Is this a clutch, trans or hydraulic issue?
 

02 camaro with LS7 clutch, 525rwhp 416. I use it mainly to road race. On the street it's become noticeably more notchy when shifting. At the track when pressed hard the shifts become harder and prior to changing from the 3.73 gears to 3.55 (which now eliminate the need to shift to 5th) it just about refused to go into 5th about lap 5 and being good and hot.

Yesterday after 6-7 laps it begin to not want to go into 3rd.

Is this a trans, clutch, or hydraulic issues and how do you tell for sure? I'm about to wind up racing in Phx till next fall and am thinking its due for a new clutch, but don't want to have to do anything twice if I can help it. Ideas?

How many miles and track time do you have on the clutch? Is the clutch slipping? Your description sounds like disengagement issues. Change the transmission and clutch hydraulic fluids to see if there is any change.

I'm guessing I have 2-3000 miles on the clutch with 10-12 sessions behind the former 425hp LS1 and about that many sessions behind the 416. Trans fluid changed a month/4sessions ago and clutch fluid changed 2 months/8 sessions ago.

Does the pedal get spongy or stiff when this issue occurs? What color is the fluid in the reservoir? What fluid are you using and how often are you changing the fluid?

Is the pedal pulling down during acceleration?

Pedal is neither spongy, stiff or pulls down. The fancy blue fluid, so it's blue. Just changed again in Dec.

Although upon start up its notchy and gets better as it warms, it's almost impossible to have it do this when street driving. It's only after racing the car 4-5 laps and getting it hot that it begins and gets worse till the session is over.

Once cool it doesn't seem to hesitate going in gear anything like when hot and racing. Just notchy like it would like to try a better shifter, but I don't think that is the problem with not liking to go into a gear when racing.

Maybe the fluid in the transmission heats up and gets too thin. What different types have you tried?

clutch fluid heat? Are you using dot4 fluid?

Actually an upgrade from dot 4 in the clutch. The trans has full synthetic fluid. Not sure of specs.

The clutch is getting hot from slipping. It's probly slipping a couple hundred rpm which you are not seeing. Fluid usually gets black from slipping clutches. Bleeding the clutch constantly is masking a clutch problem.

I used to have the same problem. Normal driving was fine but after running it hard with several shifts on twisty roads it got very hard to shift. I also had a lot of noise from trans. I pulled it out, rear main sealing was leaking pretty bad on clutch as well as excessive input shaft play and a hogged out pilot bushing. I contribute those 2 things to my notchy hard shifting.

Wasn't it said that the fluid gets black from clutch particles/dust entering the slave's seals?

have you tried shifting without the clutch (matching engine and trans rpms)

I have done that, just not on purpose. Hehe.