RiceEatingWS6

So on my 02 ws6 frequently when I hold down the clutch pedal all the way to the floor it will get stuck. When this happens, it won't allow me to shift the car into gear out of neutral; I have to manually lift it back up with my foot to be able to shift into gear. I had the car in the shop today and the tech said that the clutch master cylinder is bad, thus causing this symptom. He also showed me the clutch fluid reservoir and said that the black sludgy buildup inside the fluid was actually "metal shavings". I didn't see anything metallic looking in the fluid and the fluid level was not low.

I've had the car for 6 years and has always had this issue, never seems to have gotten worse. Although I did have the tranny rebuilt at about 75K because the car got stuck in 4th gear supposedly b/c of a bad synchronizer. The young tech today said over time a bad master can cause the synchronizers to go bad.

Whats are you guys' thoughts on this? Do you think the clutch master is actually the root cause of the pedal sticking and will it actually wear out the tranny synchros? Thanks!

JD_AMG

Search the manual transmission section, its a pretty common problem. Bad fluid can contribute to it and its also GM's restrictive master cylinder and lines. Don't bother replacing it with an OEM part, look into a Tick adjustable master cylinder.

2000Hawk

iTrader: (5)

I had the same problems as you, and the master cylinder was always the culprit. I've had the Master Cylinder changed twice (once by a mechanic since I had just gotten the car, and 2nd time by me). Both times I had the OEM model put in, since the 1st time there was no other replacement, and the 2nd time because I couldn't afford the Tick model.
-Joel

NoGamesLS1

iTrader: (16)

Bleed the clutch with a turkey baster. Remove fluid from the reservoir and replace with new. Pump pedal, repeat. This is not a great method, but better than bleeding under the car. In my experience most of the problems stem from burnt/black fluid. If that didn't help, my next step would be to install the speed bleeder (tick carries them). It makes it very easy to bleed the fluid, ensuring it is always clean and clear. Unless you have money to burn, I would wait on the master and see if this solves your problem, if it doesn't put in the master. The master isn't bad to replace, maybe and hour-hour and a half. I am running a tick master and speed bleeder. I bleed the fluid every couple months. If I do not, the sticking will return, but not nearly as bad.