I have a '95 6 speed that I purchased about two months ago with 75k miles on her. I bought her from a Harley dealer who took her in trade in, so I have no history on the car.

The clutch has always been fairly stiff (give your leg a work out on long rides in heavy traffic but won't leave you limping when you get out) and didn't engage until it was about 2/3 of the way out. I didn't think anything unusual about it. I'd expect a car like a 'Vette to have a heavy duty clutch. The clutch has been like that, and worked fine, since I bought her. I assume that's about normal for a stock clutch in a 'Vette, but I don't know for sure.

I drove her home from work Wednesday and didn't notice anything unusual. I got in her today and as soon as I stepped on the clutch, I noticed that it was very easy to depress, not nearly as stiff as it had been. Then when I started out, the clutch started engaging almost immediately - no more than an inch from the floor. I drove it up to the store and back, about five miles or so, through city traffic and red lights. The feel stayed like that - easy to depress and engaging very quickly, but it seems to work just fine. It's fully disengaged when the clutch is to the floor - I can leave it in gear and it doesn't pull at all. The gears don't grind when I shift. I nailed it pretty hard (hard enough that the skid control kicked in) and the clutch doesn't seem to be slipping. It feels almost exactly like the clutch in my wife's '05 Dodge Stratus coupe now. If I'd never driven the car before, I would never think that the clutch feels wierd or that their was anything wrong with it. But since I have driven her before, I know that it feels distinctly different from what it did before, and that it seemed to happen overnight.

Anybody have an idea what's going on? Is there an adjustment that could have slipped? Is the clutch going out? I've had clutches get worn and need replacement in other vehicles and never experienced anything like this.

 

Check the fluid in the Clutch master cylinder. You will have to remove two screws on the computer and move it out of the way to get at the master cylinder. The black cover is usually tight and hard to come off (sometimes). Fill the resevoir to the line and make sure you fold up that black rubbr bladder within itself so it fits within the black cover.
You may also have air in the hydraulic clutch system or your clutch slave may have died!
I changed both of mine this summer! good luck with your inspetion.

 

There is a pin on the clutch pedal that the clevis on the clutch master cylinder rod fits over and there is a plastic bushing that fits between the pin and the clevis. The bushing splits causing the clutch rod to move off at an angle causing greater pedal effort. Your rod straightened up one day causing a noticeable reduction in pedal effort. Check the bushing and replace it if it is split or obviously worn out.

 

It could be both, I had it happen. My guess would be low or leaking clutch fluid. It sounds to me like air in the line.

Besides, its easier to check the fluid level than it is to contort under the dash to check the master cylinder rod.

 

Well, I didn't get a chance to look at it yesterday. I went out this morning and the clutch is gone. No resistance to the pedal, put it to the floor and bump the engine and the car moves - it's still engaged. This rules out the master cylinder rod, I think. There's no fluid on the concrete under the car. A fluid leak would make sense, since it seems to have gotten worse by just sitting, but I'd expect to see it on the driveway. If these additional symptoms rings a bell in anyone's head, please let me know.

 

Don't rule out the fluid! The Master Cylinder could be leaking inside the car on the carpet or Jute padding.
I'd check fluid first, if it is o.k. then your clutch or slave unit has a problem.

 

Just a follow up. When my Slave unit went bad I was losing fluid. I did not notice a leak.
Fianally I kept filling it and one day I found the leak (small) coming from the bottom of my bellhousing.
The retainer in the Slave unit came off and the fluid was dripping into the bellhousing!
That's when I changed both Master and Slave together.
Good Luck!

 

The problem ended up being a bad slave cylinder. It's been replaced and the car is back on the road. Before the replacement, the clutch engaged about 2/3 of the way out. It now engages even further out - maybe two inches before the end of the travel. First, is this about normal for the 'Vette? Is the clutch perhaps designed to very quickly disengage and re-enage to facilitate rapid shifts? Right now, there's no need to push the clutch to the floor. Just a quick blip, shift and back out. Any late model C4 6 speed drivers, where does your clutch engage? Second, is this adjustable?

Also, thanks to everyone who replied and got me going in the right direction.

 

Mine engages around the middle (slightly closer to the top) of the pedal travel.
No adjustments to hydraulic clutch.
However you may still have air in the system!