clutch freezing in winter

[dmo11]

Hey i have a 2005 mazda 3 GT and im in thompson most of the time wich is -50 right now lol.. i noticed if i drive warm or cold my clutch seems to freeze up and when i depress it to shift it takes it awhile to actually come back up does anyone else have this problem?

[Ziploc]

Hey i have a 2005 mazda 3 GT and im in thompson most of the time wich is -50 right now lol.. i noticed if i drive warm or cold my clutch seems to freeze up and when i depress it to shift it takes it awhile to actually come back up does anyone else have this problem?

Its pretty normal. I notice my trans oil and clutch fluid get a lot thicker when temps go in the minus. Let the poor thing warm up!

[dmo11]

haha i do its when i take it on the highway or am in the city were theres a long road haha

[Xerox]

I've got a 2005 GT 5spd manual and although shifting feels notchier until trans oil warms up the clutch pedal never does what you described. After I depress the clutch pedal it comes back up as normal. I don't think I've ever been in -50 conditions though.

[dmo11]

Haha and i dont think you ever want to be :P

[rajin929]

-50 damn! lol

I usually take it easy on the throttle and shifts for the first few km's when driving the car in the morning while everything is warming up - but haven't experienced my clutch pedal acting that way before

[condor888000]

Hey, I was born in Thompson. Damn cold place! Go to Winterpeg and head about 10 hours north. :loco

Anyway, the clutch should be harder to press in winter, but I haven't heard of it not coming right back up. Anywhere near a dealer you trust?

[Harbour Rat]

I've never a problem with a clutch freezing, even in Thunder Bay at -45 but cars do get wonky when the temperature gets that low so I'm sure it could happen. I have had the clutch pedal get hung up on inappropriate winter floor mats a couple of times. That was easy enough to fix.

[Olestra]

I have an 06 and last week in -28*C, my clutch was really slow to move until the car warmed up and I depressed it a few times. It would then return to normal.
I noticed after driving on the highway for a while, since I wasn't using the clutch, it became lethargic again. I would have to depress it a few more times to get it to "loosen" up.

I don't know exactly how clutches work, but does this mean that the tranny fluid gets circulated when I press the clutch in?

[Noisy Crow]

I don't know exactly how clutches work, but does this mean that the tranny fluid gets circulated when I press the clutch in?

Clutch pedal uses hydraulics to move the clutch... very much like the brake pedal uses hydraulics to make the brakes work. Separate system, but they both use the same kind of fluid. When the temp gets low the fluid gets thick and does not flow well.

There is probabaly low-temp hydraulic fluid available. Problem would be that it would tend to vapourize in higher temperatures, causing a whole different set of problems.

Info how they work:

http://www.tpub.com/content/construction/14050/css/14050_172.htm
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[Malcolm991]

-50? Im surprised it starts! At that temp your car's fluids are thick as hell. Need time to let the temps warm the fluids a bit!

[sudz]

I notice the clutch is spongey if its below minus 5 or so and the car hasn't been driven in a few hours. I always associated it to a hydrolic clutch. I know my bro's dirtbike - the clutch would be rediculously hard to pull in when driving it on the lake (frozen, studded tires)

[Olestra]

Clutch pedal uses hydraulics to move the clutch... very much like the brake pedal uses hydraulics to make the brakes work. Separate system, but they both use the same kind of fluid. When the temp gets low the fluid gets thick and does not flow well.

There is probabaly low-temp hydraulic fluid available. Problem would be that it would tend to vapourize in higher temperatures, causing a whole different set of problems.

Info how they work:

http://www.tpub.com/content/construction/14050/css/14050_172.htm
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Ah thanks for the link. So am I right to assume there is a system in the car that heats up the hydraulic fluid as well? After using the clutch it becomes normal again.

[Olestra]

Good information can be found here:

http://forum.mazda6club.com/index.php?showtopic=67546&pid=900354&mode=threaded&start=#entry900354

Sorry if I'm not supposed to link other forums.
The 6 guys are saying the brake and clutch fluid use the same reservoir for their cars. I'm not sure what the case is for the 3.

[Noisy Crow]

Ah thanks for the link. So am I right to assume there is a system in the car that heats up the hydraulic fluid as well? After using the clutch it becomes normal again.

No heater... but working the system will warm it up.

[Flagrum_3]

Good information can be found here:

http://forum.mazda6club.com/index.php?showtopic=67546&pid=900354&mode=threaded&start=#entry900354

Sorry if I'm not supposed to link other forums.
The 6 guys are saying the brake and clutch fluid use the same reservoir for their cars. I'm not sure what the case is for the 3.

It's the same on the 3, same fluid reservoir for both.As for the OP, with those temps I would seriously change all my fluids to synthetic; engine, tranny etc; and see if possible to find a synthetic fluid for the clutch, like SynLube it's good to -54C!

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[TheMAN]

yeah... consider upgrading to a quality DOT 5.1 brake fluid... the viscosity at -40 is still good enough for it to flow well... this allows for not only good brake/clutch operation, but also ABS :)

[Wild Weasel]

yeah... consider upgrading to a quality DOT 5.1 brake fluid... the viscosity at -40 is still good enough for it to flow well... this allows for not only good brake/clutch operation, but also ABS :)

With that advice out there, I'll just reiterate that DOT 5.1 is NOT THE SAME THING as DOT 5. Be sure not to get the two confused. You should never put DOT 5 in your car.

[1flycdnM3]

^^ very good advice WW! my friend had MAJOR issues making this mistake and it was difficult not to laugh at his idiocy (i told him 100 times not to)

while I haven't had this exact issue of the clutch pedal rising slowly, my clutch was a little more stiff this morning than usual due to the weather, but it's normal for this to happen and if you have time i would strongly suggest letting your car warm up before driving it (not just for the clutch, but for all moving parts)

[ThucP]

Same for me the clutch felt alot more stiff. What brand of brake fluid are people using on here?

[Kappa]

hey guys i did some searching and found this thread bec i was having a clutch problem i am driving an 08 2.3l and i have an indoor but when i go on the highway to go to work like a 20min drive i find that i can push my clutch in but then let my foot off and it will stay stuck in and slowly come out.. then all of a sudden pop... anyway i got bad fluid or something?

[Donutz]

Don't know what is wrong, but you should get that checked out ASAP.

[Kappa]

its only in cold and they didnt find anything wrong... it some time feels really hard to plus in almost like trying to eat a gummy bear compared to a cracker lol

[aris]

I thought their was something wrong with my clutch when it would do that on cold days but i was told that the clutch freezes..once it warms up it's fine

[Kappa]

yeah it does warm up but then after i exit the highway it is like it gets cold once again... really bugs me.. plus today at the dealer i saw one of a guys working on my car drive a little to crazy for my liking man i was pissed....