major help needed please
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 1,079
Likes: 0
From: Richmond VA
major help needed please
I took the vette out tonight, and had something bad happen.
On the highway, I downshifted from 6th to 5th, and slowly depressed the accelerator. I say slowly because I don't want anyone to think I was banging gears and really getting on it because I wasn't. Well, as the pedal went down, there was no acceleration. The back end felt like I was going over rail road tracks, the exhaust note although loud seemed very muffled, and it took some time for the car to accelerate like it should. Then there was he smell. The car stunk - not sure what it was, but it horrible. I drove it home slowly, only testing it once more, and the same thing happened - very much like a lag before it actually accelerated, and then also the shaking....
Can anyone give me any suggestions as to what might have happened? I had a new clutch put in last year so hopefully that isn't it, but I am afraid this is serious because the car does not drive like it should.
I am planning on building the car up so I am just interested in what might be the problem before a shop tells me that I need a new diff, trans, clutch etc. etc.
Thanks for any help in advance.
On the highway, I downshifted from 6th to 5th, and slowly depressed the accelerator. I say slowly because I don't want anyone to think I was banging gears and really getting on it because I wasn't. Well, as the pedal went down, there was no acceleration. The back end felt like I was going over rail road tracks, the exhaust note although loud seemed very muffled, and it took some time for the car to accelerate like it should. Then there was he smell. The car stunk - not sure what it was, but it horrible. I drove it home slowly, only testing it once more, and the same thing happened - very much like a lag before it actually accelerated, and then also the shaking....
Can anyone give me any suggestions as to what might have happened? I had a new clutch put in last year so hopefully that isn't it, but I am afraid this is serious because the car does not drive like it should.
I am planning on building the car up so I am just interested in what might be the problem before a shop tells me that I need a new diff, trans, clutch etc. etc.
Thanks for any help in advance.
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 24,310
Likes: 0
From: Canon City Co
St. Jude Donor '11,'13
"I voluntarily took 60 days off from OT"
Put the car in the air...put the tranny in neutral..spin the wheels...do they spin smoothly??...Drain the transmission and differential...Were they both full and was the fluid clean and free of metallic debris??...Diff fluid stinks when it's fresh, if something goes wrong and it burns, it REALLY stinks 
...Did the clutch pedeal feel normal other than what you described??..
...Did the clutch pedeal feel normal other than what you described??..
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 1,079
Likes: 0
From: Richmond VA
Put the car in the air...put the tranny in neutral..spin the wheels...do they spin smoothly??...Drain the transmission and differential...Were they both full and was the fluid clean and free of metallic debris??...Diff fluid stinks when it's fresh, if something goes wrong and it burns, it REALLY stinks ...Did the clutch pedeal feel normal other than what you described??..
...Did the clutch pedeal feel normal other than what you described??..
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 24,310
Likes: 0
From: Canon City Co
St. Jude Donor '11,'13
"I voluntarily took 60 days off from OT"
It's possible...that's why you need to drain it and see what the fluid looks like..But the lag you describe sounds like a clutch slipping...a badly slipping clutch will also stink.....BTW, how many miles on the car???
Last edited by The NNIAL8R; Sep 1, 2009 at 09:35 PM.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 1,079
Likes: 0
From: Richmond VA
83Kish. I thought it might be the clutch as well, but I just had one installed last year because I had issues with the care engaging 1st and then also having it kick out of gear from time to time.. ugh...
Race Director
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 19,459
Likes: 48
From: Schaumburg IL
CI 7-8-9-11 Veteran
St. Jude Donor '06-'10, '13
Did you check underneath the car, are you leaking any fluids or anything? Did you check for codes using the DIC? What kind of smell did you have? Does it smeall like clutch? Clutch has a unique smell
trust me I know Or was it more like an exausht type odor? If the motor is lagging it sounds like it went into reduced power mode, but usually you will get a message on the DIC to that effect.
I would check all your spark plug wires, battery connections, MAF sensor/airintake etc,,, may sound simple, but you would be surprised what bad connections will make the car do.
trust me I know Or was it more like an exausht type odor? If the motor is lagging it sounds like it went into reduced power mode, but usually you will get a message on the DIC to that effect.I would check all your spark plug wires, battery connections, MAF sensor/airintake etc,,, may sound simple, but you would be surprised what bad connections will make the car do.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 1,079
Likes: 0
From: Richmond VA
I will hope that is the issue.....
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Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 1,079
Likes: 0
From: Richmond VA
Did you check underneath the car, are you leaking any fluids or anything? Did you check for codes using the DIC? What kind of smell did you have? Does it smeall like clutch? Clutch has a unique smell trust me I know Or was it more like an exausht type odor? If the motor is lagging it sounds like it went into reduced power mode, but usually you will get a message on the DIC to that effect.
I would check all your spark plug wires, battery connections, MAF sensor/airintake etc,,, may sound simple, but you would be surprised what bad connections will make the car do.
trust me I know Or was it more like an exausht type odor? If the motor is lagging it sounds like it went into reduced power mode, but usually you will get a message on the DIC to that effect.I would check all your spark plug wires, battery connections, MAF sensor/airintake etc,,, may sound simple, but you would be surprised what bad connections will make the car do.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 1,079
Likes: 0
From: Richmond VA
Couldn't tell because it was dusk, tinted windows etc. However I envisioned a plume of smoke, fluid, and a complete drivetrain loss, but it seemed to drive fine, as long as I didn't get on it.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 1,079
Likes: 0
From: Richmond VA
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 6,937
Likes: 21
From: Waldorf MD
Could you have downshifted into 3rd gear (or 1st) by mistake? Vibrating could have been wheel hopping. If you did this, you may have bent some valves and/or broke some springs.
To check if clutch is slipping, put it in 4th or 5th and accelerate, if rpms go up without increase in speed, your clutch is slipping. Clutches smell bad when burnt/slipping.
Good luck, hope it is not serious.
To check if clutch is slipping, put it in 4th or 5th and accelerate, if rpms go up without increase in speed, your clutch is slipping. Clutches smell bad when burnt/slipping.
Good luck, hope it is not serious.
Safety Car
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 4,628
Likes: 397
From: Madison Wi
This was my first thought when he said the back of the car felt like it was on railroad tracks.
It sounds like the wheels were hopping which would most likely be caused by downshifting into a lower gear than desired.
Does the problem happen without downshifting? Can you reproduce it by just accelerating without shifting? Say - in 2nd gear?
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 1,079
Likes: 0
From: Richmond VA
This was my first thought when he said the back of the car felt like it was on railroad tracks.
It sounds like the wheels were hopping which would most likely be caused by downshifting into a lower gear than desired.
Does the problem happen without downshifting? Can you reproduce it by just accelerating without shifting? Say - in 2nd gear?
It sounds like the wheels were hopping which would most likely be caused by downshifting into a lower gear than desired.
Does the problem happen without downshifting? Can you reproduce it by just accelerating without shifting? Say - in 2nd gear?
I do occasionally get a shake/vibration when leaving a traffic light (not hard) in 1st. It seems that when I leave hard I don't get any vibration.
