rkew
Well-known member
- Joined
- Feb 14, 2002
- Messages
- 50
- Location
- Texas
- Corvette
- Roman Red '62 and Competition Yellow '91 Coupe
I'm looking for some help in diagnosing an apparent clutch-slippage problem on my '91, L98 (ZF 6) - and coming up with a plan to fix it. FYI, the car/clutch has 76,000 miles on it, 75% of which is interstate miles.
I seem to be getting a bit of clutch slippage when I punch it at 35-40 mph in third gear. My revs quickly go from 3,000 to 3,750 (or so) before it settles back down to the low 3,000's and then hooks up. The puzzling part to me is I can pop the clutch from a standstill and roast the tires without any apparent slippage but I'm still getting this slippage in the higher gears at speed.
The only change I made to the car prior to this apparent clutch problem starting was changing the fluid in my rear axle, but I added the recommended amount of oil and friction additive (actually a bottle and a half - 6 oz or so), so I can't imagine it's the rear axle that's misbehaving. Any chance that's the case?
However, I do have a problem that I know of that may be part of the cause or the catalyst for bigger problems/more work. Two years ago my clutch pedal went totally soft, so I checked the reservoir and found it was empty - but there wasn't a drop of fluid on the floor or under the car. So I filled up the reservoir, bled the slave, and I was back in business. After a summer and fall of inactivity due to a new baby and an inter-state move, I encountered the same problem - the reservoir was empty but there was no sign of fluid on the garage floor or under the car. So I bled the slave again and everything seemed to be OK. However, I began to suspect the slave was going bad and I began to wonder about where that fluid is going.
And then the slippage described above started last weekend.
Based on the strings I found in this forum, I'm concerned that my clutch/flywheel has received a liberal dose of hydraulic fluid thanks to a slave leak. Could that be the case? If so, any chance it dry up on it's own if I replace the slave and stop the supply of hydraulic fluid (assuming that's happening), or am I looking at dropping the transmission and clutch just to degrease things (at a minimum)? Or, does this type of contamination typically ruin the clutch, which necessitates replacement?
So what do you think and what would you recommend as a plan for fixing the problem (starting with the less expensive and less time consuming opportunities first, of course).
Thank you,
Ryan
I seem to be getting a bit of clutch slippage when I punch it at 35-40 mph in third gear. My revs quickly go from 3,000 to 3,750 (or so) before it settles back down to the low 3,000's and then hooks up. The puzzling part to me is I can pop the clutch from a standstill and roast the tires without any apparent slippage but I'm still getting this slippage in the higher gears at speed.
The only change I made to the car prior to this apparent clutch problem starting was changing the fluid in my rear axle, but I added the recommended amount of oil and friction additive (actually a bottle and a half - 6 oz or so), so I can't imagine it's the rear axle that's misbehaving. Any chance that's the case?
However, I do have a problem that I know of that may be part of the cause or the catalyst for bigger problems/more work. Two years ago my clutch pedal went totally soft, so I checked the reservoir and found it was empty - but there wasn't a drop of fluid on the floor or under the car. So I filled up the reservoir, bled the slave, and I was back in business. After a summer and fall of inactivity due to a new baby and an inter-state move, I encountered the same problem - the reservoir was empty but there was no sign of fluid on the garage floor or under the car. So I bled the slave again and everything seemed to be OK. However, I began to suspect the slave was going bad and I began to wonder about where that fluid is going.
And then the slippage described above started last weekend.
Based on the strings I found in this forum, I'm concerned that my clutch/flywheel has received a liberal dose of hydraulic fluid thanks to a slave leak. Could that be the case? If so, any chance it dry up on it's own if I replace the slave and stop the supply of hydraulic fluid (assuming that's happening), or am I looking at dropping the transmission and clutch just to degrease things (at a minimum)? Or, does this type of contamination typically ruin the clutch, which necessitates replacement?
So what do you think and what would you recommend as a plan for fixing the problem (starting with the less expensive and less time consuming opportunities first, of course).
Thank you,
Ryan
