Well my clutch has pretty much given up the ghost.

Should I install the 02' Z06 clutch or go after market?

Who's got the best service, turnaround price in Texas?

 

Scott, When I began experiencing sticking clutch pedal syndrome, I began collecting "bad clutch links." And here are the better ones for your consideration:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/zerothread?id=192880
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/zero...postid=1036189
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/zerothread?id=78774
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/zerothread?id=148335
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/zerothread?id=214330

Those considering a clutch swap might benefit from my own experience distilled here:

Before you do anything, read the shop manual passages dealing with the clutch and the flywheel. There is a passage on "flywheel removal" that must be followed precisely.

The engine is externally balanced by weight pins in certain holes on the flywheel. Failure to preserve the balance will result in vibration that's quite difficult to cure. This means you must scribe the position of the flywheel on the crank to mark their correct relative alignment.

The new flywheel must go on in the same exact orientation as the old (the scribe mark ensures this) and new weight pins of the correct size must be installed in the new flywheel in the same holes as on the old flywheel.

Finally, torque everything to spec using the "three-step process" where called for in the shop manual.

If you don't follow the shop manual precisely, it is very likely that you will wind up with bad vibrations afterwards. And please note that the manual is poorly organized. You must seek out ALL the references to the clutch and the flywheel, particularly critical are the "flywheel removal" pages.

My dealer screwed up an unnecessary clutch install on my car. The tech failed to scribe the flywheel-crank alignment and didn't transfer the new balance pins to the correct holes on the new flywheel. The resulting vibration from my then unbalanced engine would knock your fillings out. The cure involved three additional clutch installs and finally a two day visit by two Corvette field engineers who used specialized equipment to rebalance the engine. It's fine now but this sidelined my car for about 60 days and was a most unpleasant experience.

Bottom line is read the shop manual thoroughly and follow the steps precisely.

Ranger

 

Thanks Ranger.

Very Informative. :yesnod:

Anyone have MTI replace a clutch?

 

Ranger, it's amazing.........I haven't done a clutch / flywheel in 30 years..............this is something ANY shadetree mechanic knows.........
What an experience........for NOTHING.
Sorry you went through it.......at least you got a free '02 assy..........
Well, not free..........if you prorate your time & mental anguish......they owe you an a NEW '02 :D

 

My symptom was a sticking clutch pedal. Chevy Tech Center told my dealer that the fix for that was to swap out the clutch. New clutch DID NOT cure the problem and the botched install caused new I described above.

The sticking pedal was cured by bleeding the clutch hydraulics (the fluid was "cooked") and replacing the stock fluid with high temp stuff (I used ATE Super Blue Racing). I am also in the process of heat-shield wrapping my hydraulic lines. Here is a link to a thread that describes that and provides some pics (down at the end):
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/zerothread?id=212013

Ranger


[Modified by Ranger, 10:59 AM 1/12/2002]

 

Iam going with a star carbon clutch and adding a stainless McCloud master cyl. also

I liked the price point on the star (525.00) + McCloud(275.00) which put my parts cost at 800.00 vs the 1000+ for the cartek setup.

 

Here are my clutch symptoms.

Giving it any gas causes the RPM's to jump fairly high before the clutch reengages. Any mashing of the throttle pedal causes slippage even at low rpm.

It slips bigtime just putting it in first to drive out of the garage.

 

One more question:

Any possibility I can get this covered by my warranty?

 

Scott97,

Work on or replacement of a clutch is always within a dealer discretion, even under an extended warranty situations, as you appear to be in, unless it's excluded under your contract. So it would depend on your relationship with the dealer.

Were it mine, given my experience with botched installs, I'd be most concerned with finding the right tech to do the replacement correctly.

Ranger

 

Ranger,
Your experience is one of the worst that I've heard. Sounds like you finally got it under control.

I'm still under my original warranty. I'm close to having to renew it though.

There is a dealer nearby whos done really good work for a few of the forum members here.

I'm getting estimates right now.

MTI has got the best deal going so far.
Thanks again for the help! :D

 

i'd give warranty coverage about a 1% chance of happening.

at 20k miles, i had to replace my clutch, due to a hairline fracture in the pressure plate that got bigger.

i went with a 2002 Z06 clutch, and got the dealer to install it. wound up costing $1400 p&l. if i had it to do over again (and i probably will) i would go with either Cartek or Star - probably Cartek because they sell so many clutches and back their product well. make sure you get somebody with ALOT of c5 clutch experience to do the install - this is not an exercise for your average GM service tech.

good luck!

 

Scott,

Since you hit the drags pretty much on a weekly basis i'd go with a Cartek setup. But if you decide to go with a '02 Z06 clutch setup the best prices i've found so far were at http://www.paceparts.com:

'02 Z06 Flywhl, PP & clutch (comes as a set) = $262.08
'02 Z06 Slave cylinder = $70.96

FYI: The master cylinders are all the same from '97-'02(including the Z06), the only things that got upgraded for the '02 Z06 is the flywheel, pressure plate, clutch, and slave cylinder.

 

SCOTT97,97C5ENVY: I went with the STAR ceramic clutch! IT is a fine clutch with a tad bit of chatter in first at low speed engagement, other wise NO PROBLEMS as long as the disc is installed the proper way(which the chevy dealer did, trying to fix my slave cylinder??) Call the guys at Velocity Motorsports in Houston they are dealers for STAR. They will take good care of you. :chevy :seeya


[Modified by ZO6Bill, 3:07 PM 1/12/2002]

 

Thanks for the input fellas!

Tattooed,

You are probably right about th GM picking up the tab, but it can't hurt to try ;)
This particular tech has done work for some of the fastst Vettes in the Austin area including OEM and Aftermarket clutch setups

Ernest,
I'm getting pricing done on a Star clutch right now
Thanks for the pricing!

Bill
I know a couple of the guys a Velocity so I'll probably give them a ring as well.

 

Scott - you're right about that! my grandpa always used to say "there's no harm in asking. the worst thing they can do is say 'no!'" and grandpa used to get lucky every night he went out. :D

sounds like you might have better than a 1% chance down in TX at a GM dealer there too. when my clutch went out, i asked too. the service manager just chuckled and said they had NEVER replaced a clutch under warranty. and then he told me that clutch and brakes are the two things that will never be replaced under warranty. i then mentioned a few scenarios where clutch or brakes might be defective, and he agreed that they would replace them under warranty then.


[Modified by tattooed, 6:49 PM 1/12/2002]

 

Well the short answer is no on GM's end.

Thats OK, I'll just install the 02' Z06 or Star clutch and pick up some serious clamping power. :yesnod:

 

i'd recommend that you go ahead and spend a few hundred extra and get a Star or Cartek. that's what i wish i did because i'm getting ready to upgrade my heads/cam and add nitrous. i'll probably fry my 02 Z06 clutch quickly. i'm putting down about 375rwhp now and it feels like i have just about reached the limits of the Z06 clutch.


[Modified by tattooed, 4:33 PM 1/13/2002]

 

Scott, LPE has a new clutch on the market, it is a single disc design and uses the stock slave/throwout and the stock mastercylinder. Pedal pressure is just like stock. Cost is somewhere around 900.00 Good luck!!!!


LPE TT650

 

Yeah, I'm probably going with the Star at this point.
I want to ensure that whatever clutch I drop in will have more than enough clamping pressure to hold the HP I have now or in the future.

 

Thanks for the Heads up!