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So I have a 2000 Vette. There was a major oil leak that was repaired in February of 2023. Front main seal replaced, the oil pan gasket replaced, slave cylinder, harmonic balancer and flywheel. Now I am almost 100% certain the mechanic replaced the stock clutch with a McLeod clutch. He is saying he definitely did not. There IS a McLeod clutch in it, but he is saying he didn't do the original install. The bill came to just under $4,000. Last week the car starting making a grinding noise when pressing the clutch in and putting it into any gear. I had the vehicle towed and today he called me saying that it is the pilot bearing. He ordered the bearing from GM and is replacing it on Monday. He said it will be about $800. Just curious, does that sound like a good price?? I know it's a ton of labor to replace the pilot bearing. Thanks in advance.
This guy has an extremely good reputation. He's very very honest and very fair. He even said that 10 months ago even if the clutch was replaced they're not gonna warranty anything now. He said he's gonna take care of me and not charge me a lot to do the work. So I trust him.
Just curious if anyone feels that this is a money pit and that I should sell the car instead of continuing to fix it ?
Look, it's a 23 year old car. It would be cheaper if you wrenched your own car, but if you're not so inclined and don't want to keep spending money on paid labor then sell it and buy another (newer) one. Just my opinion, of course.
Unfortunately, I don't have the money for a new one. I'm just thinking long-term how much money am I gonna put into this car. As far as the oil leak goes, the engine area is completely dry, not a drop of oil leaking. Coolant reservoir tank was replaced two years ago. I'm just thinking what else could possibly go in the near future
Originally Posted by frodo84
Look, it's a 23 year old car. It would be cheaper if you wrenched your own car, but if you're not so inclined and don't want to keep spending money on paid labor then sell it and buy another (newer) one. Just my opinion, of course.
Unfortunately, I don't have the money for a new one. I'm just thinking long-term how much money am I gonna put into this car. As far as the oil leak goes, the engine area is completely dry, not a drop of oil leaking. Coolant reservoir tank was replaced two years ago. I'm just thinking what else could possibly go in the near future
It's a 23 year old Corvette, that's equipped with a number of electrical parts and systems that are no longer serviced by either GM or the aftermarket. How lucky do you feel? And I'm not trying to be sarcastic, because I own an '01 Corvette, that I purchased new, but can't help but wonder how long it will be, before something craps out and bites me.....
Not my daily driver no. But I definitely drive it a lot more often then my other Corvette friends do. Most of the time their's is just sitting in their garage covered. I just hate to get rid of it since I already have it set up the way I want it. LED lights, tinted the windows, touchscreen radio the list goes on and on.
If you need help I'm willing to help you. I do all my own work and I've done a lot to both my C5 and C4. They're my only cars, so both daily drivers.
Nice offer, very nice, ThomasR. OP, bottom line is this. ANY car you buy is going to cost you. Even a new one, even if you can pay cash. Because lets say a new Vette is $1,000/month for 84 months. Your C5 may cost you $300/month for 60 months. A new one is $700/month more, every month, for the next 60 months, and $1,000/month more for the last 24 months, because your car will be paid off. Once your car is paid off, you can take out a loan on the car, using the C5 as collateral. I once did $5,000 of repairs by taking out a loan at the local Credit Union using my 2000 vert as collateral. There may be months you don't need any repairs on the C5. But the new one....That $1,000/month swat in the *** is there for 7 years, EVERY month. In less than 3 months, the new Vette isn't new. It's another used Corvette, just like your C5. I paid cash for my C5. Most everyone says "Oh man, you saved a ton in interest. BUT-What they fail to see is that $$$$$ came from my 401k. How many thousands did it cost me in lost earnings? I don't even want to know. I look at it like this-You bought a Corvette, and now you (and I!!) have your foot in the C5 front door. Hang onto it. Pay it off with inflated $$$$$. Enjoy it. Fix it as you go. I'm not the best guy on electronics, far from it. But I'm pretty good with mechanical stuff. And we both have friends here on the forum, the best forum there is for Corvette owners. Learn as you go. What you (and I!!) don't know, someone here will, and will help you (and I!!) out. This is a great brotherhood, as you'll find out as time passes. My opinion, and best of luck....
Last edited by grinder11; Nov 4, 2023 at 04:11 PM.
$800 isn't bad. There is nothing wrong with a McLeod Clutch. The RST is supposed to hold to 800hp and RXT to 1000hp. I've read good things about their single disc clutches as well. Which one do you have installed?
I just had my Clutch done with a newer Overhauled Torque Tube installed and the labor was $1600 here in the Chicago-land area. That was to replace or overhaul everything from the pilot bearing back to the differentiial. Its a big job to even get after that bearing. Cost of the GM bearing is around $22. I'd say he's doing you right by that $800 figure. Baffling why he wouldn't have quoted the bearing and anything else "While he was in there"...
Big job! Lots of stuff to remove to get at the pilot bearing! There she blows! Right in the center of the crankshaft. Shiny and new
Great work Douglas!
If I were doing the job myself I'd take the input shaft to work and do that mod. Looks like a much better solution. I was warned when the job was started that if the input shaft was bad that would be another $600 for a new one from GM. Your solution is a no brainier if you have access to a lathe (I do). If it ever comes apart again I will certainly do this. Thanks for posting. The shaft and bearing on mine were fine it was the older 1998 TT that cracked upon dis-assembly to go along with my smoked clutch from power upgrades I did this spring. I got an RPM overhauled TT from a newer car (2001-2004). With any luck I'll never have to have it down to that level again, but you never know...
Modifying the shaft would be easy, is there anything done to the ID of the crank? Got the PN/ application handy?
Thanks!
These are the guys in Texas that do it as well for the same price Texas drivetrain performance : https://maps.app.goo.gl/N26aggKDoKQctNLFA
Cheaper than putting the crappy pilot bearing with no inner race back in with a new shaft.
No alteration to the crankshaft needed. The crankshaft was designed to accept this bearing in Cadillac applications
When installing this upgraded bearing take note of the line since the bearing is directional. If you put it in backwards it won't slide in the crankshaft
Last edited by douglasjre; Nov 7, 2023 at 10:33 AM.
Just chiming in on this so I get updates on your fix.
mine just dropped off yesterday after maybe 2 years of having a dss fiber shaft in with solid couplers. Same deal, have to drop the whole *** , as we all know. If I had a lift I'd tackle.it. but last drive of the year. I picked up a rotating noise/ vibration when I let out the clutch. Im pretty confident something will be obviously broken. But I am bracing to be seriously pissed if something came apart on that fiber shaft. Supposed to be good to 1000 hp, I dynoed at 400 at the tires. We will see.....oh, and quote is 1600 to drop and put back, before parts
$800 is a really good price imo. I installed a new clutch, pp, TO bearing, slave cylinder and rear main seal in my 03 a year ago. Did it in my garage, on jack stands and I must say it is a HUGE job. So much stuff to have to remove omg it was a big project. **** I’d charge someone $2k to do that job, lol. I’m sure it’s easier with a lift, and once you’ve done it a few times. I’m very mechanically inclined and have been working on cars as a hobby for 35 years. Have done many traditional clutch jobs before but that was by far the most complex installation I’ve ever tackled.
Oh and actually getting the old TO bearing out was a fairly major pita as well. Just added to the overall difficulty of the entire project.
Pilot bearing replacement
