I drove my C6 without a spring for over a year. I put a C5 spring in a week ago.... GET THE C5 SPRING!!!!

 

I just finished installing the C5 spring in mine. Like others have said this made a major difference in the way the clutch feels. I now can actually tell when it is about to engage instead of the old on-off feel with the original.

I also tested the spring to see if it holds the pedal up. The answer like I stated before is YES.

I disconnected the clutch rod with the original spring installed and the pedal instantly snapped up another half inch or so. I then pushed the pedal down and it held it all of the way to the floorboard. I pulled the pedal up and it stayed up on it's own. I then removed the spring and the pedal would just flop around. It would not stay all of the way down or up.

After installing the C5 spring it acted just as the original only with a better feel due to less resistance. I would recommend that anyone running without a spring at least try the C5 spring.

 

So, the spring works both ways then, it seems--helps on the downstroke and holds it up. Interesting. I would have thought only pushback up from the way it was attached. In any event, the C5 makes a big improvement, for my $7.

 

After doing some more driving on some lightly travelled roads this morning and concentrating on the pedal engagment i can say that the previous chatter issue is gone, it is very slight in reverse,
possibly because there is not much throttle needed to go backwards. the C5 smaller spring works, anyone who has a issue with there clutch change the spring like others have reccommened also.

 

just ordered mine at my local dealer $7.25 be here in 2 days.

 

It's a little hard to see how it works. It's being used like a compression spring because the ends are free to rotate in their mounting holes and slots and the coil is free floating.

If you look at the mounting points and the pedal pivot, you can see that it's actually an over-center arrangement which is why it can push the pedal down at the bottom of the stroke and hold it up at the top.

Chevy used that arrangement because it can be done more compactly than using a conventional compression spring and it's cheaper because the spring is simpler to mount than a compression spring.

The C6 spring is a good concept poorly executed.

 

Mine broke 8 months ago and after reading this I'm gonna order the c5 spring

 

If you do not like the clutch action, GET THE C5 Spring! I have been meaning do this for some time. The more comfortable I got with the car, the more I disliked the clutch action.

I finally made the trip to the Buick dealer in my area that had it in stock. The spring only cost $7. I would have paid much much more having now knowing the results. The difference is immediately noticeable, no more on-off action.

FYI: The spring is loaded when the clutch is up. I used a screwdriver to wedge the spring out 1 side at a time with the clutch up. Next I inserted the ends of the new spring and then fully depressed the clutch to insert the middle of the spring to the pedal.

 

Just changed my wife's spring today. Very easy if you take the plastic panel under the dash loose, remove the clutch rod from the pedal, then push the pedal to the floor.

C5 spring feels great, feels "normal", unlike the C6 spring, which is way too strong in my opinion.

Joe

 

I did it too--feels much better! Takes much less slip now to move off slowly.

 

Regarding the install procedure, I found this procedure (by trial and lots error) works best:

1. Install the ends of the spring into the bushings. Simply squeezing does the trick.
2. Use a 18-24" length of 2x4 wood wedged into the floor mat to hold the clutch pedal in the depressed position.
3. Use one of those extra long needle-nosed pliers to grab the loop of the spring and hook it on to the fitting on the back of the clutch pedal.

And I too agree the C5 spring is not only better than the C6 spring, by a country mile, but I also prefer it to no spring.

 

If you remove the closeout panel (3 pop in fasteners) and disconnect the clutch rod (one clip). The spring will hold the pedal to the floor once you push it down. This eliminates the need for something to hold it down.

At first I was concerned about getting the new spring back in after reading some of the post here. However I used the same method that you did to reinstall except I did it by hand.

I think it took me less than 10 minutes to change the spring and this included testing to see if the original spring held the pedal up also.

 

I took the old one off--pedal up, by using a screwdriver to get one end out, came off easy afterwards. Then you put one side of the new spring in, still pedal up, then the other. Push it down, and you can loop the middle part--make sure you install it with the middle part down, over the 'hook' on the back of the pedal lever by hand. Piece of cake!

 

As others have said about the C5 clutch spring, do it. I no longer have the chatter coming outa' first gear. I can feel where the clutch is engaging. This allows me to "control" the application of the accelerator pedal and clutch in first gear.

 

Go ahead and CLICK HERE for a photo and more detailed instructions on exchanging the springs. No need to remove any trim panels, or to disconnect the clutch rod from the clutch pedal lever.

 

Although i did need extra long pointy pliers which i picked up at Ace hardware for $4(yea made in china. )
i just couldn't get the extra reach/leverage to get it hooked in place, the long pliers(i think they are 10" or 11") really gave me the reach in the tight spot. It really is a tough area to get in

 

The best money ever spent on that c5 spring......well my C6 was

 

Mine would not hook by hand. No way. I was going to remove the access panel and then tried one of those foot-long long nose pliers to grab the loop of the spring. Bingo.

 

Put the c5 spring in today, much better than orignal. It is an assist spring, that's why you must push the clutch pedal down to install it. That's when the spring is in the relaxed mode. Sooo it helps push the pedal down. Not sure if the new spring has more tension or less, my pedal seems easy now.

 

Thanks!


UPS dropped the parts from Gene off 20 minutes ago, I follwed these instructions and was done start to finish in under 3 minutes. Thanks clevitekid.

For under $10 bucks this is clearly the BEST bang for the buck, feels so much better.