Clutch Fork Pivot Ball?????
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 45
Likes: 0
From: Central Square (Syracuse) NY
Clutch Fork Pivot Ball?????
My '86 makes a snapping sound when you push in on the clutch pedal. Clutch works fine, no slip, no chatter. Anyway............I got under the car while it was up on jackstands and pulled the rubber boot off of the clutch fork hole in the bellhousing and felt around up in there, and squirted some silicone into where the pivot ball is and the noise went away for about 20 or 25 clutch pedal movements and it came right back. Also........the actuating rod that the hydraulics push on that comes into contact with the clutch fork looks like nothing more than a Craftsman drift punch! I cleaned up both ends of that just to make sure that wasn't binding and causing my noise but it apparently isn't. Anybody else have this problem? I hate to have to drop the tranny and pull the bellhousing to get rid of the clicking, but it is annoying as hell. I wish I needed a clutch, I'd just do it and be done with it. Any suggestions other than turn the stereo up??
Pro
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 702
Likes: 2
From: Conyers Ga
The fork is the problem that's the good news. Bad news is they don't make it anymore. I had to replace mine last year and ended up with a used one from E-bay.
The little "rod" is just that.....a little rod.
The little "rod" is just that.....a little rod.
Pro
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 638
Likes: 1
From: Robesonia Pa
When you mean fork are you talking about where it pivots? I saw another GM product (not a vette) that had needle bearings here and they wore out. If this is the case , and again I have not seen one out of a vette, the bearing surface could possibly be repaired. In any case most problems do not go away and sooner or later it will require attention. If sooner you may have a chance of reworking your fork. Just my .02
Pro
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 702
Likes: 2
From: Conyers Ga
When you mean fork are you talking about where it pivots? I saw another GM product (not a vette) that had needle bearings here and they wore out. If this is the case , and again I have not seen one out of a vette, the bearing surface could possibly be repaired. In any case most problems do not go away and sooner or later it will require attention. If sooner you may have a chance of reworking your fork. Just my .02
Mine had a stress crack right at the yoke but A stress crack could happen anywhere on the fork. I bought the used one, my mechanic cleaned it up and inspected it and the noise went away.
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 45
Likes: 0
From: Central Square (Syracuse) NY
Thanks guys. Just curious as to why it went away for awhile when I squirted LPS in there. 70 degrees here in Syracuse today so I went over to where I store it in my dad's garage and uncovered her and fired her up and let her get up to temp and charged the battery for awhile. By the weekend it'll be back down in the teens and snowing. Oh well, May is right around the corner!
Last edited by 86C4CONVERTIBLE4+3; Jan 9, 2008 at 09:25 AM.
Pro
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 702
Likes: 2
From: Conyers Ga
Thanks guys. Just curious as to why it went away for awhile when I squirted LPS in there. 70 degrees here in Syracuse today so I went over to where I store it in my dad's garage and uncovered her and fired her up and let her get up to temp and charged the battery for awhile. By the weekend it'll be back down in the teens and snowing. Oh well, May is right around the corner!
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 45
Likes: 0
From: Central Square (Syracuse) NY
So what you're saying is that the fork is cracked where it rides on the pivot ball? Makes sense. Looks like the tranny is coming out and it's getting a new clutch whether it needs one or not. I'll start looking for a clutch fork now. Thanks.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Every 2027 Corvette Engine Explained
Joe Kucinski
Designer Imagines A Corvette That Looks More Like a Corvette Than the Corvette
Verdad Gallardo
10 Ugly Corvettes That We Still Kinda Love
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 45
Likes: 0
From: Central Square (Syracuse) NY
pivot ball
Lead foot I think you hit the nail on the head. Everything feels tight, and it feels like the clip is still there holding it to the pivot ball. I onbolted the hydraulic cylinder so I could get at the actuator rod and while I had that off I could wiggle the clutch fork to see if it was flopping around and it wasn't. You can see or reach in far enough to check the pivot ball, so I stuck the red extension for the LPS can into where the pivot ball is and squirted the **** out of it and like I said, the noise went away for a little while. I'll live with it til it needs a clutch, which will probably be sooner than later after AFR heads, cam, intake & runners and headers.