Clutch pedal stays on the floor

[Vinco]

I have a 98 Z-28 with a 6-speed. Recently, I find the clutch will stay on the floor and has to be pushed back up. I can't shift when its like this. Sometimes, the pedal comes up, but not right away. Fluid level is ok.

I called Selman Chevy in Orange CA and the tech thought it was the pressure plate and recommended a new clutch, throw out bearing, etc. My daily driver mechanic thought it might be the master/slave cylinders.

Any ideas on what's going wrong? Any recommendations on a good clutch guy near Anaheim?

Thanx

[AirMarcus]

Mine never stuck to the floor, just faded when I left the pedal down and it was hard to pull out of first after about 15 seconds. Also it was impossible to hit third when getting on it. Not any more. Search my posts and see the tremendous help I have recieved and some may help. If I had this kind of help when I had Stangs in high school, I would have been able to drive them more than working on them. Thanks to all! Also my fluid had a lot of black sooty material in it. I was told this was from the master cylinder wearing internally.

[Vinco]

Thanks for the info on the clutch master cylinder. I checked out that install university site.

I think I will try that first.

[89LX]

Clutch Master Cyl going out will cause exactly those problems (been there...done that). The early cylinders were inferior to the latter years and tended to go bad as early as 40K. The 2001 & 2002 were suppose to be more reliable but I read of them going sour early as well (just not as many). Good luck

[yellowv]

It's the slave. I had the same problem on my 99 WS.6. Changed the clutch and slave and left the stock master and never had another problem. The clutch disk was actually fine. There is a reason the redesigned the slaves in 01.

[DarknessLS1]

i would say replace the master cylinder first before u even think about swapping the clutch or slave cylinder from personal experience.

[89LX]

Me to if given a choice.

[JonB]

Ok so whats the verdict on this we seem to have 3 different recomendations, clutch, slave or master. I have the same problem in my 01. Only on wot runs and the pedal usually comes back about half way then stops and I have to pump it to get it back.

[89LX]

I can only tell you that I had the exact same problems and changed the Clutch Master Cylinder. According to the GM Service Manual for the 2000 Camaro Vol 2:
..Inspect the clutch hyrdaulic line for leaks and damage
..Inspect the reservior for fluid
..Inspect master cylinder for leakage
..Inspect the clutch release bearing on the actuator for binding
..Check to see if the master cylinder has fallen off the clutch pedal
..Inspect the clutch diaphragm for weak or broken spring
It also says to inspect the master cylinder but does not tell you what to look for except leakage and no instructions for checking proper operation. I guess they figure if the other stuff checks good the master cylinder must be the problem (they do say to replace it). Can't promise it will fix it for you but having previously the same problem and what others have done I am reassured it will fix your problem also.

[JonB]

Anyone have any recomendations on what brand Clutch Master Cylinder?
GM, ram adjustable, McLeod adjustable(a bit more than id like to spend on a street car).

[89LX]

I got my GM Part #12570277 from WS6 (search in Google for site) for around $159. They have always shipped at once and no probelms. Came pre-bleed and serviced.

[Vinco]

I ended up going for the master replacement. After seeing the posts, talking to some trany guys localy, it seemed to be the best next step.

Sure 'nuff, my problems with the clutch are gone!

Looking back on this, I realize the master had been weakening for a while.

In early summer, shifting wasn't as crisp, and I was thinking of installing the Hurst shifter. Then, in August, I started getting gear clash shifting quickly from 1st to 4th.

Now I realize, all the above were symptoms of the master cylinder failing, like in a brake system. I would still like a Hurst shifter, but things are ok now.

At one point, before the pedal started staying down, I was ready to rebuild the trany!

It certainly was better to do the $300 repair, instead of the $500 (slave cylinder) or $1000 plus for rebuilding the transmission.

Thanks to all for your input!

[AirMarcus]

Did you check to make sure the bolt at the end was tightened well? Mine took a bit more for me to be comfortable.

[JonB]

I just ordered my new master. Hopefully thats all it is I'll post up my results next weekend when I change it.