foundvettelifeisgood

My car has 57k miles and no issues up until today on the clutch.

Clutch pedal has a notch in the travel after any gear engages. Engagement is good and no slippage.

So you're letting out the clutch, the gear engages mid pedal, and then the pedal has a strangle spring to it coming to the top. Not normal and a problem.

I was a few miles from home on my way to work and thinking about taking it home, went to shift and the pedal came back only a couple inches and the car was stuck in gear. I pulled over and shut it down with the car in gear.

Got out and pulled the clutch pedal up with my hand. Depressed the clutch and got it into neutral. Started car and decided to see if I could make it home and did, shifting as little as possible.

Made it home and checked the clutch reservior. Fluid was a little dirty and slightly low, so I topped it off. Clutch feel with car off is still not right.

Car was inspected yesterday morning and I drove it all afternoon with no issues, so I don't think putting it on the rack could have hurt anything.

Not looking forward to driving it to a shop and thinking of flat bedding it.

Thoughts/advice please!

Z06TWT

Been there. I have 50k on my C5Z. At the track this problems is more common from the heat. So the sequence of treatment is to first "Ranger" your clutch fluid. If you search the CF you will find lots of posts about this procedure. If that fails (as it did for me) look into a "Tick" clutch master. This will increase fluid flow and cure the problem for some. I have also been told to use high temp clutch fluid like Prospeed or Motul to avoid heat/moisture issues. If this fails then proceed to a new clutch and slave. Also read http://www.torcavettes.com/tech/ClutchHydraulics.htm for a more complete discussion. Good luck.

foundvettelifeisgood

Sounds like great advice. I'll try to Ranger it tomorrow after work and report back. Thanks.

David426

Common problem.. Here is a better (more informative link) write up from Ranger himself ..
http://www.rangeracceleration.com/Clutch_Care.html

c5vette211

once you have done so start looking for fluid in the drive way or lack of fluid in your res. if there is an issue with sticking sometimes the slave or master cyl can be an issue.

pcbunn

Am going to clean out the reservoir tomorrow. My'01 calls for Dot 3 which I will get at the GM dealer but what are lint free paper towels? Are they just the standard blue shop towels?

c5vette211

yes those will work fine and it is not necessary to get your fluid from the stealership! The stuff they have at autoparts store is just as good.

pcbunn

Thanks for the info and I'll save a few bucks with the Dot 3 fluid I get at the local NAPA store.

Bill Curlee

There is a strange shaped SPRING on the clutch pedal that connects to the clutch pedal frame. Remove that spring and see if the strange feeling goes away.

Most people remove it and do not reinstall it for a better more uniform clutch feel.

Corvette_Ed

Prestone makes a Dot 4/Dot 3 compliant fluid with a higher boiling point. It's a bit of an upgrade from straight Dot 3, and even Ranger recommends it. Wal Mart sells it, but I have not found it in any of the parts stores.

Corvette_Ed

Thanks for this tip Bill. I'm going to try this out and see if I like the feel better. I've always thought something felt wrong.

c5vette211

not sure if you have it but advanced auto parts has valvoline DOT 3/4

foundvettelifeisgood

Been a member of this forum since 2001, and I'm continually amazed at what a fantastic resource it is. Thanks guys.

Corvette_Ed

Nope, we don't have any Advanced stores in TX that I know of. Auto Zone and O'Reilly's, with an occasional NAPA is about it.

foundvettelifeisgood

Did the Ranger protocol and unfortunately, it's not the problem. The fluid wasn't very dirty and several routines didn't yield any dirt from the slave.

What clutch should I have the dealer install...Z06?

c5vette211

you may only need a new slave not a new clutch...

foundvettelifeisgood

Dealer replaced clutch Master Cylinder, bled it out and all is normal again.

ipuig

Bad idea, the spring is required to bring the master cylinder back to its resting position and allow fluid from the reservoir to enter the hydraulic system. I believe that ET and/or Eric D have mentioned this several times.

bumble-z

Here is a picture of the spring.
If you lay on your back or side, looking directly upwards towards the top side of the clutch/brake pedals, you will be able to see where it lives.