I brought my 2007 coupe back to the dealer the other day because they were supposed to top off all fluids during my oil change and did not get to the clutch reservior which showed near the low mark and there was a 'waxy' residue on the black rubber gasket under the cap which was also fully extended. To make a long story short, the service writer told me he believes the fluid was contaminated and I am now waiting for them to change the master and slave cylinders because they apparently can't get the system bled after changing the fluid. What I'm looking to find out is if anyone else has this residue under their caps. I would hate to have them tearing into my driveline for nothing.

 

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-t...al-issues.html

 

story of our lives

 

If they were just supposed to top off the fluids and in the absence of any clutch operating problems, I would not have taken the car back to the dealership. I would have wiped the reservoir cap clean and 'changed' the clutch fluid myself per Ranger's DIY instructions.

http://www.rangeracceleration.com/Clutch_Care.html

At this point and without any clutch operating problems, replacing the master and slave cylinders seems unnecessary. I'd be curious, why can't they bleed the clutch fluid?

 

I actually have had no problems with my clutch and am very impressed with the ease of shifting. I should add that the fluid was a bit cloudy but not that bad. Now what, should I have doubts about their ability to work on my car?

 

Yes I would have doubts about their ability.. My 08 fluid was at the low mark and the rubber gasket was fully extended as yours was. There was also a bit of residue on it. This was after a year and 14,000 miles with absolutely NO clutch problems what so ever. I simply followed "Rangers" fluid change method, wiped the gasket off, and refilled with new fluid. No issues at all. BTW my fluid was dark like black coffee.

I certainly don't think they need to go changing parts. Go to another dealership..

 

LOL, I would worry/doubt. It is in the service peoples interest to bill as much as possible.

with the downturn in sales upfront they need to make up the lost revenue some how

 

My 08 Z has about 800 easy miles on it and the fluid is suprisingly dark. My 02 never did get this dark. Time to get some fluid and do a change.

 

I remember seeing it mentioned that the bleed screw/slave isn't easily accessable. Pretty extensive job to get to it. Heard of some folks adding a remote bleeder of some sort if they were having other Trans work done.

 

If you end up having the slave cylinder replaced, have them install one of the 'remote' bleeder systems.

 

The bleed screw is very difficult to get to.

 

fill the reservior to the brim, refit the cap, undo the bleeder then remove the cap, let it run top up at halfway never let it get under half, put 250mL through, fill to the brim again and install cap to create a vacuum in the line get back under car nip up the screw then check fluid height.

The ranger method is OK but it will never remove tiny amounts of moisture that build up in the system, a good flush makes the clutch feel new. Use dot 5.1 fluid.

 

Maybe it's just me but I can't tell what the hell he is trying to explain..

 

I called the dealer the day I first posted after reading everyones replies. I asked them to try bleeding the system again before they tore into it. Got my car back yesterday, clutch works as good as ever! I won't however be going back to the place again, I went to my car and found that they didn't even try to wipe off the oily marks they made while working on the car and found alot of DOT4 drips under the hood. Thanks for the info everyone you more than likely saved me from alot of grief!

 

Yesterday I tried to buy the GM clutch fluid # 88958860 that my 08 Z06 owner's manual calls for. I talked to 2 dealers in Kansas City and they not only did not have it but they had never had it. What does that tell you about what they are putting in the cars they work on?? Yes you can use Dot 4 but when you go to the dealer you THINK you are getting GM parts & fluids.
I would be willing to bet that some of these places just dump Dot 3 fluid in because they don't have anything else handy.
I know there are good techs out there but if you don't watch you do not know what they are putting in your car????
I have a bottle coming Monday. They are going to pick it up from a dealer that has it on the other side of town.
Since the bleed screw is almost impossible to get to unless you have hands and arms the size of a 2 year old I like Rangers procedure since you can see the fluid moving in the video. It may not get every drop of the old fluid out but it is so easy to do that a Cave Man can do it. and it is a 1 person operation. Besides it is good exercise for your leg.

 

Do the Ranger procedure whenever your fluid gets brownish and you will never have a problem. I do mine about once every six weeks or so. It's easy to do and cheap.

The actual bleeder for the slave is inside the bell housing and nearly impossible to get to.

 

I called six dealerships before I found one that had it. Had to drive an hour to get it. Another reason why I do my own maintenance.

 

The manual says to only use GM part xyz for US, part xyz for Canada, and the Super Dot 4. It is not clear the way the sentence is written if Dot 4 can be used on Cars in US. Can't see why it should even be different. Can anyone explain? Can I use Dot 4??

 

I can't tell you for sure but here is what I think. This is based on the assumption that Canadian cars get the same parts as US cars. I believe that do since US cars and overseas cars come down the line at the same time and I can't imagine GM has different clutch hydraulics.

I don't know what GM parts distribution is in Canada but it leads me to believe the GM fluid is not readily available in Canada. With that said it sounds like they are saying the GM fluid is preferable but Dot 4 is an acceptable substitute. I believe sometime back C4c5 recommended using the GM fluid and he is pretty sharp.

Maybe someone here has some inside info. they can pass along to us.

 

I also like to use the GM clutch fluid in my 04 Z06, but the local dealer does not stock it either.
I have to drive to a nearby town to get it from another dealer. GM makes you order a case at a time, and I guess dealers are trying to reduce the parts they stock when they do not sell many of a certain part or fluid.