[Z06] clutch pedal issue-- not the usual problems / fix???
10-14-2009, 01:07 AM
#1
clutch pedal issue-- not the usual problems / fix???
hi guys,
06 Z, <5k miles, exhaust, K&N, AR LT headers
car has never been drag raced, launched, no burn-outs, etc. though it gets wrung out a lot, high speed, high RPM runs, etc.
after a particularly spirited run recently, parked the car and had breakfast. on the way home, very slow in-traffic 1st & 2nd-gear city speeds, the pedal suddenly shot straight to the floor and stayed there.
no mushiness
no sporadic sticking
no strange engagement feel
everything was A-OK, then suddenly pedal just stuck to floormat, like it was pulled by a strong magnet.
never came back after that, just flat on floor. you could pull it up with your hand or foot of course, but slight pressure on it, and it got sucked right back down (presumably by the spring assist).
did lots of research on here, expected dirty clutch fluid, maybe bad flywheel etc...
had it checked, and all it was, was a retaining clip or something, that somehow came loose (i think it was at the clutch actuator rod?) and allowed air into the system. it was a one day fix, and the car has been absolutely perfect in the few weeks since then. again, lots of hard driving.
the clutch fluid by the way, was crystal clear. had it flushed anyway.
anyone experienced this before?
TIA...
06 Z, <5k miles, exhaust, K&N, AR LT headers
car has never been drag raced, launched, no burn-outs, etc. though it gets wrung out a lot, high speed, high RPM runs, etc.
after a particularly spirited run recently, parked the car and had breakfast. on the way home, very slow in-traffic 1st & 2nd-gear city speeds, the pedal suddenly shot straight to the floor and stayed there.
no mushiness
no sporadic sticking
no strange engagement feel
everything was A-OK, then suddenly pedal just stuck to floormat, like it was pulled by a strong magnet.
never came back after that, just flat on floor. you could pull it up with your hand or foot of course, but slight pressure on it, and it got sucked right back down (presumably by the spring assist).
did lots of research on here, expected dirty clutch fluid, maybe bad flywheel etc...
had it checked, and all it was, was a retaining clip or something, that somehow came loose (i think it was at the clutch actuator rod?) and allowed air into the system. it was a one day fix, and the car has been absolutely perfect in the few weeks since then. again, lots of hard driving.
the clutch fluid by the way, was crystal clear. had it flushed anyway.
anyone experienced this before?
TIA...
10-14-2009, 01:54 AM
#2
Race Director
Member Since: Aug 2000
Location: Central Florida
Posts: 10,649
Likes: 0
Received 26 Likes
on
20 Posts
hi guys,
06 Z, <5k miles, exhaust, K&N, AR LT headers
car has never been drag raced, launched, no burn-outs, etc. though it gets wrung out a lot, high speed, high RPM runs, etc.
after a particularly spirited run recently, parked the car and had breakfast. on the way home, very slow in-traffic 1st & 2nd-gear city speeds, the pedal suddenly shot straight to the floor and stayed there.
no mushiness
no sporadic sticking
no strange engagement feel
everything was A-OK, then suddenly pedal just stuck to floormat, like it was pulled by a strong magnet.
never came back after that, just flat on floor. you could pull it up with your hand or foot of course, but slight pressure on it, and it got sucked right back down (presumably by the spring assist).
did lots of research on here, expected dirty clutch fluid, maybe bad flywheel etc...
had it checked, and all it was, was a retaining clip or something, that somehow came loose (i think it was at the clutch actuator rod?) and allowed air into the system. it was a one day fix, and the car has been absolutely perfect in the few weeks since then. again, lots of hard driving.
the clutch fluid by the way, was crystal clear. had it flushed anyway.
anyone experienced this before?
TIA...
