Hey I'm pretty sure my clutch is gone. When I engage it most of the time i feel like a shudder from the pedal like my clutch friction surface is uneven. I always here a grinding noise from upfront under the dash. My clutch slips a lot. And now it seems every other time i start my car and try to put it in first I can't because it feels like its blocked. I don't think its the tranny cuz it goes through all the gears fine. The pedal doesnt engage until the last less than an inch. And I always just feel like there is some grinding going on. SO what is going on with my car? Is this the clutch? I really hope so. Oh yeah also when I changed my shifter out, the old shifter base was covered in grease, and grime. Should this happen because all the install guides I saw, the shifter bases were nice and sparkly clean. Ugh......sometimes this car........

 

Yes your clutch is gone.

No the ball of your shifter shouldn't be covered with grease and grime. The shifter base (where the 4 bolts mount) should be mounted to the tranny with a small bead of RTV to keep dirt out of the ball area. Be sure to change your fluid.

 

the ball wasnt covered in grease, the base of the stock shifter was covered in grease. Does that make any difference?

 

Yes... you're clutch is definately shot.

As for the bottom of your shifter... um, I don't think it should have grease there. Clean it up, change your tranny fluid (unless you just did) and put some RTV around the edge to seal it up.