Car won't move?

[GRSHOPR]

Ok, for those of you who were talking with me in chat today, I was doing some further thinking, and stuff isn't adding up. For the rest that weren't around, here's what's happening.

I was on my way home from school today, and after pulling out of the parking lot, driving normally, no boost or the like, my car started 'wobbling', as though I had a flat tire. It evened itself off after a few seconds, so I thoughtit was the pavement. After going from the stop sign I had pulled up to, the car stopped shifting correctly from second to third, but then when I tried again, it went fine and I thought nothing of it, til I drove 200 yards, took a right turn, and it did it again in every gear.

The symptoms I have are:
-I can shift into any gear, engine on or off, and the slave cylinder is pushing, although I'm not sure if it's pushing far enough
-I can hear a vacuum leak near my plenum/master clutch cylinder, but can't pinpoint it yet
-my prosport oil gauge is registering over 100 psi, engine on and off
-there is a quitter clunking/rattling around in my motor. Sounds loudest near my front head and lower intake
- I am idling at double the rpms
- the clutch reservoir is full, but suddenly, the brake reservoir is below the minimum line.

Anyone got any ideas? I'm thinking maybe the vacuum line for the clutch went? Could that cause all that? All these happened at the same time. I am positive on this as I was just poking in my car last night. Thanks for your help

[stealthee]

After talking in the chat you said its a FWD TT. You do not have a vac line for the the clutch. Clutch boosters were only on TT's.

And as I said many times over, if the slave moves as it should, and the car wont shift properly, you likely fragged the clutch.

[Hans@GZP]

Make sure an axle didn't pop out :p

And fix your boost leak.

Is it a stock FWD trans or is it a converted Getrag?

[GRSHOPR]

It's a stock FWD. For now. You may be hearing from me soon about that, Hans.

Sorry Brian. Too many people were talking too much at once. I didn't realize it isn't vacuum assisted. Would an effed up clutch be a viable cause for the engine idling high, the oil gauge going crazy, the brake reservoir emptying, and that weird clunking sound?

[Hans@GZP]

Sounds like you have a few issues to deal with. Check the insides of your wheels for brake fluid. It could be a leaking caliper. Also check the pads while you at it. When the pads wear out, the master cylinder gets more empty.

Are you running a stock y-pipe? If so, pull it off and check to see if the gasket didn't get sucked into the throttle body. That could be your high idle and boost leak.

Oil pressure gauge... well... it's a Prosport gauge. I wouldn't expect anything less from it :p

Clunking could be a diff/axle/clutch issue which is causing your lack of propulsion :p

[GRSHOPR]

The very odd thing is that between the night before last to yesterday afternoon, the brake reservoir went from almost full to less than empty. All of these issues were caused at the exact same time. It's far too convenient for them to not be connected.

[TwIzTeD_3kGt]

Find where the fluid went. It doesn't just disappear. If the other problems are linked to the brake fluid loss, you'll find all the problems where the leak is. I highly doubt that will be the case however.

The 'wobbling' you described, was it while you were coming to a stop? Was the steering wheel wobbling or the whole car?

[Checkered vr4]

If you lost a nut off the half shaft it could allow a side load (turning while driving) to pull the wheel bearing apart and that would be your wobbling, that wobble would also push your break pads apart causing a full break fluid reservoir to overflow and using your breaks after that would suck the fluid level down as you are pushing the pads back to the rotor and straighten out the crooked wheel. If the half shaft comes out of the wheel bearing then your open front differential will not push the car but instead make unusual noise while your disconnected shaft turns.

[GRSHOPR]

Find where the fluid went. It doesn't just disappear. If the other problems are linked to the brake fluid loss, you'll find all the problems where the leak is. I highly doubt that will be the case however.

The 'wobbling' you described, was it while you were coming to a stop? Was the steering wheel wobbling or the whole car?

It wasn't while I was stopping, but starting to accelerate from a stop. It was the entire car that was wobbling.

[TwIzTeD_3kGt]

What's the idle at? 'Double the rpms' doesn't tell me much.

From your original description it sounds as though the problem has to be clutch related, as Brian said.

[GRSHOPR]

Double RPM's =~1500. Sorry. Ok, I also managed to remove some of the symptoms. For some reason I cannot fathom, the idle is back to normal, although I do believe I have a boost leak I didn't previously know of. I went through and pressure tested it for leaks last summer, but I guess another surfaced(?). As for the oil gauge, the ground was indeed ripped out. Not sure how or why, as I haven't jacked the car up (that's my next step), but I thought that might help with the prognosis.

[Checkered vr4]

Jacking the car up should be first on your list of things to do. With the front wheels in the air, pull up and down and wiggle turning the tires back and forth to check for loose ball joints, ti-rods, control arm bushings, wheel bearings, and inspect the half shafts. If those things don't all make sense to you please have a friend who is a mechanic look it over with you before you drive it again.

[vroom4]

You need to work on the car more and post less on the Internet

[TwIzTeD_3kGt]

Jacking the car up should be first on your list of things to do. With the front wheels in the air, pull up and down and wiggle turning the tires back and forth to check for loose ball joints, ti-rods, control arm bushings, wheel bearings, and inspect the half shafts. If those things don't all make sense to you please have a friend who is a mechanic look it over with you before you drive it again.

This. Shake down the front end, sounds like something could be ready to fall apart.

[GRSHOPR]

You need to work on the car more and post less on the Internet

Oh yes, that makes a WHOLE lot of sense. Use your brain or GTFO, chump.

[GRSHOPR]

So I jacked it up, everything looked fine, so I started to remove everything to drop the tranny.... and then I found this... Effed up thing is, that's a new driver's side axle, less than a year old, you're looking at where the support bracket (the black hump) is on the axle.....

http://i881.photobucket.com/albums/ac18/Hackurs/photo.jpg

I can't even pop this axle out of the tranny, it is that FUBAR'd. It also explains the oil gauge, of which the sender is right above that joint. How much more, if not all, of my problems can this be attributed to?

[GRSHOPR]

Jacking the car up should be first on your list of things to do. With the front wheels in the air, pull up and down and wiggle turning the tires back and forth to check for loose ball joints, ti-rods, control arm bushings, wheel bearings, and inspect the half shafts. If those things don't all make sense to you please have a friend who is a mechanic look it over with you before you drive it again.

Ball joints, tie rods, bearings, etc were all replaced last october, I figured they couldn't be the culprit.

[TwIzTeD_3kGt]

So what's wrong with that axle? I see the seal is pushed back and it's not fully engaged onto the intermediate shaft (black hump), but what caused it to disengage like that?

Is the reason you can't pop the intermediate shaft out of the tranny because it's bolted to the block? (have to ask)

[GRSHOPR]

So what's wrong with that axle? I see the seal is pushed back and it's not fully engaged onto the intermediate shaft (black hump), but what caused it to disengage like that?

Is the reason you can't pop the intermediate shaft out of the tranny because it's bolted to the block? (have to ask)

Haha, no, it's not attached. I removed the two bolts. I don't know what's wrong with the axle, or what caused, I found it like that. I tried popping it back in, but it's stuck, and that pressure is preventing me from popping the axle out of the tranny too.