Jimmard

iTrader: (12)

So I am having the infamous clutch pedal getting all mushy problem. Well I pulled the master cylinder, did the drill mod, and put all new fluid in it for the old stuff was all black, bench bled it, wrapped the line with fuel line and aluminum tape, put it back in the car, used the mity vac to get all the air out of it, and the pedal felt great. No free play play at the top.
So I take it out, run it through the gears, still having the same mushy pedal problem, only not quite as bad now. Fast foward to about a week later, i check the fluid again, all black again, but not really as bad as before. One thing i noticed the other day is if im driving it, say at 50mph in 3rd gear, push the clutch in while it is in gear and leaving it in gear, rev the engine up to 5k a few times, when i go to let the clutch out, the pedal pushing out really hard, almost forces my foot up off the pedal, when it reaches the top of the travel of the pedal, it goes beyond the normal top point, kinda popping it feels like against my foot, then goes to the normal spot. When i push the pedal down after that it is VERY stiff. I was suprised how hard it was to push the pedal down. After its down, i release my foot and the pedal is total mush, all the way to the floor with the engagement point at the floor. Stays that way for about 5 mins of driving until after i pump the pedal quite a few times. My question is what the hell is causing this? How do i fix it? Its an 02 camaro so its got all the new stuff in it, 25k miles on the car and im stumped. Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

James

Mike44138

iTrader: (3)

Take the hydraulic line off the slave and try and push the master. If you can't push it down with reasonable pressure the master is probably fine.

Black clutch fluid indicates a contaminated hydraulic system. Usually caused by a failing seal or hydraulic component (sometimes you can get this from an overheated rubber hydraulic line). Considering you're feeling a difference after revving the engine I'd bet your slave is gone/getting ready to go. The black in the fluid you're seeing is probably due to a bad seal on the slave or other damage. If it were my car I'd flush the system with complete new fluid, bleed it really well and see if that helps. If it doesn't I'd be pulling the trans next and taking a look at the slave and pressure plate.

Jimmard

iTrader: (12)

I did that when it was off the car and it didn't budge, so I'm assuming the master itself is ok.

Weird thing was, after I bench bled it, I had the master laying flat on my work bench overnight with the empty reservoir and everything attatched ready to fill and install the next day. When I came out the next morning there was black fluid leaking out of the reservoir. Now how could there be MORE black fluid after I completely bled the system? I must have bled the fluid about 15 or 20 times and it never really got clear like brand new, it was always a shade of dark. Does that mean I just need a new rubber hose since when I put pressure on the master that it didnt budge, or should I just replace the entire thing, slave, master, check out the pressure plate, clutch etc.?

DONAIMIAN

iTrader: (18)

My fluid is black too, and the other day at the red light it took a while to get it into any gear 1-R so im thinking this may be my problem, although, I just replace my slave about 2 years ago with the 01+ version, and have been to the track twice since then.

Mike44138

iTrader: (3)

The master is good because you can't press it. Should have a decent seal with no leaks otherwise you'd be able to move the pedal. Sounds like the contaminant (clutch dust, oil, rubber etc..) has managed to work itself into the master pretty good. If it were my car I'd probably just reinstall the master and be ready for it to go in the future. If you purchase a GM master it comes pre-bled with the reservoir, master, and hydraulic line. Considering you're having shifting problems my money is on the slave being the original cause of the source of the dark fluid. My clutch fluid was clear up until about 3 months before my slave blew the first time. If your clutch has some decent miles on it and you're in there it wouldn't be a bad idea to look at a replacement. If you decide to do that I'd also get a new pilot bearing.

steveo346

iTrader: (18)

have you upgraded the slave and throwout bearing?????

Jimmard

iTrader: (12)

No, everything is stock. Thanks for the help everyone. Imna check into all of what is mentioned.

James

Super Speed

iTrader: (8)

Mine does the same exact thing but mine is because I think my clutch is going out

Jimmard

iTrader: (12)

So whats everyone running clutch wise? Stock right now, but bolt-ons and maybe a cam later. No more than 400-425rwhp. Daily driver. I was thinking LS7 clutch because the price seems ok, plus I'll get a new flywheel with it. Textrailia is kinda pricey for a college student like me. Thanks.

James

Mike44138

iTrader: (3)

LS7 seems to be a good setup. I ended up with a Z06 takeout clutch and pressure plate from Mallett Cars. I didn't use the flywheel that came with it because I picked up a Fidanza aluminum. The parts I got had 1200 miles and where in good shape.

http://www.mallettcars.com/catalog-takeoffparts.htm

Ryan02SS

iTrader: (3)

I'm on my 2nd LS6 clutch. I DD everyday and hit the track at least 20 times per year. It holds the power fine with no signs of slipping. The key to making this clutch last is not to get it too hot. At my power level I can't hot lap this clutch, gotta let it cool for 1/2 hour to an hour. Other than that it works great. Although, when this one goes i'm gonna swap in the LS7 as it seems to be an LS6 on steroids. Go with the LS7.

Super Speed

iTrader: (8)

Where can I get one?

TARZAN

iTrader: (12)

I would advise the McLeod Master to ANYONE....I have no more problems with pedal feel, even after multiple WOT shifts...Or simply arond town, at all...Also replaced the slave at the same time...

-Will

ryan conrad

Hey Mike, my son has just had the clutch replaced in his car. Now he is experiencing a clutch pedal that isn't returning to it's upward position. You can manually pull it back up, but after reading I am thinking the slave cylinder is bad... Any help would be appreciated!

Mike44138

iTrader: (3)

What was the original reason for the clutch replacement and what was replaced when they did it? Is the fluid level changing at all? Could be a bad slave/master or there could be air in the lines still. These cars are notorious for the "sticking pedal" problem. Everyone seems to have some idea of what it is.... here's the most common answers:

1.) Bad slave/master cylinder
2.) Hydraulic lines being overheated (most cars with headers).
3.) Bad pressure plate applying too much spring back to the slave under high RPM
4.) Contaminants such as oil, air, water, etc in the fluid.

In addition almost all of these cars have broken clutch return springs. This doesn't help the situation any, but when the clutch system is working normally it doesn't hurt either.

kenp

iTrader: (9)

The 2002 already has the upgraded master and slave.

I never had a mushy clutch pedal, but I did have the BLACK HYDR. FLUID. Every couple of days I just used a baster to pull all of the fluid out of the master and replaced it with new fluid. Once the fluid was looking pretty good after a few days use, I did a gravity bleed and essentially replaced all of the fluid. I haven't had any more problems with the fluid turning black & it has been about a year now.

I did do what some experts say you should not do, I used a synthetic high temp fluid to replace the OEM fluid. There are people who insist that the synthetic will cause a degredation of the rubber seals in the master & slave, but I've been OK so far - knock on wood. I guess it's one of those things you do at your own peril.