Clutch issue
04-30-2024, 07:59 PM
#1
Heel & Toe
Thread Starter
Clutch issue
I noticed that my clutch reservoir was bone dry(never had clutch issues prior) I took to auto store and got fluid placed in the reservoir shift through all gears with clutch pressed down got out and seen it dropped to about half and added a little more. Drove for less than a quarter mile and seen smoke at this moment the pressure went totally away on the clutch. Got out to investigate and seen fluid dripping down from underneath the car and checked reservoir and it was greatly depleted. As I continued to try and put it in gear it would not there was nothing happening. I pushed it to a parked space and then it dawned on me while it was off to see if I cld put in gear and wala it transitioned through each gear perfectly like normal. Placed in first gear and limped home. Got home let it cool down then ran my hands along master cylinder lines and cables and all was dry no moisture/fluid on my bare hand. Haven’t jacked up as of yet but could this mean my slave cylinder gas ruptured due to adding more fluid? Or is there another line that could have ruptured? Vehicle fires up like normal when I clutch is pressed down(again zero pressure) so snaps down to the floor and have bring up by foot or by my hand with no resistance. Help is much needed what’s your thoughts?
04-30-2024, 08:53 PM
#2
Le Mans Master
Sounds like the slave cylinder. Did you have a remote clutch bleeder on it? On time in my 2008 Z06, my remote bleeder got bound up in tunnel insulation on an aggressive pull, and it snapped off the fitting at the slave cylinder.
05-01-2024, 12:02 AM
#3
Tech Contributor
Usually when you have to bring the clutch pedal up manually, it's the clutch master cylinder.
05-01-2024, 05:23 AM
#4
Not really, since if master goes out, pulling the pedal up by hand, is still not going to allow the master to build up pressure with any more pedal pushes (end of plunge has poped off end of rod).
Now on the other hand, since you have the assist spring in play on the pedal, if no fluid in the slave to push the pressure plate fingers forward, not fluid to push the slave seal back and to allow that pressure to overcome the assist bottom of stroke pressure, then pulling the pedal back up, adding fluid to the system and allowing it enough time to self bleed the air in the line up hill to the master to purge it that way, will allow the pedal with assist spring to work normally.
So on that note, would check the slave for a remote bleeder that was added, and could be that the added remote bleeder is the place that the system is leaking fluid.
Last edited by Dano523; 05-22-2024 at 03:28 PM.
05-01-2024, 05:36 AM
#5
Team Owner
The fact that the clutch reservoir was bone dry you have fluid exiting a closed system or in layman terms a leak. You will be replacing parts to correct this, as Vinnie stated sounds like a leaking slave cylinder.
05-21-2024, 06:48 PM
#6
Heel & Toe
Thread Starter
Found leak
I’ve finally had some time to investigate further. The slave cylinder line has a rupture underneath the heat shield. Trying to find the line by itself but not having any luck doing do. Just off first looks it appears I may have to drop everything to simply replace that line. Is there another approach to going about this that I might be overlooking?
05-22-2024, 11:24 AM
#7
Le Mans Master
I’ve finally had some time to investigate further. The slave cylinder line has a rupture underneath the heat shield. Trying to find the line by itself but not having any luck doing do. Just off first looks it appears I may have to drop everything to simply replace that line. Is there another approach to going about this that I might be overlooking?
I'd still recommend the updated master cylinder while you go through this process. It will save you other headaches. It's not fun when that pedal slams to the floor.
05-22-2024, 03:51 PM
#8
May luck out, if the hose from the master to slave coupler has a leak in it, verses the slave to coupling having a leak isntead.
On former, master cylinder can be swapped out, by going through the drivers front tire removable rear panel.
If the later, then drive line has to come out, to get to the slave that is mounted inside the bell housing.
As for where the line split, or the fact that it going to be at least a grand in labor cost to pull the drive line and reinstall just it, may want to just replace the clutch system while you are in there if it got saturated in clutch fluid from the leak.
The oem clutch replacement (LS7 kit for all ls2 and 3's) will be fly wheel with pilot bearing, disc and pressure plate, and new slave as well, are lot cheaper then the labor cost. Same goes for rebuilding the torque tube since it will be off, and may be something you want to consider if higher mileage rig as well (the three bearings and two couplers). The last one, if you are going to drive the vet like you stole it (abusing the clutch), the stock slave has a plastic through out bearing race support that loves to melt, and may want to change that out to a billet unit instead.
P.S. very light coat of grease in the new throw out bearing support. The clutch will produce dust, and the added grease if too much is just going to cause a mess that will collect that dust, instead of the slave plunger seal being able to just push the dust back out as the pedal works the slave. Hence support rides on the slaves walls for the slave plunger seal (on top of it), so only light coat of silicone grease, and not to the point that your trying to grease pack that area/walls isntead.
So all in all, if you can find an Indy shop that is not going to rape you, repair cost may only be around $3K, with new master, new slave updated with billet race suport, TT re-bearing and re-coupled, new LS7 clutch, new trans and diff fluids and should not have to worry about the clutch and TT for another 80K miles.
Also, if you are going to add a speed bleeder, favor the tick speed bleeder, since has the correct bend in the line where it exits the bell housing, so drive line is not banging the bend in the remote bleeder off the bottom of the car, to cause it to fail quickly/begin to leak instead.
On former, master cylinder can be swapped out, by going through the drivers front tire removable rear panel.
If the later, then drive line has to come out, to get to the slave that is mounted inside the bell housing.
As for where the line split, or the fact that it going to be at least a grand in labor cost to pull the drive line and reinstall just it, may want to just replace the clutch system while you are in there if it got saturated in clutch fluid from the leak.
