A bleeding issue?
Thread Starter
11 Second Club
iTrader: (9)
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 538
Likes: 0
From: Sioux Center, Iowa
A bleeding issue? I just installed an 1/8" slave shim from speed inc. on my car because the pedal was engaging right off the floor, before this it was 15-20K miles since the tranny was opened up by the guy before me who put in a SPEC clutch, not sure what stage though, but anyway now the pedal pushes in really easy and half-assed engages way at the top.(opposite of my first problem). I bled the clutch a little bit and the pedal comes right back to me and goes into the gears fine just pushes in really easy like I could do it with 1 finger. Do you think I need to bleed it some more? and will that stiffen up my pedal and make it fully engage and a bit lower?
Last edited by NW Iowa WS6; Oct 21, 2009 at 06:53 PM.
The clutch was installed 15-20K ago correct? Had the clutch pedal always been low or was this something new that developed? If it was a new occurence then it's likely that the cause was hydraulic. If it has been that way since the beginning then it was potentially a geometric issue. Let me know a bit more and I will be happy to assist you further. Thanks,
Thread Starter
11 Second Club
iTrader: (9)
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 538
Likes: 0
From: Sioux Center, Iowa
I've had the car for the last 3K miles and it's always been low, pedal never stuck and always felt firm just engaged way at the floor, now after an 1/8" shim from speed Inc. it only partially engages way at the top and the peddle is really spongy. I'm gonna try more bleeding today but is there a possibility an 1/8" was to much? I haven't seen anyone sell a 1/16"
The shim that we include with our LS-based kits is .115". This is less than .1/8" by .010". That being said I am not sure what shim you have. But, if the clutch it partially engaging now, meaning that the clutch would likely slip, then it sounds like you either have too much shim or air in the system. Bleed the system thoroughly and proceed from there. I recommend the us of a Mighty-Vac for bleeding and suggest that you apply it to both the bleeder valve (found just off the slave) and the reservoir. Let me know what you find relative to bleeding and we can go from there. Thanks,
Thread Starter
11 Second Club
iTrader: (9)
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 538
Likes: 0
From: Sioux Center, Iowa
Ok so i got it fixed I believe. With 3 guys doing 50 pumps or so of (opening the bleed valve, pushing the pedal down, closing the bleed valve, releasing the peddle) the car only sort of got better and the pedal kept sticking at the bottom, new problem, but then my brother said when bleeding his motorcycle clutch after a long time he finally just went for a drive and ran through the gears and it was all better. I was very skeptical and had a car I could barely drive but I figured why not give it a try, so I did and I drove it nicely and slowly my pedal kept getting firmer and firmer and after awhile I decided to run it through the gears hard and it felt great. My peddle used to engage right off the floor and now it engages a little over half way towards the top but still has an inch or two or play after fully engaged to let up on. I would like it dead center but after all this trouble I am gonna call it good enough and better then when I started this mini project. The clutch has good holding power now and shifting into second I can lay good 20 foot black marks and chirp 3rd 
Trending Topics
Thread Starter
11 Second Club
iTrader: (9)
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 538
Likes: 0
From: Sioux Center, Iowa
Also too after all that bleeding my clutch fluid was black and murky before, now it is almost clear, thats gotta be much better for my hydraulics I would think too
LS1 Tech Stories
The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time
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
Awesome K5 Blazer Restomod Comes With C7 Corvette Power
Verdad Gallardo
10 Camaros You Should Never Buy
10 LS Engine Myths That Refuse to Die
Verdad Gallardo Thread Starter
11 Second Club
iTrader: (9)
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 538
Likes: 0
From: Sioux Center, Iowa
Probably a big part of it. Not sure which spec clutch I have but I am guessing stage 1 or possbily 2, there is little to no chatter. Also with higher staged clutches do they get harder to push in? My buddy has a Spec stage 3+ and it's a lot harder to push in than mine and chatters a bit more. I also am pretty sure I have the drill mod done by the one of the previous owners and he does not have it done
I am glad that the bleeding made a difference. Gen is correct about the fluid...if it was black then it was toast and simply flushing and refilling the system could have easily made a world of difference. The pedal effort for our units is pretty consistent, of course our newer Super-Single Kits have about 25% less effort than the older 11" units. It could be that you friend has an older assembly in his car. Either way it seems that all is good now. Please let me know if you have any further questions. Thanks,
