My '98 6spd w/23K has been getting a little more difficult to shift lately. It will slightly catch on the syncros while shifting gears and was worse when cold in the morning for some reason. A tranny fluid change didn't help. I then noticed that in the morning, the clutch pedal engagement was close to the floor and after it warmed up the point of engagement would come up to where it seemed near normal. Not wanting to damage the syncros, I decided I needed to look into this. I suspected the clutch was not fully disengaging and that the clutch slave cylinder needed bleeding but what a pain that is to bleed. Then I remembered a trick that an old mechanic told me about bleeding stuborn brakes that don't want to bleed completlely. He said to take a stick and push down on the brake pedal to apply pressure and leave it like that overnight. I have no idea what that does but perhaps the constant pressure on the fluid forces the remaining air from the system and through the seals? Anyway, I thought maybe this could be applied to the clutch slave cylinder too. I gave it a try wedging a stick of wood between clutch pedal and lower seat frame and forcing the clutch pedal to the floor. I kept the clutch pedal depressed all night and removed the stick in morning before I left for work. I went to work that morning like I normally do not really expecting any change but was amazed at the improvement in clutch feel and shifting action. Clutch engagement is now back to normal and no clunks when shifting gears.

Perhaps this method is effective for removing a small bit of air in the system? Has anyone else heard of this trick and understand what is going on? It's so easy to do, I thought I would pass it along to others who might also be experiencing this problem.
-Ed

 

Hmm Worth a shot next time I have troubles.