Jarren_b

Hey everyone, trying to diagnose a problem

So since i bought my car its been a little difficult to get in gear. primarily 1st and reverse but all of the shifts are more difficult than other fbodies ive owned.

My clutch does not slip, I have put it in a high gear while going slow and gave it gas and the rpm's didnt climb one bit so I think im good there.

I think my issue is with the slave. I havent tried bleeding yet but didnt my clutch engages almost right off the floor and ive read that if its early engagement then you have a hydraulic issue and late engagement is a clutch issue generally speaking..

my questions are..

How do I go about bleeding the system on a '99 M6 SS

Does it sound like a clutch or slave problem?

On a 99, is the slave internal? or external?

If internal and i have to remove the tranny, should i just replace the clutch and everything while ive got it out to be sure? car has 90k miles..

Any help would be greatly appreciated..

Exidous

iTrader: (11)

It is internal but you do not have to remove the trans to bleed the slave. You do to replace it but not bleed it. There is a bolt just north of the quick connect on the side of the bell housing. You can get a 1/4" ratchet and socket onto it and you just bleed it like you would a brake caliper. Requires two people. It's pretty messy if you haven't put a remote bleeder on it(this mod requires removal of the trans and should be done during slave/clutch replacement).

The issue sounds hydraulic.

Jarren_b

When I got in my car this morning i couldnt even get it in gear but when i pump the clutch 5 or 6 times then it gets easier. Its gotta be the slave (atleast thats what i think so I guess even though i dont need to replace the clutch, I might as well do it while i have the trans out..

VandykeT/A

It wouldn't be the slave. The slave basically works the same as a brake caliper. The master cylinder is what pressurizes and pushes the cylinder. I've seen several masters that just weren't strong enough to fully extend the slave. Before I went through the trouble of pulling the transmission I would either buy a tick master (best) or go to an auto parts and buy a stock replacement clutch master cylinder. And the bleeder screw is on the driver side of the bellhousing near the line. You'll need a 1/4 ratchet and deep 7/16 socket.

Jarren_b

But I still have a stock clutch.. what do you mean by strong enough? so im assuming that when i replace the master and replace the fluid then i need to bleed the system in the location you just described.. I have also heard that it takes about and hour to bleed it.. is this true?

Jarren_b

and also I know where the clutch fluid resevoir is but where is the master cylinder? is it easy to get to? im assuming its down the line from the resevoir?.. Sorry guys im a newb with tranny and clutch stuff

VandykeT/A

By not strong enough I mean the master isn't building enough pressure to fully extend the slave enough to release the clutch. The master cylinder is underneath the brake booster. It doesn't take an hour to bleed maybe 15 minutes depending on how long it takes you to get the car high enough but you need another person. I would recommend before installing the new master take it and attach the reservoir to it with fluid in it. Tilt the master to where the line going down to the tranny is higher than the reservoir line and pump the master until you feel it pressurize. It'll save you alot of profanity and possibly pulling it back off. I had mine apart twice before I realized what I had to do. A master cylinder isn't hard its just about patience. I'm pretty sure they're write ups on here for changing the master.

Jarren_b

ok awesome well i plan on doing an ASA cam in a few months and just ordered a new master, slave, and clutch/flywheel kit.. I couldnt help myself.. anyway Has anyone ever used a LUK clutch? apparently they are the clutch manufacturer for GM. I found a good deal on a kit so I just went with it. I read a few reviews and they seem to pretty good. anyone have an opinion on that?

My clutch probably isnt even bad but oh well..

as ive been driving around today i have done a few 6th gear clutch tests and it doesn't slip at all so its gotta be something hydraulic. thanks for the input guys

as for
vandykeTA how confident would you be in saying that it is infact the master and not the slave? I really dont want to have to rip the tranny out.. but I can shift as long as i pump my clutch once between each gear change, but good luck with reverse and first gear

Thanks for all the replies and please keep them coming!

redbird555

iTrader: (14)

Luk does make the oem stuff and I'm currently running one of their clutches now with no issues but when I get some spare cash I'm swapping it out for a more grabby monster level 2. DDid you buy the ls6 stock clutch or an ls7 kit?

VandykeT/A

If its not the master the only other thing I could think of that is possibly causing it is the need of a slave shim but if thats the case someone would have had to of replaced the clutch before. From what you said I'm 99 percent sure its the master. Has anyone ever had the transmission out from what you can tell? How many miles are on it?

Jarren_b

I dont think the tranny has ever been out.. but the weird thing is that under WOT each time i grab a gear it does slip a little but im guessing its because of my weak master not engaging the clutch all the way.. I bought the ls6 Luk clutch

Jays_SSZ28

iTrader: (2)

I just replaced the slave in my S10 today.
The clutch used to grab close to the top, one morning it hardly came off the floor before grabbing. I replaced the master and bled the system. Worked fine. Two days later I had to pump the clutch several times to get it to work right. Replaced the slave today, it's the same part# as the camaro slave. Works great now.

I took both old ones apart, the slave appeared to have wear in the seal that pushes the bearing out.

BOBS99SS

iTrader: (2)

Take it in, i just put in a new clutch /slave 4 weeks goes by slave failed lol,like what was said its internal, trans has to be pulled anyway, its prob time to upgrade everything,

VandykeT/A

If its slipping under WOT you might as well bite the bullet and pull the tranny and replace it all. Just don't use a perfection slave. To many horror stories. The hyraulic system is to disengage the clutch not engage the clutch. If its slipping its the clutch.

Jarren_b

ah frick.. thats not what i wanted to hear.. or maybe it is since I already ordered all my goodies..

Jarren_b

You guys wont believe this.. My clutch pedal was stuck.. pulled it back out and everything works just fine.. time to return 500 bucks in parts.. thats what impatience will get you..

TyCZ28

was it stuck to the carpet? or just stuck... if it was just stuck you have a serious problem man

Jarren_b

no it just got hung up on something. I took it down to my mechanic to see what he had to say before I started ripping into everything.. He checked my master and everything for leaks and then the put his boot behind the pedal and pulled it back.. I dont know what it was hung up on but ive been driving it all day and have gotten on it a few times and everything is great, it shifts butter smooth even under wot.. seems to be fine to me.. what do you mean by serious problem? I just cant believe i didnt bother to try that

brigade24

I know on the stock setup there is a spring that helps returns the clutch pedal to its original position...was it broken? or removed? When i removed that spring on my car, the pedal wouldn't come back up...

Jays_SSZ28

iTrader: (2)

I did an A4 to M6 swap in my SS and there is no external clutch pedal return spring. The only spring is in the master cyl.