Clutch dragging?
Clutch dragging? I think my clutch might be dragging. I just bought a MityVac & am pretty sure I bled it properly. I recently just did a clutch swap on my 97 SS, with a CC stage 2.
Symptoms:
Engine off, no key, no reverse
Engine off, key on accessory, reverse fine
Engine on, really hard to go in reverse, first, second, third seem stiffer
Clutch engages less than an inch from the floor
Clutch pedal vibrates at the very top
Car does not move at all from a dead stop in gear with clutch disengaged
What does this sound like to you? If it is clutch dragging, what needs to be done to fix it?
By the way you guys are awesome. I've learned a ton through this website.
Thanks
Symptoms:
Engine off, no key, no reverse
Engine off, key on accessory, reverse fine
Engine on, really hard to go in reverse, first, second, third seem stiffer
Clutch engages less than an inch from the floor
Clutch pedal vibrates at the very top
Car does not move at all from a dead stop in gear with clutch disengaged
What does this sound like to you? If it is clutch dragging, what needs to be done to fix it?
By the way you guys are awesome. I've learned a ton through this website.
Thanks
Last edited by user 4556884458; Sep 18, 2011 at 09:39 AM.
How far off the floor does the clutch engage?
If you have your foot off the brake, depress clutch and immediately try to engage a gear does the car lurch forward?
Do you have a pilot bushing or bearing?
Jack up the rear tires and engage gear with the clutch depressed while the engine is running. Do the rears still spin? If no, rev engine a few thousand RPM higher and see.
Just by what you said I would guess you are indeed getting drag since reverse is difficult to engage. This needs to be fixed ASAP or you can wear down the syncros to the point of gears starting to grind. Especially if you shift hard.
If you have your foot off the brake, depress clutch and immediately try to engage a gear does the car lurch forward?
Do you have a pilot bushing or bearing?
Jack up the rear tires and engage gear with the clutch depressed while the engine is running. Do the rears still spin? If no, rev engine a few thousand RPM higher and see.
Just by what you said I would guess you are indeed getting drag since reverse is difficult to engage. This needs to be fixed ASAP or you can wear down the syncros to the point of gears starting to grind. Especially if you shift hard.
How far off the floor does the clutch engage?
If you have your foot off the brake, depress clutch and immediately try to engage a gear does the car lurch forward?
Do you have a pilot bushing or bearing?
Jack up the rear tires and engage gear with the clutch depressed while the engine is running. Do the rears still spin? If no, rev engine a few thousand RPM higher and see.
Just by what you said I would guess you are indeed getting drag since reverse is difficult to engage. This needs to be fixed ASAP or you can wear down the syncros to the point of gears starting to grind. Especially if you shift hard.
If you have your foot off the brake, depress clutch and immediately try to engage a gear does the car lurch forward?
Do you have a pilot bushing or bearing?
Jack up the rear tires and engage gear with the clutch depressed while the engine is running. Do the rears still spin? If no, rev engine a few thousand RPM higher and see.
Just by what you said I would guess you are indeed getting drag since reverse is difficult to engage. This needs to be fixed ASAP or you can wear down the syncros to the point of gears starting to grind. Especially if you shift hard.
2) It does not lurch forward or move at all.
3) I will try this tomorrow, not sure why I haven't done this yet...
Also, I was just in my car trying to solve this problem. I think it might be related to the slave or need to be bled more? When I push the clutch really hard (almost like it's getting pushed past the floor board), it goes in reverse with less effort. Is there a better way to bleed the clutch other than the mityvac? I would like to do a full fluid flush on the clutch system before moving forward. I can't seem to find proper instructions on how to do so.
Unfortunately I feel the same. It's just time consuming, and I want to be sure I'm not pulling the transmission for no reason. What are the possibilities of this:
If there is play in the clutch, the clutch fork moving back and forth tapping against the slave, causing vibration in the clutch pedal?
If there is play in the clutch, the clutch fork moving back and forth tapping against the slave, causing vibration in the clutch pedal?
Hard to say. Perhaps something is loose.
When I had issues with a RAM clutch I too could push the pedal harder to the floor and reverse would engage easier. I ended up bending the slave rod that seats into the fork. The slave was just fine though. My experience has been a cluster **** and involved just going with a different clutch.
I think the bleeding w/ a vacuum is about the most effective way to bleed a LT1 slave if I'm not mistaken.
