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I asked my brother to take my 2003 z06 to get a safety check however on his way, he said the clutch pedal became very hard to press/stuck. He was on the highway and had to press the pedal with a lot of force. After he pressed it, it broke free but the pedal went straight to the floor and had no pressure. After pulling over he noticed fluid coming out by the left header. He had to call a tow truck to get it back home.
Is this the clutch slave? Also what would cause the clutch pedal to get stuck like that? Could something else be broken? How much is this going to cost me in parts? The car has a tick master cylinder installed by the previous owner.
Depending what clutch your going with anywhere 400 to 600 to do it yourself and say around 1500 give or take depending on where you live, if you take it to a shop.
Big learning curve if you do it your self BUT,,,, It really isn't that difficult if you have the tools, space and time. I do mine on the floor with just jack stands at all four corners.
Get under the car and inspect the quick connect between the master and slave cylinders. It is odd that the pedal would get hard to push then let go. If the connection came apart, that could explain the hard pedal and blowing the line would explain the pedal going to the floor.
Last edited by 3sACROWD; Oct 15, 2019 at 01:16 PM.
Any idea if this looks disconnected?
The car is at my parents house and I took this picture yesterday. I cant keep the car at my place because I only have 1 parking stall, so it stays at my parents place. I don't go there often and I'm probably not going to be able to work on the car till December. Any recommendations on what slave and clutch kit to buy? Not looking to spend too much.
If you are on a budget, and stockish power levels, a LS7 or LUK clutch. I'd do a OEM master and slave. Research the remote bleeders Tick or Katech. I believe Tick requires a crush washer on the slave but katech does not. I have not had a problem with my Tick.
I very much recommend disassembly of the torque tube to check bearings and couplers. Nothing is worse than putting a new clutch in just for a worn torque tube to eat a clutch, BTDT.
Any idea if this looks disconnected?
The car is at my parents house and I took this picture yesterday. I cant keep the car at my place because I only have 1 parking stall, so it stays at my parents place. I don't go there often and I'm probably not going to be able to work on the car till December. Any recommendations on what slave and clutch kit to buy? Not looking to spend too much.
Yes to me that is not connected . Push them together and you should be go to go. Then check fluid.
Yes to me that is not connected . Push them together and you should be go to go. Then check fluid.
Doubtful he will be good to go. The system will have to be bled and if he does not have a remote bleeder it is very difficult to get to the bleeder
on the slave.
Doubtful he will be good to go. The system will have to be bled and if he does not have a remote bleeder it is very difficult to get to the bleeder
on the slave.
Further how did it disconnect? Usually that is a tough connection to disconnect with the proper tools. I would be concerned it would disconnect again later.
If the connection truly came apart, that is a concern. Why needs to be investigated. Maybe it wasn't seated properly to begin with. How old is the master cylinder? Then there is the question of the line coming from the master cylinder. Based on the original description, the pedal went from rock hard to going to the floor. I suspect the line now has a hole in it. (Requires inspection)
There is a good chance the slave did not lose fluid. If the OP gravity bleeds the master cylinder line before hooking up to the slave line, he should be fine. The questions are did the connection come apart, if yes, why, and finally is the line burst?
When I replaced my stock master with a TICK, I did not have to bleed the slave. All worked as intended after gravity bleeding the master cylinder.
If the connection truly came apart, that is a concern. Why needs to be investigated. Maybe it wasn't seated properly to begin with. How old is the master cylinder? Then there is the question of the line coming from the master cylinder. Based on the original description, the pedal went from rock hard to going to the floor. I suspect the line now has a hole in it. (Requires inspection)
There is a good chance the slave did not lose fluid. If the OP gravity bleeds the master cylinder line before hooking up to the slave line, he should be fine. The questions are did the connection come apart, if yes, why, and finally is the line burst?
When I replaced my stock master with a TICK, I did not have to bleed the slave. All worked as intended after gravity bleeding the master cylinder.
The master has to be a few years old if not older. It was put on by one of the previous owner (not the one I bought it from). The pedal getting stuck is a pretty big concern. Maybe something broke in the clutch assembly and jammed so the slave could not move this requiring a lot of pedal force. Then that lead to excess pressure and blowing the line or something.
Don't panic yet. The stuck / hard pedal could be the result of the quick connect from the master to the slave starting to or becoming undone. If the master is not connected to anything, you cannot press the pedal down if there is fluid in the line. There is a check ball in the master cylinder line. When your brother pushed harder on the pedal and it gave way could indicate that the master cylinder line burst and that is where the fluid came from. You have to get under the car to investigate.
Another scenario...did the pedal stick to the floor before the pedal became hard to push? If yes, did he do some spirited driving immediately before the issue? If yes, the common cause would be dirty overheated clutch fluid. Typically when this happens, the driver can use their toe to pull the pedal up and the pedal feels spongy until things cool down. This doesn't sound like what you're describing though.
I agree. I wouldn't be in panic mode. You can try reconnecting and gravity bleeding. I would be hesitant to take the car on anything other short trips for a while if it reconnects and seemingly resolves the issue. It is odd that it disconnected after establishing a connection that operated the clutch for so long.
Okay finally had time to work on the car today. I bought a new hydraulic line from tick ($143) and tried replacing the line and reconnecting it to the slave. However the quick disconnect keeps popping out. I can disconnect it by hand.
All the prongs look okay in the slave connector. No cracks on the connector. I suspect the prongs in the slave connector are bent in too much. Anyone had this happen before? Can I bend the tabs out a little more in the slave connector? Or anyone know if I can but new prongs/insert? It looks like it can come out and be replace.
Last edited by Haynboy8; Dec 27, 2019 at 02:23 AM.
Well got it back together. First I took out the metal fingers and bent them out slightly but still no luck getting it to stay connected. Opened up the bleeder and still no luck either.
Then I figured I'd try see if I can push the insides of the slave connector in a little with a flathead. I guess that gave it like a mm more space for the connector to seat with the fingers.
Bleed the system. And reinstalled the tunnel cover and x pipe. I never want to do this again.
and add a remote bleeder when you do the job if you don't have one.
Clutch Slave? Leaking fluid.
