Clutch misbehaving on my 02 Tacoma

So... 'misbehaving' isn't very technical, I know, but it's about all I got. I'll be driving, shifting normally, then every so often (like once or twice on my regular 20 minute commute - back roads, small towns, some stop/yield signs, train tracks, etc., so I'm shifting a bit) I'll push in the clutch, shift, and when I release the pedal I feel it not coming all the way back up. It'll stay right there. Next time I shift, it's a little hard to get into gear, and pedal stays a little closer to the floor, and stays there. Next time I shift, pedal stays right on the floor, gears engaged fully, and if I'm lucky I can slip the shifter into neutral long enough to hook my toe under the pedal. It snaps all the way back up, and shifts like normal until... it decides to misbehave again.
If I hook my toe and snap the pedal back up after the first time I shift and feel it, it fixes it until the next time. I generally have two chances before it's on the floor fully engaged.

It had this problem when I bought it 3 months ago. Thought it might've been sitting/needed a little exercise. That would've been too easy, right?

I've noticed:
- I can't anticipate when it will misbehave, though it's a consistent problem
- I haven't found anything that makes it change (better/worse, etc.)

I've tried:
- Replaced slave cyl, bled line, etc.
- Took out floor mats (no joke - didn't want to overlook the obvious )
- Looked through these here forum posts (though I would be delighted if someone could point me to anything helpful I may have missed)

Specs:
- Xtra cab '02
- stock everything
- 6 cyl
- 125k miles
- no history
- solid clutch, catches mid-way or a little lower
- also throwing an EVAP code but I can't figure that's related at all

Sorry for the long post, but thanks for any suggestions!

 

Checked the master cylinder? That seems like the most likely candidate. As well as the fill line from the reservoir to the MC. There are two forces that return the pedal, one is the pressure plate acting through the slave to the master cylinder, the other is a spring at the top of the clutch pedal. If anything is binding that would be an issue.

 

Hi Robert. No, haven't yet checked the MC or fill line (bleeding the line wouldn't take care of this??). That's my next step - and thanks for the clutch mechanics... I've been wading through diagrams and schematics - much easier to pinpoint issues when mechanics are plainly laid out. Of the two forces, I'm leaning towards the pressure plate over the spring, since once it starts there's a definite pattern of reduced return with each pedal depression, and regular function with incremental bouts of malfunction doesn't seem spring-like to me. Then again, I'm not a mechanic lol
This issue has confounded a couple mechanics so far, and it's got me intrigued. I'd like to learn more about the mechanics/functions of all these components - any resources you'd suggest??

Thanks!

 

I had similar symptoms with my 2000 Tacoma. I changed the entire hydraulic system including the rubber hose section of the fluid line. Symptoms continued so I decided to change out the clutch. When I pulled out the transmission I found that the pivot point for the clutch fork inside the bell-housing had broken off. I had to replace the bell-housing.

 

I concur that this is likely NOT the pedal spring. The pressure plate springs are stout. Since you have trouble shifting when the pedal has not returned to the normal position, this suggests that something is going wrong and that when you press the pedal, you are not fully disengaging the clutch, which will also wear on the synchronizer rings. Sounds more like a hydraulic issue, where a partial stroke is not enough to fully disengage the clutch. Could be anything, but the clutch master cylinder would be a good starting point.

 

I had exactly this behavior on my 2000 Xtracab V6 and it was the MC. I replaced it and the slave and it was back to normal.

 

I had a 98 that the pedal would go to the floor by itself once you started pressing on the clutch...it was under warranty so it ended up being the clutch master cylinder.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...on-your-5-speed-transmission-write-up.338836/