There just should be no vibration whatsoever and is a sheer sign something mechanically is wrong.
When you say "at the very top" does that mean when the clutch is not depressed or when it is?
When I had issues with a RAM clutch I too could push the pedal harder to the floor and reverse would engage easier. I ended up bending the slave rod that seats into the fork. The slave was just fine though. My experience has been a cluster **** and involved just going with a different clutch.
I think the bleeding w/ a vacuum is about the most effective way to bleed a LT1 slave if I'm not mistaken.
There just should be no vibration whatsoever and is a sheer sign something mechanically is wrong.
When you say "at the very top" does that mean when the clutch is not depressed or when it is?
Hard to say. Perhaps something is loose.
When I had issues with a RAM clutch I too could push the pedal harder to the floor and reverse would engage easier. I ended up bending the slave rod that seats into the fork. The slave was just fine though. My experience has been a cluster **** and involved just going with a different clutch.
I think the bleeding w/ a vacuum is about the most effective way to bleed a LT1 slave if I'm not mistaken.
There just should be no vibration whatsoever and is a sheer sign something mechanically is wrong.
When you say "at the very top" does that mean when the clutch is not depressed or when it is?
When I had issues with a RAM clutch I too could push the pedal harder to the floor and reverse would engage easier. I ended up bending the slave rod that seats into the fork. The slave was just fine though. My experience has been a cluster **** and involved just going with a different clutch.
I think the bleeding w/ a vacuum is about the most effective way to bleed a LT1 slave if I'm not mistaken.
There just should be no vibration whatsoever and is a sheer sign something mechanically is wrong.
When you say "at the very top" does that mean when the clutch is not depressed or when it is?
And honestly, my slave rod may have gotten bent. After doing the clutch swap, when I put the slave back in, I didn't get the end piece aligned with the fork properly when I bolted it up. Stupidly, I kept pushing the clutch when it wouldn't budge. Then I took the slave out and realized it wasn't aligned the right way. So there is a possibility I bent the slave rod by not re-installing it right the first time and pushing too hard on it. I will pull the slave out tomorrow and check it out. If this happens to be the case, I'm assuming the whole slave cylinder needs to be replaced?
Trending Topics
LS1 Tech Stories
The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time
Gas Monkey Built a 6-Wheel Ferrari Testarossa With a Corvette LT4 Engine
Verdad Gallardo
7 Most Reliable High-Performance Engines GM Has Ever Built
Verdad Gallardo
Amazing '71 Camaro Restomod Is Modern Muscle Car Under the Skin
Verdad Gallardo
6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them
Pouria Savadkouei
Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked
Pouria Savadkouei
Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!
Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP
Verdad Gallardo
Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes
Verdad Gallardo Hmm. I was thinking that earlier after my clutch install. I think I'm going to order a new master and slave cylinder from ws6store. Mine already have 110k miles on the stock one. These ones are already bled, too. Worst comes to worse I have a new master and slave cylinder with the same problems.
Thanks a lot for the help. If you have any more suggestions I'm open to hear them. I'm still going to jack up my car later tonight or tomorrow to rule out the clutch dragging.
Thanks a lot for the help. If you have any more suggestions I'm open to hear them. I'm still going to jack up my car later tonight or tomorrow to rule out the clutch dragging.
Couple questions for you, are you using a new flywheel or the one you had before? When you installed the clutch did you face the hat of it to the engine? How hard was the pressure plate to install? If you pull the trans back out inspect the fork and pivot for wear. Does your slave still have the plastic ball in the rod?
Couple questions for you, are you using a new flywheel or the one you had before? When you installed the clutch did you face the hat of it to the engine? How hard was the pressure plate to install? If you pull the trans back out inspect the fork and pivot for wear. Does your slave still have the plastic ball in the rod?
I had a friend with the same problem. His engagement was at the floor and his pedal would vibrate. The wheels would turn by themselves when the car was in neutral on jack stands. We found that the pressure plate wasn't bolted to the flywheel evenly so we bought a feeler gauge and did it again.
Also, if you bought an aftermarket clutch kit there's a chance that the paint could be a bit lumpy around the PP bolt holes. The MIC Valeo copy I used had yellow paint splattered around the rim that I had to scrape off.
After getting the flywheel resurfaced did you use a shim?
