can't shift

Preface: 2007 Cayman S (51k miles), 6 speed manual, ordered to my specs, only driven by me, immaculately maintained... Suddenly this evening I could no longer take the car out of or put it into gear with the clutch depressed. However, if the motor is off I can depress the clutch and put it into and take it out of gear without any trouble at all. Any ideas?

Just a few things to check: 1) Check fluid level in clutch reservoir 2) Leaking clutch master cylinder 3) Leaking clutch slave cylinder 4) The dreaded shifter linkage is broken 5) The dreaded clutch switch failure (might be a recall for this) which is somehow connected to the pedal Good luck, Eddie

.. my shift cables just gave out and after searching around, I've been quite amazed at just how common this failure is. mine is an 09 with 37k never flogged. While the transmission itself is lovely, those cables are such crap as to warrant a recall. from what I've read, you might get away with a loose cable linkage back at the transmission on the drivers side. jack her up and take a look at this. if loose or detached, some have re-attached and secured with a zip tie. search the post here, there is much information on this subject.

The pressure plate is going bad. Mine did the same thing.

Thanks for the input. I will investigate.

If you can shift, engine off, its not the shifter cables. Find out why the clutch is not releasing. I suspect hydraulics.

Mine too. Same deal. Had to press the clutch all the way to the floor to get it to release at all. Still couldn't shift without rev matching. I inspected it at the dealer after dissassembly and could see nothing wrong with the pressure plate or throwout. I instructed them to replace the slave cyl and the clutch and it has been fine now for 10,000 miles. I will always believe that in my case it was the slave cyl.

I'd go for the hydraulics first as it's easier but I'd expect to be able to feel something different if that were it. I've had pressure plates go this way also. Not on the CS but other cars. Just wouldn't release. Les

Had basically same thing. I guarantee it needs a clutch. It is NOT hydraulics. I went that route to start too. You'll also find that the pressure plate screws are finger twisting loose.

the release bearing is garbage. Had the same thing happen to me while driving. Pushed the pedal in and could not shift in mid-acceleration onto a busy road. Between cables and clutches breaking there are some serious safety issues.

If you can shift while the vehicle is moving, it's the clutch disc going bad or pressure plate. Or at least that was the case with a '66 GTO.

assuming that it its the release bearing, does anyone care to estimate what the repair may cost at an indy shop?

It is NOT the release bearing. It needs a clutch . 100% positive

It COULD be the release bearing as that is what dropped out of the arm on mine. The CLUTCH and the pressure plate were fine.

Why would the clutch fail suddenly? There was no prior slip at all.

Discussions like these make me see the PDK as a positive choice. While it has been said by some that we don't have a lot of history on the PDK just yet, it sure looks to me like we have reports about critical failures of the 6MT

I think most Porsche owners make there choice on how fun this car is to drive, for some choosing a PDK is not a positive choice fun wise, based on economics a Honda Civic is the best car ever.

I asked the same question when mine went at 64k. I've driven hundreds of thousands of miles w/ manual transmissions, and this is the first one that crapped out on me so soon. common complaint on here. I know it sucks, but trust me (total stranger. lol) that it is the clutch. Same problem, same symptoms, had to nurse it home one day just like you. One minute it was driving fine, next it was like "d@mn what happened?". We 50K you should NOT need a new flywheel, unless you've roasted it. that part is 1k. I know it is a tough pill to swallow, but I have no doubt about the cause, and I bet the pressure plate bolts are barely finger tight. Blew my mind when I opened mine up.

Will get back to the group after it has been taken apart.

Clutch kit prices are all over the map, and I bought mine from a general auto parts internet supplier, after comparing prices with several sources. My clutch was a Sachs, just like OEM, nd I paid about $300 for the clutch, pp and pilot bearing. Other miscellaneous parts were another $100, and I would estimate an indy shop would charge from $800-1500 labor. This price can vary considerably depending on location, I live in a pretty low cost of living area, but it wouldn't surprise me for some to charge $2000 labor. The job could take several hours, but I pulled mine out in 2 hours total, and re-installation was a little over 3. This was on my second attempt, first one took much longer but if a shop is familiar with the job it should be similar to my time. YMMV.

I noticed last night that if I put the car into first gear, start the car, and leave the clutch pedal depressed it creeps forward. Anyone out there with a better understanding than me who can explain this? Also, does Sachs sell a updated or upgraded clutch kit for our cars?

All transmissions try and live in a very tough environment and they break...even PDK's $$.

Really? Eddie

I was quoted $1500 by a respected independent mechanic.

New clutch, complete ??

$1500 all in (new Sachs and labor), but the work has not been done yet.

Not terrible. I'd be tempted into a DIY project though. :cheers:

I would love to do the job myself, but can't spare the time. I also don't trust myself to get the job done correctly the first time.

I recommend replacing the dual mass flywheel while you're in there.

Is there any reason to believe that the flywheel should have failed? This car is a daily driver, not a track car.

Flywheel life can vary greatly, but once the clutch is out, the flywheel can be inspected for scoring/wear. The big thing in the dual mass flywheel is to check the runout(not the correct term but it escapes me right now) as to how much play there is between the two. Mine was in spec, and the face was in good condition, so I didn't change it. I thought to myself after I did mine the second time that I would offer to do a clutch job for $800 plus parts. Having done it I know what to do, have the tools to do it, and it really isn't that hard for anyone mechanically inclined. I did have to have help for five minutes in aligning the transmission for final mate-up with the engine, its just to hard to do since two sets of eyes are needed to get it lined up. $1500 for a for-profit shop is a reasonable price that includes parts, and if I didn't have a shop/tools, etc. I would be sorely tempted to tae that ofer.