kduginski

I have a 2001 Z28 camaro manual 6 speed. Had it for about 5 years and never had problems until recently. I put it in the shop and had the transmission healy coiled, and mechanic suggested I replace the clutch as well. So I did. He said he put a Hydraulic Clutch in it. Got it home and it had a leak (didn't have before). Took it back to shop and I supposedly had a master clutch cynlinder leak...so got that fixed. Now it will not go in to reverse unless i work with it and shove it in there, but when my ignition is turned off and i turn the key over just enough for my radio to come on, it slides right into reverse without a problem. First gear is also a little tough. All of the other gears seem to be ok while i'm driving. I am having to push my clutch all the way to the floor to shift gears and if I'm at a complete stop and let up even a hair the car starts rolling. I've taken it back to the shop AGAIN because I can't keep struggling with the thing. The mechanic told me to just get rid of it but I want to fix it if I can and will take it somewhere else. Please tell me what the problem may be!

Thanks, Clueless Texas Girl

BarneyMobile

iTrader: (4)

What clutch was put into the car? Sounds like a few things could be going here. New clutches tend to start out grabbing low on the pedal. Once they break in, the pedal will start to move up abit. You could also have some air trapped in the hydraulics which will give you a low spongy pedal. Lastly, what ever clutch they put in might need to be shimmed. The shim moves the slave cylinder/T.O. bearing closer to the clutch fingers which in turn will bring your engagement point up higher on the pedal travel. A clutch that grabs right off the floor will make it hard to shift and put the car in gear at a stop. I would try bleeding the hydraulics more first. Good Luck.

kduginski

I'm not real sure what kind of clutch was put in. I just know that it is a hydraulic clutch. If what you said is the problem, is it an easy fix & how urgent is it that I get it fixed? Will I ruin anything or create more problems by letting it be like this and forcing it into gear?

kduginski

Also, why won't it go into reverse? Sometimes it goes in, but most of the time it won't unless the car is not running?

Hartje

iTrader: (1)

Yeah, that sounds like a master cylinder to me.... like the post above mine try bleeding the master again.

Also might do the "drill mod" (do a quick search) or replace the master cylinder.

EDIT: My car is a monster to get into 1st and reverse because my master is shot. also it has gotten worse and now its often difficult to shift into any gear. I suggest getting it fixed as soon as you can, to avoid any damage to your gears.

Good Luck

kduginski

Thanks. I have to do something soon because I'm wearing my knee out dealing with it. It's a nice car and I definitly don't want to get rid of it if it's repairable. Guess i'll put it in the shop once again!

brians91formula

iTrader: (12)

Your Mechanic just sucks. Find someone who knows what they are doing.

Matt@SNLPerformance

iTrader: (1)

Where in Texas are you located? If you are local to the DFW area we would be glad to take a look at it for you.

Matt

4WOFURY

iTrader: (2)

This, especially with the "Just get rid of it" comment. He's tired of trying to figure out his screw up and doesn't want to deal with it any more.

BarneyMobile was dead on.

kduginski

Matt...Im in the Midland / Odessa area. It's difficult to find a good mechanic around here that's not just gonna temporarly rig things for a while just to get me to come back and spend more money. And it's inconvienant when I don't have a car for weeks at a time! I just wish I could find someone that knows what the hell they are doing so I could get it fixed. This has been going on for months now. I'm affraid of screwing it up even more by driving it the way that it is! Another mechanic just told me to pump the clutch that there is probably air trapped...urg so aggravating!

freefallen.1

Hey I am in Midland several times and am planning a trip soon as i will be moving there. People are great. Sorry about the problem. Give me a day to find someone. If I cant I will be happy to come fix it. i have done a ton and am currently swaping my WS6 to a M6. Based on what your saying it sounds like air in the line. Easy fix but if not done can mess things up. Especially the weak 3-4 shift fork. Let me make some calls and Ill get back to you.

