So I purchased a well known to the DFW area 91 Formy. Been working through some kinks of it sitting for 4 years. I've had one strange issue that has happened two times now. I can't replicate it. Meaning it just does it when it wants to.

Summed up shorter version
I have the car in gear but there is no clutch pedal(it's to the floor almost) and no pressure against it but the car will drive like the clutch isn't engaged. I then end up getting the clutch pedal back and it shifts and drives fine.

Longer version with more detail and specifics
1st time is when I was testing things out on the car to see what was working and what wasn't. This one particular item being the line lock (Which I've never had or used in any car so feel free to chuckle since I wasn't aware of how to use it)

I was sitting still with the clutch depressed and trans in 1st. I pressed the line lock button eased out of the clutch. The car started moving in 1st gear but clutch pedal didn't release all the way. Pushed the pedal and didn't seem like there was any feedback really. Then all of a sudden I had full clutch pedal and response again along with it raising back up.

(Yes so the line lock wasn't working properly. 2 reasons. One there was a ground terminal that wasn't hooked up that included the line lock ground. Two is I never pushed the brake before hitting the line lock which like I said I wasn't sure how it worked. Works now that the extra ground wires are hooked up and I found out how to actually use the line lock properly.)

2nd time was this afternoon. I was backing in the driveway to air up the rear tires (Hose isn't long enough to rear all around the car). I didn't back up far enough the first time so I got in and started it up again to back it up more. Had it in 5th instead of reverse. So shifted into reverse and it started rolling backwards. Peddle again was all the way down with no feedback. I pushed the brake to stop the car because I couldn't pull it out of reverse. At this point my foot wasn't on the clutch pedal and car was still in reverse. If I eased off the brake it would start backing up. (Remember there is no response from the clutch pedal so my foot isn't depressing the clutch and it's all the way down and floppy if I try to pull it up with the side of my foot. Meaning I could lift the pedal with the side of my foot. Let go of it and it just flopped back down to the floor.)

Normally in this scenario a manual car will choke out and abruptly die while in gear and on the brake with no clutch depressed. But it was like the clutch was partially depressed or something without my foot on it otherwise like I said the car should have killed itself with being in reverse and hitting the brake. Like I also mentioned I couldn't force pull it out of reverse. Not sure if the reverse lock out switch keeps this from happening or not.

It's very hard to explain and probably very confusing.

So I don't understand how I couldn't manually (without depressing the clutch unless the lock out doesn't let you) pull it out of reverse today or how it could be in reverse and moving then I apply the brake and it not kill the car. (Like how if your reversing in an automatic and push the brakes the car just stops and stays running. Where in a manual if you don't push the clutch when you do this the car will kill itself. Seems like it's wanting to be any automatic. LOL

I never had this problem in my 91 camaro with T-56. But then again I never got the reverse lockout installed so I had to kill the car to get it in reverse which was a PITA. I ordered the pigtail to hook it up just never got around to doing it. The clutch hydraulics never sat around for 4 years either on it though. Has been now since the engine harness has been trashed by tree rats.

Previous owner said sounds like low fluid in the hydraulic clutch or air in the line. I just rechecked the reservoir has fluid and the black rubber insert is in place. So that leaves the air in the system or some other issue going on.

After the reverse incident I drove it for about 10 minutes around the neighborhood and didn't have a problem one that is after I got the pedal back in the driveway. Which was after I just shut the car off and aired up the rear tires from 25 to 50psi. Been sitting for 4 years.

 

I think the previous owner is right. If the clutch pedal goes to the floor you have a bad cylinder ( master or slave, usually the slave) or a leak in the system which lets air in. Since air is compressible there is no hydraulic pressure to return the pedal. As for the car not stalling out i would think the clutch must be worn or the flywheel is glazed or both. It doesn't sound like a huge problem but might take a while to chase down. i would start by completely bleeding the clutch system since it uses brake fluid which attracts water. You said it sat for 4 years so maybe this will be a cheap fix. Good luck.

 

Not reading all that.

First: Did it ever work properly, day after day after day? If only 4 years ago, the answer is no.

Fill the clutch reservoir with new (brake) fluid. It wouldn't hurt to take some out and replace with new.

Use a bit of talcum or other reasonable powder to dust the underhood master cylinder, slave cylinder, and entire line between them. Then the interior part of the master.

Pump it a lot. Maybe to your favorite 3-5 minute song. Find leaks? Replace stuff.

No leaks? Unbolt the slave, point the plunger down, have the line pointing down too and pump the plunger in and out again for a couple minutes. This will let the air flow up and is the factory bleed method.

Bolt it back on. Any difference in clutch behavior? Might need to inspect the clutch release fork, pivot, bearing and pressure plate.

 

It was a daily driver 4 years ago. Then it sat 4 years. Inspection and registration were dated 2011. Since then It was driven from Plano to Arlington and around the neighborhood several times and down the street to the inspection place. Probably 60-65 miles. During that time the problems have only happened twice at random. There isn't any leaks. To bleed the slave the cap needs to be off the reservoir correct?

 

Rain finally stopped here for today. My fiance and I were all ready to drive the bird to her dad's shop to do the rear axle seals and bearings. Got in the car put it in reverse to back out the driveway and the tires just chirped and it lurched in reverse with the clutch still engaged. I went ahead and went around the block with it to see if it was the random issue again or what. Turns out it is no longer random it's engaged all the time anytime the shifter is in any gear clutch pedal depressed or not depressed.

So I returned to the house and parked the bird. We hopped in the caravan and went to the shop to get the ramps and stands we previously took down to do the axle seals and bearings. Got home put the car up in the air.

I pulled the slave and looked inside the best I could. The fork when it's inside the trans has a good 1 1/2-2" of forward backward (toward bell housing/toward tail shaft) movement that is nice and loose. It doesn't look like the fork is hooked to the lip of the TO bearing. For that matter it didn't look like the lip was even on the TO bearing.

My guess is the below pic (Not my pic) was the occasional problem I described in my first post. Now I can only assume the lip is completely sheered off which is not allowing the clutch to disengage at all.

I will pull the slave again tomorrow after I'm not so pissed off and see if I can in fact tell that there is no lip on the TO bearing.

I also since I had the slave out. Tilted it at 45* with the hose up and had the res cap off. Pumped the hell outa it till my arm couldn't take it anymore. My neighbor said he never saw one bubble come up. The fluid was of course moving up and down with the slave shaft extending and compressing but there wasn't any bubbles. I think this other issue is what has been going on.

 

A broken bearing collar might be intermittent for a short while but quickly go to "always".

 

Forgot to update this thread. Checked it again this morning and the grab lip (collar) is still intact on the end of the bearing. I made a different post with a video of the fork travel and questions about what I can do with checking the hydraulics.