but on my car, its much less than this. I have read on Honest John that there have been reported issues with clutches failing to completely disengage, and I wonder was this a common problem with early Mk2 yaris petrol models? I can still drive the car, but the issue does annoy me if the car has been on a longer run, and then I'm grinding gears trying to get it in reverse.

The car has done very low miles,  28,000 miles, so the clutch would not be worn out at this mileage.

[FROSTYBALLS]

27 minutes ago, Stevie J said:

The car has done very low miles,  28,000 miles, so the clutch would not be worn out at this mileage.

Have you had the car from new? If not, one doesn't know what the driving habits, etc of the previous owner(s) were like, and what effects there could have been on the clutch. 

[furtula]

Have you checked if there is adjustment screw on the pedal?

It should be adjustable on the pushrod from the pedal going to the master cylinder.

That is, if your car has it.

[Stevie J]

My mother owned the car before I got it, and she's retired, so it didnt get much use, but she's not been one to ever abuse cars clutches and gearboxes. She has a 64 plate Yaris 1.33 Icon now, and says the biting point is much higher on the pedal on that, so she tends to over-rev the engine now as she was so used to the car I have, which had the biting point right down the bottom of the pedal.

The pedal has no adustment between the pedal pivot linkage to the master cylinder pushrod - I checked this when i had the master cylinder off to inspect that. The master cylinder seems to work as it should. What did surprise me was that the pushrod into the master cylinder is plastic, rather than metal - the whole thing felt rather cheap quality.

[furtula]

Had the same issue on previous car, it was all plastic without any option of fine tuning. It was another japanese car, but not Toyota.

 

Is it possible to remove the carpet under the pedal to get a bit more throw?

As you drive it more and it wears out, should kinda fix itself tho, but this is not really a solution.

[Stevie J]

Its kind of strange how the issue varies from day to day, and seems OK when the car is cold, on dry days, but on damp days, when the car has been run for a bit and the transmission is warmed up, the clutch will start to slightly drag, even with the pedal fully down. Maybe the lining of the friction plate absorbs dampness and swells up, meaning less of a clearance from the flywheel when fully disengaged. Its only very minor clutch drag, so gear changes are usually possible, but a bit of resistance is felt when trying to get the gear stick from 1st to  second, and second to third. As I say, getting reverse can be a nuiscance, as it often grinds in, and sometimes wont go at all, taking 3 attempts to get it in.

As it was highlighted on Honest John, I assume it was a design flaw, but the manual gearboxes are much less trouble than the MMT gearboxes of that era. I guess I will just have to live with it. It hasnt improved or got worse in the 2 years I have had the car.

[bathtub tom]

>> My mother owned the car before I got it, and she's retired, so it didnt get much use

I'd suggest that's the problem, despite however much you may choose to ignore it. Elderly folk tend to 'ride the clutch' and use excessive revs when maneouvering, causing excessive clutch wear.

[m456an]

Maybe just change the gear oil and learn to live with it, but a partial change is recommended if there is grinding. You seem to have done beyond most would do.