Went to start car. Depressed clutch pedal. Twisted key. Car lurched forward!
#1
TECH Resident
Thread Starter
Went to start car. Depressed clutch pedal. Twisted key. Car lurched forward!
My WS6 has 25,000 miles on it and I'm the original owner. This is the first problem I've ever had with it. Temperature of the garage this morning was about 45° F.
I've done plenty of research on this "clutch pedal sticking to the floor" issue but mine seems to be different. The car hadn't been driven for two days and I was trying to start it. Shifter was in 1st gear and I depressed the clutch pedal As I twisted the key, the car shot forward and I slammed on the brakes! The front end of the car just "kissed" the front of my garage wall . I thought that my immaculate Trans Am's front end was trashed but I got soooooooo lucky. Only a little bit of clear coat got scuffed .
The pedal is on the floor and I can pull it up with my hand but when I go to depress the pedal (engine off) it feels wrong and just stays on the floor again.
As of this point I've only done online research so I haven't even checked the color of the fluid nor the level. It all happened so suddenly that it made me think that something mechanical actually broke.
My car was stone cold and the engine wasn't running. This seems to be different than the problems I've been reading about. Any advice/ideas before I start looking at this thing?
Danny
I've done plenty of research on this "clutch pedal sticking to the floor" issue but mine seems to be different. The car hadn't been driven for two days and I was trying to start it. Shifter was in 1st gear and I depressed the clutch pedal As I twisted the key, the car shot forward and I slammed on the brakes! The front end of the car just "kissed" the front of my garage wall . I thought that my immaculate Trans Am's front end was trashed but I got soooooooo lucky. Only a little bit of clear coat got scuffed .
The pedal is on the floor and I can pull it up with my hand but when I go to depress the pedal (engine off) it feels wrong and just stays on the floor again.
As of this point I've only done online research so I haven't even checked the color of the fluid nor the level. It all happened so suddenly that it made me think that something mechanical actually broke.
My car was stone cold and the engine wasn't running. This seems to be different than the problems I've been reading about. Any advice/ideas before I start looking at this thing?
Danny
#2
Start with the fluid level in the reservoir, is there fluid in it?
Look underneath for leaks. If your car is on an incline with nose up, the fluid could pool into the bellhousing.
The clutch pressure plate has springs that push back on the slave to keep it compressed, all of those could break(highly unlikely).
Either the slave broke and its fluid is now puked inside the bellhousing and spilled onto the clutch or the master seals gave way and you are just pushing fluid within the master. That's happened to me before, but I was able to pump the pedal to get some use of the master.
Look underneath for leaks. If your car is on an incline with nose up, the fluid could pool into the bellhousing.
The clutch pressure plate has springs that push back on the slave to keep it compressed, all of those could break(highly unlikely).
Either the slave broke and its fluid is now puked inside the bellhousing and spilled onto the clutch or the master seals gave way and you are just pushing fluid within the master. That's happened to me before, but I was able to pump the pedal to get some use of the master.
#4
TECH Resident
Thread Starter
Start with the fluid level in the reservoir, is there fluid in it? I checked the fluid level and it doesn't appear to be low but it is dark. I need to change this stuff out.
Look underneath for leaks. If your car is on an incline with nose up, the fluid could pool into the bellhousing. The car is on a perfectly flat garage floor and there are no leaks that I could see.
The clutch pressure plate has springs that push back on the slave to keep it compressed, all of those could break(highly unlikely).
Either the slave broke and its fluid is now puked inside the bellhousing and spilled onto the clutch or the master seals gave way and you are just pushing fluid within the master. That's happened to me before, but I was able to pump the pedal to get some use of the master.
Look underneath for leaks. If your car is on an incline with nose up, the fluid could pool into the bellhousing. The car is on a perfectly flat garage floor and there are no leaks that I could see.
The clutch pressure plate has springs that push back on the slave to keep it compressed, all of those could break(highly unlikely).
Either the slave broke and its fluid is now puked inside the bellhousing and spilled onto the clutch or the master seals gave way and you are just pushing fluid within the master. That's happened to me before, but I was able to pump the pedal to get some use of the master.
#5
TECH Resident
Thread Starter
My brakes work 100% properly. The brakes are what saved me from having a Trans Am with a front end that resembles an accordion. The problem is with my clutch.
#6
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bet from now on you start it with it out of gear.lol.
Start with the simple stuff first, like the fluid. Then move on to the harder stuff... it would be a good time to get an adjustable master cylinder though.
Start with the simple stuff first, like the fluid. Then move on to the harder stuff... it would be a good time to get an adjustable master cylinder though.
#7
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#8
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Your clutch needs bled. Possibly more needs done, but that's step one.
Unfortunately, the concentric slave cylinder setup of the LS_ cars can allow a poorly operating clutch release system to lead to transmission damage.
#9
TECH Resident
Thread Starter
In all of my hours of research on this topic today, I realize that I've really got to change out that dark fluid and bleed the system. I'm also suspecting that the clutch master cylinder might be bad. Unfortunately work will be getting in the way for the next little while.
Prior to this car, I've never owned a hydraulic clutch. I had no idea about these issues.
Prior to this car, I've never owned a hydraulic clutch. I had no idea about these issues.