The oem clutch replacement (LS7 kit for all ls2 and 3's) will be fly wheel with pilot bearing, disc and pressure plate, and new slave as well, are lot cheaper then the labor cost. Same goes for rebuilding the torque tube since it will be off, and may be something you want to consider if higher mileage rig as well (the three bearings and two couplers). The last one, if you are going to drive the vet like you stole it (abusing the clutch), the stock slave has a plastic through out bearing race support that loves to melt, and may want to change that out to a billet unit instead.
So all in all, if you can find an Indy shop that is not going to rape you, repair cost may only be around $3K, with new master, new slave updated with billet race suport, TT re-bearing and re-coupled, new LS7 clutch, new trans and diff fluids and should not have to worry about the clutch and TT for another 80K miles.
Also, if you are going to add a speed bleeder, favor the tick speed bleeder, since has the correct bend in the line where it exits the bell housing, so drive line is not banging the bend in the remote bleeder off the bottom of the car, to cause it to fail quickly/begin to leak instead.
The following 2 users liked this post by Dano523:
dr_gallup (05-23-2024),
yeller z06 (05-23-2024)
05-22-2024, 07:01 PM
#9
Heel & Toe
Thread Starter
May luck out, if the hose from the master to slave coupler has a leak in it, verses the slave to coupling having a leak isntead.
On former, master cylinder can be swapped out, by going through the drivers front tire removable rear panel.
If the later, then drive line has to come out, to get to the slave that is mounted inside the bell housing.
As for where the line split, or the fact that it going to be at least a grand in labor cost to pull the drive line and reinstall just it, may want to just replace the clutch system while you are in there if it got saturated in clutch fluid from the leak.
The oem clutch replacement (LS7 kit for all ls2 and 3's) will be fly wheel with pilot bearing, disc and pressure plate, and new slave as well, are lot cheaper then the labor cost. Same goes for rebuilding the torque tube since it will be off, and may be something you want to consider if higher mileage rig as well (the three bearings and two couplers). The last one, if you are going to drive the vet like you stole it (abusing the clutch), the stock slave has a plastic through out bearing race support that loves to melt, and may want to change that out to a billet unit instead.
https://youtu.be/2DtHl6Htu9g
P.S. very light coat of grease in the new throw out bearing support. The clutch will produce dust, and the added grease if too much is just going to cause a mess that will collect that dust, instead of the slave plunger seal being able to just push the dust back out as the pedal works the slave. Hence support rides on the slaves walls for the slave plunger seal (on top of it), so only light coat of silicone grease, and not to the point that your trying to grease pack that area/walls isntead.
So all in all, if you can find an Indy shop that is not going to rape you, repair cost may only be around $3K, with new master, new slave updated with billet race suport, TT re-bearing and re-coupled, new LS7 clutch, new trans and diff fluids and should not have to worry about the clutch and TT for another 80K miles.
Also, if you are going to add a speed bleeder, favor the tick speed bleeder, since has the correct bend in the line where it exits the bell housing, so drive line is not banging the bend in the remote bleeder off the bottom of the car, to cause it to fail quickly/begin to leak instead.
On former, master cylinder can be swapped out, by going through the drivers front tire removable rear panel.
If the later, then drive line has to come out, to get to the slave that is mounted inside the bell housing.
As for where the line split, or the fact that it going to be at least a grand in labor cost to pull the drive line and reinstall just it, may want to just replace the clutch system while you are in there if it got saturated in clutch fluid from the leak.
The oem clutch replacement (LS7 kit for all ls2 and 3's) will be fly wheel with pilot bearing, disc and pressure plate, and new slave as well, are lot cheaper then the labor cost. Same goes for rebuilding the torque tube since it will be off, and may be something you want to consider if higher mileage rig as well (the three bearings and two couplers). The last one, if you are going to drive the vet like you stole it (abusing the clutch), the stock slave has a plastic through out bearing race support that loves to melt, and may want to change that out to a billet unit instead.
https://youtu.be/2DtHl6Htu9g
P.S. very light coat of grease in the new throw out bearing support. The clutch will produce dust, and the added grease if too much is just going to cause a mess that will collect that dust, instead of the slave plunger seal being able to just push the dust back out as the pedal works the slave. Hence support rides on the slaves walls for the slave plunger seal (on top of it), so only light coat of silicone grease, and not to the point that your trying to grease pack that area/walls isntead.
So all in all, if you can find an Indy shop that is not going to rape you, repair cost may only be around $3K, with new master, new slave updated with billet race suport, TT re-bearing and re-coupled, new LS7 clutch, new trans and diff fluids and should not have to worry about the clutch and TT for another 80K miles.
Also, if you are going to add a speed bleeder, favor the tick speed bleeder, since has the correct bend in the line where it exits the bell housing, so drive line is not banging the bend in the remote bleeder off the bottom of the car, to cause it to fail quickly/begin to leak instead.
Man this is a lot for a car I really barely drive not to say I don’t love her. Because I do! I have plenty of other vehicles I drive regularly. But when I do drive I drive smooth for the most part and may drive harder from time to time. But this is definitely beyond me and what I have in home to accomplish this FEAT. Most likely going to take to a transmission shop at this point unfortunately.
05-22-2024, 11:12 PM
#10
Racer
I replaced and upgraded to the new clutch cylinder in my garage. Took about 1 1/2 hours. Did it on the floor, took it slow. Plenty of videos that helped. Chevy lists 4-4.5 hrs and some members have paid a lot to get the job done. Maybe check out the videos...doesn't take a ton of tools to do this job.