06 Z, <5k miles, exhaust, K&N, AR LT headers
car has never been drag raced, launched, no burn-outs, etc. though it gets wrung out a lot, high speed, high RPM runs, etc.
after a particularly spirited run recently, parked the car and had breakfast. on the way home, very slow in-traffic 1st & 2nd-gear city speeds, the pedal suddenly shot straight to the floor and stayed there.
no mushiness
no sporadic sticking
no strange engagement feel
everything was A-OK, then suddenly pedal just stuck to floormat, like it was pulled by a strong magnet.
never came back after that, just flat on floor. you could pull it up with your hand or foot of course, but slight pressure on it, and it got sucked right back down (presumably by the spring assist).
did lots of research on here, expected dirty clutch fluid, maybe bad flywheel etc...
had it checked, and all it was, was a retaining clip or something, that somehow came loose (i think it was at the clutch actuator rod?) and allowed air into the system. it was a one day fix, and the car has been absolutely perfect in the few weeks since then. again, lots of hard driving.
the clutch fluid by the way, was crystal clear. had it flushed anyway.
anyone experienced this before?
TIA...
A leak is unusual at the connector between the actuator and master cylinder.
Ranger
10-14-2009, 02:04 AM
#3
unfortunately, there is no Corvette dealer where I live. in fact there are only two Z06's in this country, including mine.
the repair was done at a friend's shop, that usually repairs European cars (Lambo, Ferrari, Porsche, BMW, etc), or any vehicle w/o extensive dealer support locally. funny i know, but the Z06 is actually more "exotic" here than those otehr brands!
i'll ask him for more details on what was done.
am just curious if anyone else has had this issue, and if so, what are the chances it may resurface...
10-14-2009, 06:24 AM
#4
Race Director
Member Since: Aug 2000
Location: Central Florida
Posts: 10,649
Likes: 0
Received 26 Likes
on
20 Posts
thanks for the quick reply Ranger.
unfortunately, there is no Corvette dealer where I live. in fact there are only two Z06's in this country, including mine.
the repair was done at a friend's shop, that usually repairs European cars (Lambo, Ferrari, Porsche, BMW, etc), or any vehicle w/o extensive dealer support locally. funny i know, but the Z06 is actually more "exotic" here than those otehr brands!
i'll ask him for more details on what was done.
am just curious if anyone else has had this issue, and if so, what are the chances it may resurface...
unfortunately, there is no Corvette dealer where I live. in fact there are only two Z06's in this country, including mine.
the repair was done at a friend's shop, that usually repairs European cars (Lambo, Ferrari, Porsche, BMW, etc), or any vehicle w/o extensive dealer support locally. funny i know, but the Z06 is actually more "exotic" here than those otehr brands!
i'll ask him for more details on what was done.
am just curious if anyone else has had this issue, and if so, what are the chances it may resurface...
Corvettes with extremely corrupt clutch fluid will sometimes see the pedal go to the floor and stay there; and it remains limp, thereafter. The root cause of that is normally an internal failure of the master cylinder. Can also come from a fluid leak at the actuator main seal at the throwout bearing, In that case, the reservoir fluid level is nil and the actuator needs replacing, an expensive procedure.
But failure of just the connector between master and actuator is pretty unusual.
Owner best ensures long life to the clutch hydraulic components by keeping the clutch fluid free of clutch dust contaminants.
Ranger
10-14-2009, 06:54 AM
#5
Ranger,
yes, when the car was done the following day, and they said that they just reattached/secured the clip or whatever that had come loose, AND that the fluid was totally clear before they even flushed it, i realized mine seemed a rather different case than what one usually sees here.
i know the car's first owner personally, and know for a fact that he does not abuse his cars (no launching, drag racing, burn-outs, etc). the car has had a relatively easy life, having less than 5k miles put on it in over 3 years since new.
i should have asked the shop to take photos of the part and the repair they did, but too late now. i'll talk to the mechanic this weekend and get more details, as mentioned.
definitely it seemed like no big deal to them, and they said that air just got in, no damage to the seal, actuator, master cylinder, etc...
