Clutch Issue - '99 Coupe
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 222
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From: Edgewood Maryland
Clutch Issue - '99 Coupe
I'm having an issue with my clutch, and I've been assuming for a while that I need a new clutch, but after doing some reading here, I'm no so sure anymore.
The car has about 45K on it, and as far as I know, it is completely stock (I purchased at 23K).
The issue I'm having is that they clutch doesnt hold at high torque. It drives ok (seems a little weak, but could just be me), but if I load it at high RPM, it slips (and sometimes chatters).
Like I said, I've been assuming that it needs a new clutch, so have just been driving it really carefully (and saving $$$).
Could this potentially be a hydraulics issue? I checked the fluid today and it was NASTY, so I was wondering if maybe I should try the turkey-baster deal to change out the fluid.
Any thoughts/recomendations from anyone?
Also, anyone in MD that has experience want to maybe take a look at it and let me know what you think - PM me - we can meetup sometime.
Thanks!!!
The car has about 45K on it, and as far as I know, it is completely stock (I purchased at 23K).
The issue I'm having is that they clutch doesnt hold at high torque. It drives ok (seems a little weak, but could just be me), but if I load it at high RPM, it slips (and sometimes chatters).
Like I said, I've been assuming that it needs a new clutch, so have just been driving it really carefully (and saving $$$).
Could this potentially be a hydraulics issue? I checked the fluid today and it was NASTY, so I was wondering if maybe I should try the turkey-baster deal to change out the fluid.
Any thoughts/recomendations from anyone?
Also, anyone in MD that has experience want to maybe take a look at it and let me know what you think - PM me - we can meetup sometime.
Thanks!!!
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 8,352
Likes: 103
From: In the pit, trying to love someone.
Well, the first thing I would do is see if it is slipping. With the car completely stopped on a level surface, let the engine idle in neutral. Push the clutch pedal in, put the shifter in first and quickly take your foot off the clutch. If the car stalls, your clutch should be ok and you have a problem with the fluid/hydraulics. If the car does not stall and chugs a bit and starts moving forward, your clutch is slipping. Go see what happens, then report back! Good luck!
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 222
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From: Edgewood Maryland
Well, the first thing I would do is see if it is slipping. With the car completely stopped on a level surface, let the engine idle in neutral. Push the clutch pedal in, put the shifter in first and quickly take your foot off the clutch. If the car stalls, your clutch should be ok and you have a problem with the fluid/hydraulics. If the car does not stall and chugs a bit and starts moving forward, your clutch is slipping. Go see what happens, then report back! Good luck!
I actually already tried that, and it does stall. It feels like its slipping at high RPM when its in 3rd gear or higher under load. And the pedal feels mushy - there's only about an inch or so of the pedal travel when its engaging/dis-engaging the clutch. (I probly should have told you that in my first post).
Thanks again for the quick response!!
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 8,352
Likes: 103
From: In the pit, trying to love someone.
Well... this is not going to be fun but I would recommend bleeding the clutch. Changing the fluid in the reservoir won't do a whole lot for you, there is still plenty of dirty fluid in the line. You should know that 97-00 slave cylinders are notorious for acting up and the BEST thing to do is to replace it with a new one from a Z06. Bleeding the stock one is going to SUCK, and will be alot easier if the exhaust and factory tunnel plate is dropped.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 2,884
Likes: 260
From: Jamison Pa
St. Jude Donor '11-'25
Slipping in 5/6th gear?
Try to accelerate in 5 or 6th gear. If it slips that a new clutch is in order.
The LS6 clutch w/new master and slave will fix you up. I would recommend getting the remote bleeder also.
Bob K.
The LS6 clutch w/new master and slave will fix you up. I would recommend getting the remote bleeder also.
Bob K.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 8,352
Likes: 103
From: In the pit, trying to love someone.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 222
Likes: 0
From: Edgewood Maryland
What do you mean by "accelerate in 5th or 6th" exactly. I dont mean to sound stupid - I dont think it will go from a stop in 5th or 6th, and once it gets going on the highway, I can accelerate in 5th and 6th (from 55 - 65, etc).
Is this what you mean? I'm a little confused as to exactly what you're refering to.
Thanks!
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 222
Likes: 0
From: Edgewood Maryland
Well... this is not going to be fun but I would recommend bleeding the clutch. Changing the fluid in the reservoir won't do a whole lot for you, there is still plenty of dirty fluid in the line. You should know that 97-00 slave cylinders are notorious for acting up and the BEST thing to do is to replace it with a new one from a Z06. Bleeding the stock one is going to SUCK, and will be alot easier if the exhaust and factory tunnel plate is dropped.
