1LE clutch chatter

[Chevrolet Customer Svc]

Hi Kipper,

I would be happy to speak with your dealership regarding this issue and help work toward a resolution. If you would like, I can always schedule an appointment at a different dealership for a second opinion. Please provide me with your name, address, phone number, VIN, and name of current dealership through a private message, and we can proceed from there. Thank you!

Jessica
Chevrolet Customer Care

Originally Posted by Kipper

In reference to the loud clattering sound and vibration coming from low gear clutch disengagements.

I have the same sounds coming from my 2010 Camaro SS and it has approximately 25,000 miles on it. I went to my dealer and had my car looked at after reading nearly 100 posts regarding this issue. I drove the technician around the lot depressing the clutch pedal from a loaded 1st gear to 2nd gear shift and his response was "I never heard that sound before!" You should have seen the look on his face! Then he told me he was going to check with Chevy and get back to me. Well, as we all know...they returned a "This is a normal noise," verdict.

My point here being...every Customer Service Representative response I have read (many of them by the same person) says that Chevy is sorry we are experiencing this problem and that we should take it in for service only to be told by their certified service technician that it is normal. This is not normal! It is excessively loud and embarrassing and it is MORE than apparent that hundreds if not thousands of people are affected. The year is 2013, my car a 2010, and a technician should not respond with, "I never heard that sound before" and then come back with a normal verdict. It WAS NOT normal to him until he was told it was normal from GM.

I drove the Mustang GT500 my brother owns and I can confirm that it doesn't make this noise, so what is the difference. Honestly?

[2cnd chance]

Originally Posted by right to travel

i have heard all of these things with mine. im glad its not me with my rookie driving skills. The other day though i got a really bad one which was caused by the stupid 1-4 shift. i was in the mall parking lot in first gear going like 15 mph looking for a parking spot and it 1-4 me and i swear the entire drive train shuttered so hard i thought it was going to fall out right there in the lot. I dont think this car likes low speed at all with its setup as its seems we are all having issues in 1st 2nd and reverse



Skip shift eliminator ordered.

Yeah that's the being in too tall a gear.

[2cnd chance]

Originally Posted by tramtwo

Very few of them here....

Not sure that what I think is being discussed here has anything to do with the clutch or transmission....

The bucking and lurching, clunking and lopping only ever happens at very low speeds and low rpms. It is almost like it is bogged down...

I think it is normal... the idles are a bit low... imo

EDIT: almost forgot, i almost never use 1st gear in this car... 2nd gear take offs and stop and go.

Gotta love torque!

[Dropspeed]

It sounds like some are talking about the driveline slop. At least that is what I hear in first gear moving the car around at very low speeds.

A clutch chatter would be more like a rattle from inside the trans and would happen any time the clutch is depressed, even when the car is sitting still.

I have a distinct noise from the driveline shifting or moving for a moment which sends a harmonic through the driveline that feels like a shake.

Matt

[VOGGS-LS3-1LE]

Originally Posted by newb

I have noticed when entering a driveway that I get pretty good chatter from the limited slip rear diff. Only happens when one wheel is significantly unloaded. Anyone else have this?

I have noticed it, when pulling from the road to my driveway where I have to feather the clutch.One friend watched me pull in one time and said that the right rear doesnt even touch the ground as I transition the pavement depression, or low curb before the car is fully on my driveway. He said it just spun slowly and then the diff took over.

[CRTZL1]

Originally Posted by Dropspeed

It sounds like some are talking about the driveline slop. At least that is what I hear in first gear moving the car around at very low speeds.

A clutch chatter would be more like a rattle from inside the trans and would happen any time the clutch is depressed, even when the car is sitting still.

I have a distinct noise from the driveline shifting or moving for a moment which sends a harmonic through the driveline that feels like a shake.

Matt

So curious do you feel this is a normal characteristic?

[Dropspeed]

Originally Posted by SSRS55

So curious do you feel this is a normal characteristic?

Yes.

Just as an educated guess I would say the NVH (Noise, Vibration, Harshness) engineers had to balance between noise in the cockpit and controlling the drive line movement enough that it does not damage or tear up components.

We have over 400+ lbft and wide rear tires.....Too much compliance in the drive line and the shock from a launch could tear a softer mount etc....Too much control of movement (stiffer mount/ poly bushings ect) and the vibrations and noise are transferred into the vehicle. The engineers have to compromise and try to provide the best of both worlds.

Polyurethane bushings are a perfect example of an component that creates additional NVH. The aftermarket can supply these to an enthusiasts but the OEM can not install from the factory because of their broad range of customers. The majority of customers out there purchase cars for commuting.....We (performance minded enthusiasts) are a small part of the 15MM or so cars that will be sold this year in NA.


AND before I get the comment about (insert: M5, 997, ect.....) doesn't make these noises and they have over 400lbft. You are correct, but for double your money (or 3x) the manufacture can spend extra money on more exotic materials to reduce these NVH items.

Matt

[hernandmd]

So after reading this thread I decided to take my car to my local Colorado dealership service dept.

After 4500 miles my 2013 2SS is still giving me the clutch odor on 1st gear, even when revs are lower then 3000 rpm. Clunk noise also happening when releasing clutch on 2nd gear when speeds are 15-20 mph, it does not matter how slow I release the pedal - it happens most of the time.

I left my vehicle at the dealership for the entire day today and their answer was that there is nothing wrong with it and that my "driving habits can be causing the burning odor and excessive wear". Of course this is bunch of BS, I have been babysitting this car for the entire time and I dont remember that smell at all driving the same models before getting mine delivered.

Customer Services at that dealership is horrible and my experience with them has not been very pleasant so far. I am about ready to send a letter complaining about it.

