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Clutch Not Disengaging (‘02 SMT)

3K views 56 replies 6 participants last post by  rmeller 
#1 ·
Hey guys, I have an 02 MR2 (SMT), 53kmiles . Iwas at a complete stop in 1st gear, when I hit the gas, the whole car came to a jolting stop. Same thing happened when I tried to reverse. Also tried taking off in 2nd gear with the same result. I had it towed home.
My grandfather was actually able to get it to takeoff and said you just need to get the rpm high before you go. Other than that, it shifts perfectly between all gears. He said the clutch wasn’t disengaging (I understand it’s not an actual clutch)
My hydraulic fluid is around 1/4-1/3 full and I already have some being shipped to me.
I feel like I have the issue down to a few things. Low hydraulic fluid, maybe I need to bleed the clutch, or I need a new hpu pressure accumulator sensor.

I have left my battery unplugged overnight and am about to plug it back in and attempt to do the “clutch friction point relearn” in hopes of that solving this issue.

I have three error codes, but none of which I believe relates to this issue.
P0304, P0003, P0103

I would truly appreciate any help from you guys as reading these forums have helped out tremendously with previous issues.
 
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#2 ·
... He said the clutch wasn’t disengaging (I understand it’s not an actual clutch)...

.... Low hydraulic fluid...
It is an actual clutch. The SMT system is essentially a standard manual transmission with a robot shifter attached to it. So, the clutch could actually be broken. But,

Take car of what you know about first. Insufficient fluid is a likely cause.
 
#4 ·
I haven’t looked up those codes. Poor clutch manipulation makes me think the clutch position sensor is bad. But that should trip the red gear warning light in the cluster. It would be a wise investment to get a copy of techstream and install it on a laptop. Then you can read the SMT codes and do relearn etc. just a good thing to have as an SMT owner. Copies are about $30 on amazon including the obd cable.
 
#6 ·
Since you disconnected the battery overnight, try this in the morning. Place the shift lever in neutral. Use the trap door if necessary. Manually shift the transmission into neutral using the stub shaft under the air filter box. THEN, connect the battery and switch ignition on but don’t crank the engine. Wait and listen. The system should go into a self-relearn sequence where it will shift through all the gears. 5,4,3,2,1,R. WHILE it’s doing this, gently rock the car back and forth so it won’t get stuck on a gear tooth. Then then green neutral light should illuminate. It may flash. Drive slowly In first gear. I forget what the “all clear” signal is. Maybe the green light quits flashing.
 
#18 ·
Since you disconnected the battery overnight, try this in the morning. Place the shift lever in neutral. Use the trap door if necessary. Manually shift the transmission into neutral using the stub shaft under the air filter box. THEN, connect the battery and switch ignition on but don’t crank the engine. Wait and listen. The system should go into a self-relearn sequence where it will shift through all the gears. 5,4,3,2,1,R. WHILE it’s doing this, gently rock the car back and forth so it won’t get stuck on a gear tooth. Then then green neutral light should illuminate. It may flash. Drive slowly In first gear. I forget what the “all clear” signal is. Maybe the green light quits flashing.

do you have a picture of what it looks like?
 
#8 ·
I would fix the engine misfire and fill reservoir to the correct level first. While you’re at it check for a hydraulic leak at the GSA as Cyclehead suggested since the system appears low on fluid. The 02s have the older version TCU that occasionally exhibits creeping, which is premature cutch engagement. That could also be caused by a malfunctioning clutch stroke sensor due to fluid contamination.
 
#25 · (Edited)
Does the car move forward as soon as you take your foot off the brake? Or does it stall when you apply the accelerator? Is the idle low?
Since there’s residual fluid in the system, and your fluid appears to have never been changed, I would replace it again. Cleaning the maf sensor can help sometimes.
You really want your engine running smoothly for the SMT. Still have the misfire?
 
#28 ·
High revs is odd. I’m wondering if it’s not executing the commands, or if it’s not getting the right information. Poor execution makes me think of solenoid seals. Poor information might be transmission speed sensor. Without diagnostic info from techstream, you could look at both ideas. The sensor is easy to remove from the bottom of the transmission. Check for metal chips or crap on the sensor. Have a friend stand by to clean it off while you hold your thumb over the hole to keep gear lube from draining out. For solenoid o-rings I’ll be happy to send you a set of them for cheap. Installation involves removing the HPU from the car. Removing the two solenoids (which are always rusted in place) and replacing 6 o-rings. Both ideas are cheap to try. The solenoid o-rings are a little labor intensive.
 
#29 ·
For techstream, any “version” will work. The trick is making sure you have a laptop that will run the software. They used to require Windows XP. I think current versions require WIndows 10. Monkey Wrench Racing‘s offering sends you the cable and a link to some website to download the software. I’ve always installed on standalone/dedicated laptop fearing gobs of Chinese spyware embedded in the programs. It’s worth the effort to have the software in your toolbox for SMT problems.
 
#40 ·
I added throttle position sensor and accelerator position sensor to the list of culprits. Two things can help rule out the engine. Either codes show up indicating the trans OR engine codes/issues are corrected.
What is the idle rpm in neutral at normal operating temp?
 
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