Sticking clutch?

[kramard]

Hey guys,

When I take my Z from a stop up a hill I get a little bit of a burnt clutch smell. I also park in my garage which is on a hill and need to use a bit of clutch to get her in safety and sometimes get a bit of clutch smell there too.

Clutch doesn't seem to slip but I suspect when I shift from first to second the clutch is closing slow. I can't seem to chirp going into second. Presume this isn't normal? I'm on Conti DWs 305 in the rear and in 40 degree temps.

While parking in the garage today I noticed a pop come from the clutch if I released the pedal quickly. e.g., pedal was to the floor and I placed the car in neutral and quickly (albeit normally) lifted the pedal back to its normal position and only once the pedal was all the way up did the clutch close and it made an audible thunk upon closing. If I moved the pedal slowly from top to bottom and back up the clutch does not seem to stick though I don't think I would drive the car this way as that'd be a decent amount of slip. The sticking only appears to occur when the clutch is warm (such as pulling up my driveway or starting on a hill into first). It happen both when the car was on and off but now that the car is cooled down I cannot recreate the sound.

I've been driving manual for 15+ years, use very little slip on a hill (even steep hills) and don't believe its technique related. I've even made sure to use as little gas as possible to get started now to "protect" the clutch (avoid the clutch smell).

Anyone face this? Sounds like its a warranty call but wanted to get my facts together before I phone service.

[D2M]

Not normal...

Did you buy the car new or used? Mileage?

[kramard]

Certified used - 5800 miles used, I just crossed 9000 miles today. I have about 1500 highway miles in the last 2.5 months of ownership, rest is around town and fun.

Its a black '15. Don't believe it was abused but hard to know that for sure, right? Brakes weren't even burnished when I bought it.

[D2M]

It may have not been joy ridden or abused. It may have had a inexperienced transport truck driver smoking the clutch getting it loaded on a transport truck. Thats a theory, some of those guys are brutal.

[Jazzzed]

As you said, it sounds like the clutch isn't closing fully. I'm not familiar with the Camaro clutch, but those symptons would have me looking at the slave cylinder.

[Stephen12ZL1]

I never liked the feel of the return on the clutch and with so many Z06 guys stuck on track with their clutch pedals on the floor, I felt there had to be an aftermarket solution. Lingenfelter makes a little spring setup that works great.

http://www.jdpmotorsports.com/lingen...s-v-l360091410

[bowtieman_racin]

Will that spring actually work? I've had that problem in many 4th gen f bodies and also seen it in the gto. everything points to going with a tick master cylinder and an 01 to 02 slave cylinder, along with new lines and a remote bleeder. Hopefully if I start having this problem that spring will work on the Z

[frankwjr]

First, is the clutch/brake fluid dirty? If so look up threads here to either replace or flush...
second..REMOVE the spring on the clutch pedal!!! Put there by GM for "weak Kneed" owners...so much better pedal feel, gets rid off the "over center" feel...
third..if all that checks out then take the car out on a safe road! and drive the snot out of it! Several comp mode launches at 4k and run it thru the gears....if it's on the verge of breakin AND you have a warranty go for it!...just have the phone handy incase the tow truck needs to come! lol...good luck...

btw - take a drive out here to western md...LOTS of open road...

[Nick S]

I'm not sure about the noises or pops you are describing by since the burnt clutch smell you are smelling only seems to occurs on hills does the Z/28 have hill start assist? If it does which I believe all manual 5th gens have beginning in 2013, then that may be causing you some of your problems. The GM hill start assist with a manual trans needs a lot of refining to work better. It works by using what ever brake pressure you have applied while holding the car still on a hill/incline and holding that brake pressure for 2 seconds to give you time to get your foot off the brake and onto the gas. The problem is experienced manual trans drivers are much quicker at moving their feet and then you start to take off when all the brakes are applied. So you end up either slipping the clutch more than intended or you stall the engine. I really dislike GM's hill start assist. It does not Really help me.

To get around it if you apply your e-brake to the first click where the E-Brake light comes on that will disable hill start assist. I do this out of habit now when I am stopped on a hill. Then once I start moving I just put the e-brake back down to turn off the reminder chime and e-brake light.

Good luck getting you issue resolved. Hopefully it's nothing major and hopefully chevy will step up and not give you any issues with warranty.

[frenchsquared]

Mine did that the day I got it... sat 12 months on the show room had 67 miles. That first day nothing i did would make it top poping or smelling burnt. I have 500 miles on it now and it only pops a little when i first pull out of the garage. I think mine was kinda sticking from setting. It was bad enough that it was hard to drive off of the lot when i picked it up. Was not a normally feeling. I have two other 6-speed cars and they have never done anything like it.

My clutch doesnt slip though when driving.
I just feel the pedal pop. I get the smell when I try to back out of the garage. Its getting less and less each time I drive it.

[SS4PK]

Originally Posted by Stephen12ZL1

I never liked the feel of the return on the clutch and with so many Z06 guys stuck on track with their clutch pedals on the floor, I felt there had to be an aftermarket solution. Lingenfelter makes a little spring setup that works great.

http://www.jdpmotorsports.com/lingen...s-v-l360091410

So does this spring come with instructions, and do you have personal experience with this spring? Thanks