The hydraulic clutch system wasn't meant to be bled and should be replaced every 80k. I ordered a new one for $180 through a Chevy dealership when I did my clutch swap back in July. I had a completely different problem where engagement was at the top of the pedal. The problem went away when I replaced the stock system.
Also, if you bought an aftermarket clutch kit there's a chance that the paint could be a bit lumpy around the PP bolt holes. The MIC Valeo copy I used had yellow paint splattered around the rim that I had to scrape off.
After getting the flywheel resurfaced did you use a shim?
The hydraulic clutch system wasn't meant to be bled and should be replaced every 80k. I ordered a new one for $180 through a Chevy dealership when I did my clutch swap back in July. I had a completely different problem where engagement was at the top of the pedal. The problem went away when I replaced the stock system.
I had a friend with the same problem. His engagement was at the floor and his pedal would vibrate. The wheels would turn by themselves when the car was in neutral on jack stands. We found that the pressure plate wasn't bolted to the flywheel evenly so we bought a feeler gauge and did it again.
Also, if you bought an aftermarket clutch kit there's a chance that the paint could be a bit lumpy around the PP bolt holes. The MIC Valeo copy I used had yellow paint splattered around the rim that I had to scrape off.
After getting the flywheel resurfaced did you use a shim?
The hydraulic clutch system wasn't meant to be bled and should be replaced every 80k. I ordered a new one for $180 through a Chevy dealership when I did my clutch swap back in July. I had a completely different problem where engagement was at the top of the pedal. The problem went away when I replaced the stock system.
Also, if you bought an aftermarket clutch kit there's a chance that the paint could be a bit lumpy around the PP bolt holes. The MIC Valeo copy I used had yellow paint splattered around the rim that I had to scrape off.
After getting the flywheel resurfaced did you use a shim?
The hydraulic clutch system wasn't meant to be bled and should be replaced every 80k. I ordered a new one for $180 through a Chevy dealership when I did my clutch swap back in July. I had a completely different problem where engagement was at the top of the pedal. The problem went away when I replaced the stock system.
As far as the flywheel goes, my machinist said he didn't have to remove much at all, so I did not use a shim.
Also, now that I think about it, there wasn't a white cup on the end of the slave cylinder.
Last edited by user 4556884458; Sep 18, 2011 at 03:24 PM.
Pulled the slave cylinder out and the rod was bent (but it did have the white cup on it). I bent it back the best I could & ordered a new master and slave through ws6store. The vibration isn't that bad now that it's straightened out, and it goes into reverse better. I'm hoping the new master and slave will take up the slack in the pedal, allowing it to go into reverse a lot better.
Once I get the new hydraulics installed, I'll jack the car up to see if the clutch is dragging (I really hope it isn't). Until then, I won't be driving it.
Last edited by user 4556884458; Sep 19, 2011 at 01:28 PM.
Ok. I installed a whole new master and slave cylinder (pre-bled one from WS6 store). Clutch pedal vibration isn't really that noticeable anymore. When I take the slave off with the car running, I can feel the vibration through the fork.
Here is what I'm more concerned about:
I jacked the rear end up off of the ground. With the engine running, when I depress the clutch pedal and put it in 1st gear, the wheels rotate maybe 1/4 of the way and stop. With the clutch pedal still depressed, I pull it out of gear, then put it back in gear, they don't rotate at all. I'm assuming this isn't a dragging clutch because it doesn't do it constantly?
Here is what I'm more concerned about:
I jacked the rear end up off of the ground. With the engine running, when I depress the clutch pedal and put it in 1st gear, the wheels rotate maybe 1/4 of the way and stop. With the clutch pedal still depressed, I pull it out of gear, then put it back in gear, they don't rotate at all. I'm assuming this isn't a dragging clutch because it doesn't do it constantly?
When you put the trans in, did you have to draw the trans onto the bellhousing with bolts or did you work the trans all the way to the bellhousing?
Reason I'm asking is if you drew the trans into the bellhousing you could have damaged the bushing causing it to go out of round. Just one theory at least...
Reason I'm asking is if you drew the trans into the bellhousing you could have damaged the bushing causing it to go out of round. Just one theory at least...
I believe I did draw it in with bolts a little. I'm going to assume it's the bushing that's making it rattle/vibrate on the pedal. But what is causing my clutch to not disengage all the way?