Is it even possible to bleed the clutch without dropping a bunch of stuff? I figure if I'm going to be removing stuff, I might as well just change the clutch, slave, etc while I'm at it.
I was considering just changing all the fluid, running it for the day, changing it again, and so on until it looked clean. Do you think this would help?
I guess my bigger concern is that I dont want to tear anything up, and dont want to get stranded anywhere if it goes out completely.
Thanks again!
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Race Director
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 10,649
Likes: 32
From: Central Florida
Here is a thread to read in which I make the case that the first step in remediation of your clutch issue is to clean up the clutch fluid.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1684338
That is the place to start.
Read my post in that thread. let me know if you have questions.
Ranger
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1684338
That is the place to start.
Read my post in that thread. let me know if you have questions.
Ranger
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 222
Likes: 0
From: Edgewood Maryland
Here is a thread to read in which I make the case that the first step in remediation of your clutch issue is to clean up the clutch fluid.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1684338
That is the place to start.
Read my post in that thread. let me know if you have questions.
Ranger
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1684338
That is the place to start.
Read my post in that thread. let me know if you have questions.
Ranger
I'll definitely give it a shot - the fluid was awful when I looked at it today. It looks pretty straightforward, and would be nice if I could fix it with the cost of a few bottles of fluid (and an upset wife when she finds her turkeybaster in my garage with brake fluid in it.
The recomended fluid is Dot3, but would I be better off using Dot4? I have heard that it stands up to heat better, but dont want to mess anything up.
Thanks again.
Race Director
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 10,649
Likes: 32
From: Central Florida
I'll definitely give it a shot - the fluid was awful when I looked at it today. It looks pretty straightforward, and would be nice if I could fix it with the cost of a few bottles of fluid (and an upset wife when she finds her turkeybaster in my garage with brake fluid in it.
The recomended fluid is Dot3, but would I be better off using Dot4? I have heard that it stands up to heat better, but dont want to mess anything up.
Thanks again.
The recomended fluid is Dot3, but would I be better off using Dot4? I have heard that it stands up to heat better, but dont want to mess anything up.
Thanks again.
If the Chevy DOT4 is hard to locate, I've been using Prestone DOT4 Synthetic with good success.
Also you may want to pick up a syringe, in lieu of a turkey baster.
Ranger
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 2,884
Likes: 260
From: Jamison Pa
St. Jude Donor '11-'25
Accelerate in 5th or 6th
Get the car moving (40-50 mph) and floor it in 5/6 gear. Put a load on the clutch. This puts a strain on the clutch.
I would try this and also change the fluid. I change mine on a regular basis. I use DOT 3 fluid, a fresh can that hasn't asorbed any moisture.
Bob K.
I would try this and also change the fluid. I change mine on a regular basis. I use DOT 3 fluid, a fresh can that hasn't asorbed any moisture.
Bob K.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 222
Likes: 0
From: Edgewood Maryland
ok - here's an update.
I took it out at lunch today, and went for a drive - I'm starting to wonder if I'm maybe just losing my mind.
Here's what I did...
1. Idle on a level surface, let out clutch in first - car dies (this is good - no slipping)
2. Ran through all the gears up to 85, no issues at all - never slipped, or chattered
3. 50mph on the highway, floored it in 6th up to 65mph - didnt slip, and it accelerated just fine (very slowly of course)
One thing that I did notice - it seems like at high RPM that it just stops pulling, which I guess is what made me think it was slipping. Its most noticable in 3rd, 4th (its pretty rare that I get it fast enough to run high rpms in 5th and 6th)
One other thing that I noticed was that towards the top end of 3rd, under heavy acceleration, it sometimes chatters slightly, and does it even worse if I hit a bump. It almost feels like the clutch is coming loose - like there isnt enough clamping force holding it.
Any ideas???
I'm still going to use Ranger's proceedure tonight, and extract all the clutch fluid several times, and hopefully that will help the issue where only about an inch or less of the pedal travel is engaging/disengaging the clutch - the rest of it doesnt do anything.
Thanks!!!
I took it out at lunch today, and went for a drive - I'm starting to wonder if I'm maybe just losing my mind.
Here's what I did...
1. Idle on a level surface, let out clutch in first - car dies (this is good - no slipping)
2. Ran through all the gears up to 85, no issues at all - never slipped, or chattered
3. 50mph on the highway, floored it in 6th up to 65mph - didnt slip, and it accelerated just fine (very slowly of course)
One thing that I did notice - it seems like at high RPM that it just stops pulling, which I guess is what made me think it was slipping. Its most noticable in 3rd, 4th (its pretty rare that I get it fast enough to run high rpms in 5th and 6th)
One other thing that I noticed was that towards the top end of 3rd, under heavy acceleration, it sometimes chatters slightly, and does it even worse if I hit a bump. It almost feels like the clutch is coming loose - like there isnt enough clamping force holding it.
