Clutch engaging too low?

Hello everybody, haven't been on here in a long time, but I just bought an 05 Tacoma yesterday and I'm back in the game It's the 4x4 with v6 engine and on the test drive from the dealership I noticed the clutch was slipping really bad. I was able to negotiate that they put in a new clutch before i picked it up. So I got it today and the clutch is engaging really low. Like the first 2.5" of pressing down the pedal doesn't do anything, and when I get it to the floor (and put in gear) as soon as I release 1/4" the car is moving already. Now I know that there should be about an inch of freeplay at the top and bottom. Is it possible that the dealer didn't put a new clutch and just tightened it up somehow so it can go another couple of months? Also can I adjust it somehow? Oh and I asked them today if I can see the old clutch that came out of the car and they refused to show it?!! Thanks for your help guys!

 

Maybe they didn't readjust the pushrod? I believe it is on the clutch pedal. There is an adjustment I believe.

 

Did they replace the clutch slave cylinder and the clutch master cylinder ?
If the clutch is releasing too low my guess would be an improperly bled clutch hydraulic system . Did they replace the release bearing ? Was the release bearing self centering ? Was the release bearing the same as the old clutch ?
Did they install a factory clutch or aftermarket ? Did they replace the pilot bearing ?
Did they re-surface the flywheel and if so , how much metal did they remove from the surface as there are shims that go on the back of the flywheel to compensate for the metal removed from the flywheel when the machining was done .
With non adjustable clutch issues these are some of the things to look at and some questions to go back to the dealer with .
First guess is air in the hydraulic clutch circuit .
I beleive when the trans is removed , you gotta remove the hydraulic line from the slave cylinder ... all the hydraulic fluid drains out . Should be new fluid in the resevoir . Make sure the fluid is topped up .
Sometime bleeding these critters can be a nightmare .Sometimes air bleeds out of the circuit overnight and the pedal is fine the next day . May explain your low pedal

 

Thats how mine has always been, it was definitely more noticable after my first clutch replacement. but has tappered back to normal since then.

 

As the clutch disc brakes in and starts to wear , the pedal will rise higher and higher .Pressure Plate loading also increases as the friction disc wears .

 

^This. Sounds like a new clutch to me. I've never had a manual Tacoma, but that's how a new clutch in other vehicles has acted. Nice and tight.

 

Thanks for the suggestions guys! Im going to bleed the hydraulic system tomorrow and take it from there. The slave and master have not been replaced as I looked under the truck today. I will look into the pushrod thats behind the clutch pedal tomorrow as well.
As far as all the questions I should ask them, Im going to go there on Tuesday again and see if I can get any more info.
So you guys don't think they can tighten up the slipping clutch somehow just so it lasts a few months?

 

Sounds like I just have to get used to it until it gets broken in a little bit

 

Just looked into the bell housing throu the slave cylinder opening, and you guys were right. The clutch is brand new, the pressure plate assembly is still shiny, release bearing appears to be new as well. So the dealer did change the clutch but didn't adjust it at all... I bled it (little bit of air did come out) and adjusted the pushrod behind the clutch, now clutch feels great!
Thanks for the help guys!

 

Sorry to drag up a very old thread, but did you ever find a resolution to this issue? I feel I have a relevant similar issue.

I had my clutch replaced with all Toyota OEM parts by a local mechanic on an 09 Tacoma 4x4 4cyl because it had 160k miles on it and the throw-out bearing was singing/screaching. When I took the truck to the mechanic I mentioned to him that the throw-out bearing was making noise, but he claimed he couldn't hear it and said he would be replacing the clutch (no specific mention of throw-out bearing from him).

After the clutch and flywheel were replaced the first issue I had was that the engagement point was very low for about 3 weeks, then one day I just happened to noticed it was right back where it was pre-replacement. The mechanic even stated that he didn't know why the engagement point was so low (red flag). I also noticed almost immediately that the throw-out bearing was still singing. I didn't sweat it too much and just thought that maybe it that throw-out needed to break in or something, or worse, the noise was not coming from the throw-out bearing at all (the noise went away EVERY time I pushed in the clutch BTW).

Fast forward 6k miles and the throw-out is getting worse, so I took it back to the mechanic. They called me today and informed me that after only 6k miles, the flywheel needs to be resurfaced. I am in no way new to driving manual transmissions and I have driven over 200k miles in second gen Tacoma's that I have owned. I DO NOT slip the clutch any more than is absolutely necessary. They are replacing the clutch and resurfacing the flywheel under warranty for me, but I am smelling foul play here. I feel as though the mechanic didn't replace my throw-out bearing first go around, and somehow caused my engagement point on the clutch to be out for those first 3 weeks, and that caused inadequate clutch pressure with lead to the flywheel developing hotspots.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this?