sam-garcia

Hi guys,

I'm in Atlanta, Georgia (morrow) visiting from Los Angeles, CA. I drove cross country and about 3/4 of the way here I encountered this problem. I'm hearing a grinding noise when releasing the clutch. Please watch my video it's about 2 mins long and shows exactly what is happening.


How much $$ am I looking at here for this problem and does anyone have any shop suggestions near Atlanta, Georgia?

Can I drive it as is back to LA...? Thank you!!

HPS MASTER TECH

it could be the rubber driveshaft couplers. if it is, just take it easy and you should be able to make it back.

sam-garcia

If that's the issue is that something a basic transmission shop can handle, or is it one of those things where the whole transmission needs to be dropped to get to anyway....?

HPS MASTER TECH

yes. trans would need to come out. but i doubt a tranny shop would have that part.

sam-garcia

I came upon a place called "Lake City Transmission" in Morrow, GA. The owner, David, suspected it's something more serious because the shifter happened to pop out on him. He was ready to send me on my way because he said there was no way he could finish the job by the timeframe I needed. I was about to take my chances with some AAMCO out here but I got a glimpse of the employees struggling to perform work on typical economy cars so I turned and ran. Was about to take my chances with another random transmission repair place but got the same vibe so also turned and ran.

Decided to go to talk to David again since he had experience working on vettes and he owned a few of his own in the past. He was sympathetic towards my situation. He told me he wasn't comfortable charging me a ton of money to remove the transmission and replace my clutch set because he could not say definitively that it would solve the problem. He knew I was trying to leave Georgia by Thursday but he had a handful of other cars ahead of me needing service. After some conversation he offered to let his son at his other shop in Locust Grove, GA put the car on a lift and listen for this sound.

I took it early this morning and almost immediately the son and other mechanic that were there agreed that the sound is coming from the clutch area. They spent about an hour with the car on the lift and then me driving it around before they finally offered me some options: 1. drive it back home to California because it would make it back 2. have them replace the clutch set and risk it not being the issue and the warranty would only work in GA (of course). They will be replacing the clutch set and the car should be ready by the weekend. They will be charging $1500 for labor plus parts. They gave me an estimate of $2100.

On a side note, I'm super bummed this happened on this trip. I called my buddy back home that always performs all repairs on my car. He's a freelance "shade tree" mechanic offered to do the job for $380 plus parts. I just don't want to gamble with the car breaking down in the middle of nowhere while driving back to California in which case I would spend the 2k on the repairs and also pay for a hotel and wait for parts to be shipped out to the middle of nowhere etc etc. FML.

The other mechanic working for Lake City Transmission mentioned that he used to work for AAMCO but got tired of their shady ways. He said they would often charge unsuspecting customers outrageous amounts to repair or replace transmissions when in reality they would just replace a sensor or some small part or another etc *shaking my head* exactly why I don't trust ANY shop - including the one where my baby is at now

I will update on the condition of the car when I get a chance.

P.S
The other reason I'm taking my chances with this shop is because I called another shop that apparently does specialize in vettes. It's called "Buyavette" out here in Georgia. They quoted me for $2100 but said they would need the car from Friday to at least Wednesday. I just don't have that kind of time. I hope I made the right decision.

redzg

Since it's only during clutch engagement, and not during steady state cruise, I'd say make sure the AAA card is up to date and hit the road for home. Your trusted shade-tree probably knows as much as the 'pro's you've talked to so far. Never learned to speed shift? Probably not the best time to try, but it is a way to reduce clutch action...

sam-garcia

It was my pilot bearing. It was severely cracked almost in half. The clutch also showed signs of abuse. It was all replaced. Drove the car today and it was running excellent. Pressing down on the clutch, it feels a bit stiff, more than before but I don't even care. Huge thanks to the guys over at Lake City transmission in Locust Grove, GA.

sam-garcia

C5 Pilot bearing


It ended up being the pilot bearing. Obviously replaced the whole clutch since it was a huge job though!