Any ideas???
I'm still going to use Ranger's proceedure tonight, and extract all the clutch fluid several times, and hopefully that will help the issue where only about an inch or less of the pedal travel is engaging/disengaging the clutch - the rest of it doesnt do anything.
Thanks!!!
Former Vendor
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 18,666
Likes: 395
From: Tampa FL
St. Jude Donor '07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12'-'13-'14-'15
Dude I do not mean to overtake your thread but wanted to chime in with my issues rather than starting another thread. It seems you have the experts here giving you some good advice so here is my issue.
dead stop- pop the clutch the car stalls
1st- rev up to 5k before shift no slip
2nd- rev up to 4.5 k before shift, no slip
3rd- rev to 4.5 k before shift, no slip
4th- rev to 5k before shift, no slip
5th- shift out of 4th and hit it hard, clutch seems to stick, feels like the tranny is almost completely slipping, burnt rubber smell and does not pull worth ****
6th- feels fine
Now I can have the car in 5th at about 50mph and then accelerate and it pulls fine with no slip. This condition only happens when I rev high in fourth and shift to 5th and hit it hard on highway. Need opinions please? Thanks
Cajun
dead stop- pop the clutch the car stalls
1st- rev up to 5k before shift no slip
2nd- rev up to 4.5 k before shift, no slip
3rd- rev to 4.5 k before shift, no slip
4th- rev to 5k before shift, no slip
5th- shift out of 4th and hit it hard, clutch seems to stick, feels like the tranny is almost completely slipping, burnt rubber smell and does not pull worth ****
6th- feels fine
Now I can have the car in 5th at about 50mph and then accelerate and it pulls fine with no slip. This condition only happens when I rev high in fourth and shift to 5th and hit it hard on highway. Need opinions please? Thanks
Cajun
Race Director
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 10,649
Likes: 32
From: Central Florida
....5th- shift out of 4th and hit it hard, clutch seems to stick, feels like the tranny is almost completely slipping, burnt rubber smell and does not pull worth ****
6th- feels fine
Now I can have the car in 5th at about 50mph and then accelerate and it pulls fine with no slip. This condition only happens when I rev high in fourth and shift to 5th and hit it hard on highway. Need opinions please? Thanks
Cajun
6th- feels fine
Now I can have the car in 5th at about 50mph and then accelerate and it pulls fine with no slip. This condition only happens when I rev high in fourth and shift to 5th and hit it hard on highway. Need opinions please? Thanks
Cajun
Ranger
Former Vendor
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 18,666
Likes: 395
From: Tampa FL
St. Jude Donor '07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12'-'13-'14-'15
Almost certainly an issue with your coordination of the moving part of the shift into 5th gear. I suspect if you data logged that shift you'd find you are slow on the clutch release while the rpms are elevated after clutch-in. That means the root cause is how the shift is performed, rather than a clutch issue. You are unintentionally causing excessive clutch slip and that's the origin of the eau de clutch aroma.
Ranger
Ranger
ThanksCajun
Race Director
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 10,649
Likes: 32
From: Central Florida
So I always recommend that M6/M12 owners do shifting drills until the act of repetitive fast shifts is essentially automatic.
How to Improve Your Shifting
Some folks consider those instructions an "idiot lesson" for anyone who's driven a manual-tranny Corvette. Quite the contrary, these drills can eliminate missed shifts, save the clutch, and yield stronger acceleration.
Ranger
Former Vendor
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 18,666
Likes: 395
From: Tampa FL
St. Jude Donor '07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12'-'13-'14-'15
When working at high-rpm it's very important for the clutch release to be very, very fast. A slower release will induce clutch slip.
So I always recommend that M6/M12 owners do shifting drills until the act of repetitive fast shifts is essentially automatic.
How to Improve Your Shifting
Some folks consider those instructions an "idiot lesson" for anyone who's driven a manual-tranny Corvette. Quite the contrary, these drills can eliminate missed shifts, save the clutch, and yield stronger acceleration.
Ranger
So I always recommend that M6/M12 owners do shifting drills until the act of repetitive fast shifts is essentially automatic.
How to Improve Your Shifting
Some folks consider those instructions an "idiot lesson" for anyone who's driven a manual-tranny Corvette. Quite the contrary, these drills can eliminate missed shifts, save the clutch, and yield stronger acceleration.
Ranger
Cajun