Box Auto Salvage 432-683-9200
I know it sounds weird but they do repairs..lol Very good shop. Some people I trust and respect very much said they swear by them. Give them a call and let me know. Hope it helps

wssix99

iTrader: (5)

Most cars have hydraulic clutches. It's a system where a hydraulic system "helps" you at the pedal so you don't have to press it as hard to work the clutch. Ours works similar to this picture:


The problems you are having sound like a hydraulic problem. It could be your master cylinder or your slave cylinder or air in the lines. (I just had a similar issue with my clutch replacement. I put in a new slave cylinder, which was a dud and was leaking fluid.)

If your mechanic is telling you to get a new car, they are WAY over their head and they should stick to working on Hondas. I think if you take it to someone who is more familiar with our cars and transmission, you have much better luck.

kduginski

Thanks for the diagram. That helped a lot in understanding what I'm talking about. Today it didn't want to come out of reverse. I had to take my foot off of the clutch and let it die to get it out of gear. The problem seems to be getting worse. I'm taking it to a different mechanic on Monday, so I'm praying this one helps it.

kduginski

Also, is this an expensive fix? Just don't want to get ripped off and I'd like to know how much money i'm looking at for repairs

wssix99

iTrader: (5)

Take a look under the car for leaking hydraulic fluid. Probably where at under the firewall just on the other side from where your clutch pedal is mounted or where the transmission meets the engine.

If your problem is getting worse, I bet you have a leak like I did.

Worst case - your transmission will need to be dropped again, which is the expensive part. Depending on who's issue it is, you may or may not get some relief. Every time this kind of service is done, it can upset the old parts and cause them to leak or defective parts may have been installed or the installer can make mistakes.

In my case, even though I had a bad part, which was no fault of my mechanic's, he gave me a price break on the transmission drop out of pity and compassion.


When you had your clutch replaced, do you know if your slave cylinder was also replaced? (That's a common thing to do, but makes the clutch replacement a bit more expensive.) If you had your master cylinder worked on, it could be just a loose fitting there, etc. - which is not too expensive to deal with.

kduginski

I don't think that I had my slave cylinder replaced. It was just the clutch at first and when i got it home there was a leak that I didn't have before, so took it back and they said it was the master clutch cylinder, after that it wouldn't go in to reverse and first was tough as well, so i took it back again and thats when the mechanic advised me that it was a money pit and to get rid of it. so i've just been dealing with it and not parking anywhere that i may need to back up. It's especially aggravating when i'm in a hurry and have to jack with the thing. There isn't anything leaking, that I can see anyways. And earlier today it didn't want to come out of reverse and even got stuck for a second in first. It's not sliding into any gear real smooth like it's supposed to, unless i'm driving real fast. I never had these problems until I started getting it worked on.

MeentSS02

iTrader: (11)

It is always recommended to replace the slave cylinder when you replace the clutch assembly - while it isn't cheap, it is good insurance against future problems, especially considering the amount of labor involved to get to it since it sits inside the bell housing right behind the clutch.

The mechanic saying it is a money pit means one thing - he/she isn't comfortable working with hydraulic clutches, and doesn't want anything to do with this one anymore. The clutch hydraulic systems on these cars can be tempermental, but they are not that hard to work on. Bleeding all of the air out of the lines is a MUST, and if this isn't done, it can cause big issues, like making it hard to get into and out of gear. When this happens, it means your clutch isn't being fully disengaged by the hydraulics, and this needs to be addressed ASAP before it causes bigger issues inside of the transmission.

Where exactly was this leak? Was it centered under the car, or more towards the driver's side? The reason I ask is because there aren't many places for a master cylinder to leak, and I would have suspected the slave cylinder first depending on where you saw the drops of fluid. I have a feeling the shop said it was the master cylinder because they didn't want to pull the tranny to inspect the slave cylinder.

tillery

iTrader: (4)

Yea about to say you must live near here. I do majority of my work when I have time. If you haven't gotten it fixed yet I know of a few people who can help.

David21

iTrader: (1)

I hate when (pardon my French) sacks of **** take advantage of customers and especially women.

kduginski

I have not gotten it fixed yet. Wish I could find someone in my area that would fix it right. ! Had more problems today. It wouldn't come out of first, was stuck, then wouldn't go into second. Seems to have gotten worse. Where do I bleed it?