Synthetic clutch fluid failure?
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 245
Likes: 2
From: melbourne florida
Synthetic clutch fluid failure?
Hello all,
Have a question about Synthetic clutch fluid. I am having my clutch pedal sticking to the floor under extreme condtions,hard fast shifting {drag racing} etc.I have followed Rangers clutch fluid cleaning instructions,just wondering if I am using the wrong fluid? Is it ok to run synthetic fluid in these c5's or not?I know the c6's use the dot 4 synthetic.....Any info would be greatly appreciated....thanx again
Have a question about Synthetic clutch fluid. I am having my clutch pedal sticking to the floor under extreme condtions,hard fast shifting {drag racing} etc.I have followed Rangers clutch fluid cleaning instructions,just wondering if I am using the wrong fluid? Is it ok to run synthetic fluid in these c5's or not?I know the c6's use the dot 4 synthetic.....Any info would be greatly appreciated....thanx again
Team Owner
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 36,836
Likes: 244
From: Dear Karma, I have a list of people you missed.
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16
Hello all,
Have a question about Synthetic clutch fluid. I am having my clutch pedal sticking to the floor under extreme condtions,hard fast shifting {drag racing} etc.I have followed Rangers clutch fluid cleaning instructions,just wondering if I am using the wrong fluid? Is it ok to run synthetic fluid in these c5's or not?I know the c6's use the dot 4 synthetic.....Any info would be greatly appreciated....thanx again
Have a question about Synthetic clutch fluid. I am having my clutch pedal sticking to the floor under extreme condtions,hard fast shifting {drag racing} etc.I have followed Rangers clutch fluid cleaning instructions,just wondering if I am using the wrong fluid? Is it ok to run synthetic fluid in these c5's or not?I know the c6's use the dot 4 synthetic.....Any info would be greatly appreciated....thanx again
FWIW, I too used to have the exact same problem you're experiencing, and all the flushing/bleeding in the world didn't help one bit. After installing a Tick master cylinder, the problem vanished immediately.
HTH
Pro
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 622
Likes: 169
From: Montgomery Texas
A couple of months ago, my friendly neighborhood GM store advised me that GM has discontinued their magic clutch fluid. AFAIK, the GM fluid was synthetic. GM now recommends DOT4 as the replacement clutch fluid for C5.
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 1,872
Likes: 333
From: Olmsted Falls Ohio
St. Jude Donor '12 thru '24
FWIW, I did the Ranger method on my '01 using the GM Brake & Clutch Fluid part # 88958860, which is a Super DOT 4 fluid. When I poured in the new fluid, a thin stream of dirty ckutch fluid started up from the bottom orifice in the reservoir - it did not appear that the new fluid was readily mixing with the old fluid still trapped in the line below the reservoir.
Anyway, I continued with the procedure and started pumping the clutch pedal the recommended 30 times or so. About the 15th pump, I noticed that the clutch mechanism made a squeaking sound with every pump of the pedal. I stopped pumping the pedal and proceeded to perform the Ranger method again and filled the reservoir with Delco Supreme 11 Brake fluid part # 12377967, which is a straight DOT 3 fluid. Proceeded to pump the pedal and after the 30 pumps, the squeaking disappeared. Lesson, no more DOT 4 fluid in my clutch system. By the way, the cap on my clutch reservoir specified DOT 3 fluid.
Also, I started using the modified Ranger method which goes a little farther to get the old fluid below the reservoir.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-c...er-method.html
Anyway, I continued with the procedure and started pumping the clutch pedal the recommended 30 times or so. About the 15th pump, I noticed that the clutch mechanism made a squeaking sound with every pump of the pedal. I stopped pumping the pedal and proceeded to perform the Ranger method again and filled the reservoir with Delco Supreme 11 Brake fluid part # 12377967, which is a straight DOT 3 fluid. Proceeded to pump the pedal and after the 30 pumps, the squeaking disappeared. Lesson, no more DOT 4 fluid in my clutch system. By the way, the cap on my clutch reservoir specified DOT 3 fluid.
Also, I started using the modified Ranger method which goes a little farther to get the old fluid below the reservoir.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-c...er-method.html
Last edited by pickleseimer; Nov 3, 2012 at 10:00 PM. Reason: typo
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 6,835
Likes: 302
From: Columbia SC
Why do you say Silicone is not ok? I understand it is not for ABS brake systems but why not in a clutch? I use Silicone in all my non ABS cars and in all my clutch cars. I have done this for some 30 years and I race all my cars and do hard shifts. Curious Sam.
Team Owner
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 36,836
Likes: 244
From: Dear Karma, I have a list of people you missed.
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16
The term "synthetic", as it applies to brake fluid, is being used nowadays as more of a marketing term. Kind of like putting "All natural" on a bottle of water. Is it true? Sure. Is it hype/marketing designed to imply it's "better" than the competition and to sell more? I'd say so.
DOT5 is the only category that is silicone-based. Is it "synthetic"? Sure. So is DOT3 and DOT4 (and DOT5.1) which are polyethylene glycol-based.
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Racer
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 302
Likes: 2
From: Baton Rouge LA
I think you must mean silicone (DOT5), not synthetic. There's a difference.
The term "synthetic", as it applies to brake fluid, is being used nowadays as more of a marketing term. Kind of like putting "All natural" on a bottle of water. Is it true? Sure. Is it hype/marketing designed to imply it's "better" than the competition and to sell more? I'd say so.
DOT5 is the only category that is silicone-based. Is it "synthetic"? Sure. So is DOT3 and DOT4 (and DOT5.1) which are polyethylene glycol-based.
The term "synthetic", as it applies to brake fluid, is being used nowadays as more of a marketing term. Kind of like putting "All natural" on a bottle of water. Is it true? Sure. Is it hype/marketing designed to imply it's "better" than the competition and to sell more? I'd say so.
DOT5 is the only category that is silicone-based. Is it "synthetic"? Sure. So is DOT3 and DOT4 (and DOT5.1) which are polyethylene glycol-based.
Knows what he is talking about. wikipedia has a great page on it.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 2,375
Likes: 426
Interesting. Can you go over the process necessary to convert a 10 year old car from synthetic to silicone based fluids?