TedtheKat

I had a strange problem with the clutch on my 08 SS/TC last week and was curious if anyone here has had a similar problem.

Driving home last week, I noticed that I was having to put the clutch pedal right to the floor in order for it to engage. Previously the clutch had been engaging a couple of inches or so off the floor. The condition got gradually worse and at one point the clutch was hardly engaging at all and it was almost impossible to select a gear. I didn’t drive the car over the weekend, then took it to the dealer yesterday. Of course, on the way to the dealer, the clutch worked fine, the same as it had done before the problem. Anyway, the dealer took a look and said the clutch itself was fine, but they removed a small amount of clutch fluid from the hydraulic system. Apparently, if the system is overfilled it can cause some kind of suction condition, which causes the clutch to malfunction. I was told there is a service bulletin about it.

I still only have 1300 miles on the clock, so I guess the system was overfilled from the factory. I’m not sure why the problem only just showed up, although I had been driving in some heavy traffic, so maybe that was a factor… anyway, I just wondered if anyone had this happen to their car too.

Killa SS

iTrader: (1)

if it gets like that. try pumping the clutch pedal while the cars running and in neutral. always worked for my SS/SC

TrevMo

When was yours built? Or when did you take delivery? 08 or 09?

I have an 08 that was built on 4/23 and have not had any issues. I've been doing a lot of driving in heavy traffic in Chicago and have not had an issue.

MARIN007

Had the same problem with my 2006 2.4 SS. Pumping the clutch band aids the problem but it will return. I drove around at night until the problem reoccurred and I stayed in close vicinity to the dealership. Eventually, the clutch connection point was flat on the ground or didn't exist at all. At that point, I put it in neutral, rolled to the dealer, and shut it down. Next day I told the service person, mechanic, and service manager to step in the car and see wtf I'm talking about (if you can't prove the problem, then they won't fix anything).

Sure enough, the problem was as I left it and within a week I had a brand new clutch, free and under warranty. never had the problem again.

kazinova

It's at this point point that I realize the amount of confusion there is over what to call pushing down on the clutch pedal. I would call it disengaging the clutch, but I've also encountered those who talk about "clutch" the same way they describe "gas". For my money there is a huge difference between "give it some gas" and "give it some clutch". But oh well.

To the OP, always always a fluid problem in this case. Also, try posting in the Problems and Service area on the boards. More people will see that and help you diagnose the problem.

TedtheKat

Thanks for the info guys. I'm hoping it is fixed now, but at least I'll know what to do if it happens again.

IsItFast?

One thing to be mindful of is resting your foot on the clutch pedal. If the clutch slips just a little bit (like while driving in traffic) and begins to overheat, the clutch pedal gets very light for some reason.