Should I get a second opinion somewhere else?
Anyone else dealing with the same issues?

[CRTZL1]

Originally Posted by hernandmd

So after reading this thread I decided to take my car to my local Colorado dealership service dept.

After 4500 miles my 2013 2SS is still giving me the clutch odor on 1st gear, even when revs are lower then 3000 rpm. Clunk noise also happening when releasing clutch on 2nd gear when speeds are 15-20 mph, it does not matter how slow I release the pedal - it happens most of the time.

I left my vehicle at the dealership for the entire day today and their answer was that there is nothing wrong with it and that my "driving habits can be causing the burning odor and excessive wear". Of course this is bunch of BS, I have been babysitting this car for the entire time and I dont remember that smell at all driving the same models before getting mine delivered.

Customer Services at that dealership is horrible and my experience with them has not been very pleasant so far. I am about ready to send a letter complaining about it.

Should I get a second opinion somewhere else?
Anyone else dealing with the same issues?

Just from what you wrote above, what you describe. It doesn't seem like what's going on in your car is normal. I would totally get a 2nd opinion!

The clutch smell could be normal though if your riding it a little more then you think you are, but that clunk in 2nd is definitely not normal.
I have absolutely no clunks in any gear or any speed in my car.(3100 miles) The only thing I experience is some driveline slop when in first gear at slow speeds letting out the clutch and it's virtually non existent if I'm easy on the clutch. Also everything might be a little better on my car due to the fact that I added a separate clutch reservoir (not sure if this even helps at all) and I changed my gear oil and transmission oil to full synthetic Valvoline, and it's been nothing but smooth sailing, knock on wood!
Going through what your experiencing is very irritating and I have been in similar situations with other cars, but try and be cool and calm and DEFINITELY get to a shop that seems to care!!
Good Luck ,......

[Dynabyte]

Thought I'd share my experiences with this exact problem. I had my 2011 SGM SS at 3 different dealers, for a total of 7 or 8 times for the clutch noise. I had a very bad case - it was embarrassing when I would back out of a parking spot, or pull in slowly, and the rattle/chatter sound could be heard 30-40 feet away. Frankly it shocked as many people as the color. It was very loud and very frequent. One of my local mechanics (who was an old-school camaro/corvette guy) was freaked out by it, and thought the transmission would "crater' any time.

An engineer flew out to California to look at it. One of the things I noticed with a friend - the issue is related to the vibration of the engine after torque is released. It would always happen on a hill so one day I had the hood up while forcing the sound going up a driveway. You can see that the engine vibration is directly related to the rattle sound - like a big spray-paint can.

Chevy said they wouldn't fix it - but if the transmission ever broke it would obviously be covered under warranty. Well - I decided to put in my order for my 2013 1LE last February. If GM wasn't going to fix it, well, they can't hold it against me on a trade in

Of all things, my 2013 1LE has the same issue. MM6 transmission and all. Definitely not as bad (maybe 30% as loud and frequent) but it's still there. There's many threads on Camaro5 about the problem - I don't think I've heard if it causing any failures though - and it seems that it's hit or miss as to whether or not you experience it, and to what degree.

[Blownhotrodder]

Mine does it, glad im not alone. Makes me feel much better. I just think the material the clutch is made of wants to grip instead of slip and this causes the chatter. Also if I try to put it in gear too fast after pressing in the clutch it will grind alittle. Maybe I need to change the trans fluid to synthetic.

[davidcroft]

OK guys, I have an update. As some of you may know I work for a Chevy dealer in the service dept. I had clutch chatter and it was EXCESSIVE,REAL EXCESSIVE. I dont know how to measure to other cars on the forum, because I cant hear or feel your cars and some people on forums tend to exaggerate (flamesuit on ). My chatter could be heard inside and outside the car and felt through the driveline. Basically my '13 didn't drive like my '12 or any other new '14 on the lot, there was a huge difference.

The solution:
I had to wait until it slowed down a bit at work. Employees cars always come after customers cars and also the tech looked at what GM payed to change a clutch under warranty. It took every bit of the 3.3 hours, if not longer. Upon removing the clutch we noticed no irregular wear patterns. There was no clutch dust, but the stainless steel where the clutch bolted to the flywheel was BLUE, instead of being stainless steel. The only thing the tech could think of was improper torque at the factory, since the clutch has a VERY specific torque pattern. We installed a new clutch and now the thing drives perfect.

The reason I described how excessive my clutch chatter was is because all clutches have a certain allowable amount of chatter or can get put into a position to where it might chatter a bit. Mine was clearly excessive and a new clutch under warranty fixed it. If you are in doubt, take it to your dealer and they can compare it to a new one. My point: some of the replies are exaggerated and the chatter is normal/acceptable. Some might have an issue like I experienced.

[chipset35]

I can hear my clutch spinning(?) when I am stopped in neutral...pressing the clutch pedal all the way in makes it stop making the noise.
Also, first gear is very tempermental.
Been driving stick shift manual transmissions in both american, german, and japanese cars since 1986...
One thing I have noticed is that you must press the clutch all teh way down b4 shifting!
I was so used to the near perfect transmissions in my WRX and BMW that I was not pressing the clutch all the way down in my 2014 1LE.
Hope this helps.

[SMN2011Z28]

I've had my 2014 SS RS 1LE for two days and I've noticed the drive train chatter. It was nice at first because it reminded me of my Z06. I think some chatter is normal. However...
It sounded great during my test drive and when I first left the delaer, then the more I used it the louder it got. I stalled it going up my driveway the first night and after that it was a completely different sound (not a good one either).

I have to go back to the dealer for another issue, I will be pressing for a new clutch as mentioned above.