they did say they've seen similar problems in other makes of cars, especially for garage queens...
let ya know what i find out! thanks!
yes, when the car was done the following day, and they said that they just reattached/secured the clip or whatever that had come loose, AND that the fluid was totally clear before they even flushed it, i realized mine seemed a rather different case than what one usually sees here.
i know the car's first owner personally, and know for a fact that he does not abuse his cars (no launching, drag racing, burn-outs, etc). the car has had a relatively easy life, having less than 5k miles put on it in over 3 years since new.
i should have asked the shop to take photos of the part and the repair they did, but too late now. i'll talk to the mechanic this weekend and get more details, as mentioned.
definitely it seemed like no big deal to them, and they said that air just got in, no damage to the seal, actuator, master cylinder, etc...
they did say they've seen similar problems in other makes of cars, especially for garage queens...
let ya know what i find out! thanks!
10-14-2009, 07:01 AM
#6
Race Director
Member Since: Aug 2000
Location: Central Florida
Posts: 10,649
Likes: 0
Received 26 Likes
on
20 Posts
That would be appreciated. When the story is complete, I'd appreciate your posting a summary of it in the clutch pedal issue sticky. That way others similarly afflicted in the future can easily find the diagnosis to your symptoms. TIA.
Ranger
Ranger
10-20-2009, 11:10 AM
#7
ok, so i visited the shop today and got the story on the clutch.
they said it was just the rubber seal/boot on the clutch actuator rod from the master cylinder had literally inverted. there was no damage-- no scoring, tear, etc. somehow and mysteriously, the seal had just worked itself loose.
as mentioned before, the clutch fluid was crystal clear.
they just removed the seal and reassembled it, flushed the system for good measure and put in new fluid, and the car was good as new. as mentioned before, it was a one day job, no parts needed replacing (just as well, as i'd have source everything from the U.S., which would have meant the car would be sidelined for some time).
this was several weeks ago at this point. i've since driven the car in stop-and-go traffic, as well as long highway distances, at speeds in excess of 170mph.
its as if nothing happened.
the guys at the shop were at a loss to explain exactly how or why the seal inverted as it did. as i mentioned already, this is not a Chevy dealer or Corvette specialist, but an independent shop that generally works on european high end cars, or on any car that does not have dealer support (they've got an old DeLorean and an uber rare Mercedes Benz 600 Pullman limousine they maintain!), so while they may not have a lot of Corvette specific experience, they've seen quite a bit.
the head guy said it was very unusual for the seal to do that, but he has seen it on rare occasions in the past, on cars (not Corvettes, mind) that saw little mileage. in any case, he said he'd be surprised if the exact same problem surfaced again...
so far so good...
they said it was just the rubber seal/boot on the clutch actuator rod from the master cylinder had literally inverted. there was no damage-- no scoring, tear, etc. somehow and mysteriously, the seal had just worked itself loose.
as mentioned before, the clutch fluid was crystal clear.
they just removed the seal and reassembled it, flushed the system for good measure and put in new fluid, and the car was good as new. as mentioned before, it was a one day job, no parts needed replacing (just as well, as i'd have source everything from the U.S., which would have meant the car would be sidelined for some time).
this was several weeks ago at this point. i've since driven the car in stop-and-go traffic, as well as long highway distances, at speeds in excess of 170mph.
its as if nothing happened.
the guys at the shop were at a loss to explain exactly how or why the seal inverted as it did. as i mentioned already, this is not a Chevy dealer or Corvette specialist, but an independent shop that generally works on european high end cars, or on any car that does not have dealer support (they've got an old DeLorean and an uber rare Mercedes Benz 600 Pullman limousine they maintain!), so while they may not have a lot of Corvette specific experience, they've seen quite a bit.
the head guy said it was very unusual for the seal to do that, but he has seen it on rare occasions in the past, on cars (not Corvettes, mind) that saw little mileage. in any case, he said he'd be surprised if the exact same problem surfaced again...
so far so good...
