Hey everybody,

I just returned back from a deployment and decided to take the RX-8 on a drive to Utah. Well I am in the middle of Wyoming and the clutch will not disengage. I can't put it in gear unless the car is off but when I start it basically push starting it with the starter and well I don't want to fry my starter as well. Anybody got any idea's on what it could be? Please call or text me at 910-494-5316.

if the clutch will not disengage that something is stuck like the clutch fork.

I just called him, he has got help on the way!

cool that's good

Couldn't that also be something with the cable or it's attachment on either side?

it's hydraulic so I'm not sure

Clutch pedal bracket?

Huzer wrote:Clutch pedal bracket?

That was my thought! Was the Pedal stuck to the ground?

No wasn't the clutch pedal bracket. That was the first thing I looked at. I had a buddy come out and we put it one a trailer. Its sitting at the dealership in Utah and they told me its the throw out bearing and clutch... Just doesnt make sense the clutch was damn near brand new

sgt waltrip?

The clutch could be toast (but I think you would have smelled it, did someone use the car when you were deployed?) or the clutch could be defective. Most likely, if the slave is a throw out bearing style, the tranny has to come out and they are recomending the clutch swap while they are there. There is not much difference in thickness between a new and used clutch disc. A disc that is burnt or completely worn is easy to spot. But the average tech would not measure thickness between new and semi new. Some shops (I don't like to assume) simply are looking for the additional parts/profit on a job.
In our truck shop, we tend to add a clutch to a job when the tranny is out for repair or replacement. Our tranny in and out labor is between $800-1200 on typical semi and large truck jobs. A tranny may run $4000-5000. The customers tend to go with a new clutch $400-600 just to extend the interval until the next time the tranny comes out. Truck clutches can last 500K to a million miles (with a good driver on long haul routes) but then again, we've seen replacements, with a rookie who tries to drive a semi like a Miata and the clutch last only a few thousand miles. When I was driving, my semi went 400K on the first clutch and 600K on the brakes. I drive my Miata a bit differently.