Well, I've tried a mitsubishi forum with no luck. My wife has a 1.3L Mitsubishi Spacestar 2000 reg. with 78k miles on the clock. We bought it recently, and I'm hoping I have not bought a lemon.

Engaging first & reverse gears can be a nightmare, and sometimes second gets sticky. I have noticed that when going for first, putting it in second then into first makes the change easier. I'm not sure if it's relevant, but the clutch bites quite late in the pedal travel. I don't think the clutch is knackered as it has shown no signs of slipping.

I'm no mechanic, but if anyone has some basic advice on what I can check for, I would appreciate the help.

sounds like clutch drag , i.e. the clutch not clearing/disengaging from the flywheel , when this doesn't happen the gearbox will still be rotating , hence difficulty selecting the fastest spinning gears

will probably require new clutch kit

It might be as simple as clutch adjustment (cable clutch), or clutch needing bled or slave cylinder misaligned (hydraulic clutch). I know nowt about Mitsus, but that's based on a whole variety of makes and models, covering 40some years in production times.

It might be as simple as clutch adjustment (cable clutch), or clutch needing bled or slave cylinder misaligned (hydraulic clutch). I know nowt about Mitsus, but that's based on a whole variety of makes and models, covering 40some years in production times.

It's a hydraulic clutch, so I will do a bit of research and see what I can find.

I'm trying to remember what my old Mitsubishi was like gearbox-wise and I seem to recall that it was always very smooth and clean with no difficulties even after 115,000 miles on the original clutch. So suggestions... clutch adjustment as suggested or even possibly gear linkage adjustment (I seem to recall it was cable operated and the cables could have stretched a tad?)

So that's 2 for "check the adjustments first". I'm not ruling out a worn clutch, but the adjustments are quicker, and orders of magnitude cheaper.

the clue to the fault is in the PDhealys first post ,

. I'm not sure if it's relevant, but the clutch bites quite late in the pedal travel.

therefore if you start adjusting pedal heights or whatever it will make no difference , if you adjust it so the bite is in the middle of the travel then the clutch is even less likely to clear for correct gear engagement, if you adjust it the other way , the bite point will be even further up the travel

i still go for a clutch fault , and after re-reading the original post , i'm guessing the plate is worn allowing the fingers on the cover to have excess travel , i.e coming out to far , and i suspect also that the fingers will be worn from the release bearing pressure

surely if it was a hydrualic concern you wouldn't be able to engage any gears

I've induced these symptoms by mis-adjusting a clutch deliberately, and if I can choose one of 2 courses of action, one cheap to free and one expensive, I'll take the cheap one first even if it seems the less likely.

In fact I was talking to someone else recently reporting these symptoms, caused by a broken slave cylinder mounting bracket!

Well, the problem seems to be apparent now. My wife asked me last night "Why would a car be able to rev highly when in gear and travelling at a consistant speed?".

So it now looks like the clutch is fubared.

Thanks for the help anyway.

That's convincing; clutch plate!

Can anyone tell me whether or not there would be oil leaking from the gearbox area if the clutch is knackered?

I'm now getting very nervous.....

A knackered clutch doesn't leak oil, but leaking oil will knacker a clutch.

If you have hydraulic fluid leaking and as you say the gears are hard to engage, then I'd say the slave cylinder is shot. If it's leaked over the clutch itself, it will screw that as well.

A knackered clutch doesn't leak oil, but leaking oil will knacker a clutch.

If you have hydraulic fluid leaking and as you say the gears are hard to engage, then I'd say the slave cylinder is shot. If it's leaked over the clutch itself, it will screw that as well.

The oil/ fluid has only become apparent today, but the clutch has been slipping for a couple of days now... it's made a right mess of our driveway...

The oil/ fluid has only become apparent today, but the clutch has been slipping for a couple of days now... it's made a right mess of our driveway...

Is it engine oild, gearbox oil, or hydraulic fluid? Gearbox oil has a distinctive smell, and check if the master cylinder fluid has gone down.

It doesn't look dark enough to be engine oil. On a piece of tissue paper, it looks the colour of fresh engine oil. It seems to be coming from the gearbox housing seal (where it meets the engine). There is a bit of a whiff off it, but my sense of smell is notoriously bad.

I can't check the clutch fluid level, as it's dark out now.

It doesn't look dark enough to be engine oil. On a piece of tissue paper, it looks the colour of fresh engine oil. It seems to be coming from the gearbox housing seal (where it meets the engine). There is a bit of a whiff off it, but my sense of smell is notoriously bad.

I can't check the clutch fluid level, as it's dark out now.

Hydraulic fluid will feel oily but thin, gearbox oil quite thick. Check the level tomorrow.

Either way, if it's soaked the clutch, you will need a new clutch, and either a slave cylinder or a gearbox oil seal.

:iagree:

Well, it's even worse than I thought.

Turns out the gearbox is terminally ill. The bellhousing is leaking oil, which has in turn knackered the clutch. In short, I need a new gearbox and clutch. Total parts bil from Mitsubishi dealer (and he is a mate) of almost €1200 + labour + VAT. Bought the car for €2,100 three weeks ago, and it was a private sale.

Timing couldn't be worse financially. God bless Halifax's 6 months interest free deal.

Try a specialist Jap breaker for the box.

edit: is the bellhousing damaged? Any possibility of just replacing a seal?

Try a specialist Jap breaker for the box.

edit: is the bellhousing damaged? Any possibility of just replacing a seal?

I had already bought the clutch, and have managed to source a second hand box for £280stg + VAT. My mate the Mitsubishi dealer just rang to tell me he had sourced one from a 2002 reg. Bellhousing is damaged unfortunately.