ZR1991

Great effort; It is this kind of thing that makes the forum so indispensable to Corvette owners!

I have a simple question: After owning 2 Corvettes with hydraulic clutches, I figured it was about time, though the subject is not directly your topic (but may be symptom). In the case of my clutch (which is probably like many others), which works well and smooth, the engage point is uncomfortably high. In other words, I am about 50-60 % through the available motion before it engages. It does engage smoothly and fully, but is there a way to "adjust" it so it would start to engage at a lower physical level?

This may be a logical side bar to your basic thesis, and, for all I know, may be somehow related to the issues discussed.

In the meantime, I am going to set the time to follow your procedure to the letter this weekend, just for preventative sake. My younger friend, who is a Corvette fanatic, and does most all of the heavy work for me, has been arguing for this for some time. Now he has a procedure to follow.

Allow me to express my appreciation for your effort.

Regards, Arthur in Baton Rouge, La.

All Good

How many flushes should it take before I get my clutch fluid clean. I have changed it out 8 times and it is still very dark. Thanks

C5Dobie

I bought my 03 Z w/ 12,980 miles- presumably the fluid was never changed by first owner, black like squid ink. I tried ranger method a dozen times no change at all (although I must say the clutch still worked ok) so I just brought it to a gm dealer and had it fully flushed with fresh fluid for $100- well worth it IMO. I did notice smoother shifting and more positive engagement after the flush.

Now I maintain doing ranger method every 1000 miles or so and while it doesn't stay totally clear it does stay opaque and clutch works fine

All Good

Thanks I will try that, it will save time and eliminate this as an issue if it works. If not I think it may be a slave cylinder.

neutron82

using this method you will waste more money on fluid trying to get it all clean than it would cost to just have it properly flushed out at a shop especially if you are using a high dollar fluid like motul, ate, or castrol srf... if you are capable of flushing it yourself then you can save a chunk of money and do it right... I am not a fan of this method and don't understand why people insist on fiddling with it dozens of times when you can do it once the right way and be done with it... and if you ever have the drivetrain out a remote bleeder is a must have, it makes the bleeding/flushing process a breeze... some remote bleeders may be able to be installed with the drivetrain intact but be prepared to have a lot of patience and get creative with your tools... not to mention even after getting the fluid clean that may not be the problem and it could be the master, slave, or piece of junk pressure plate (that was the cause of my stuck pedal)

C5Dobie

I agree, also - $100/year on a maintenance item that directly correlates to performance and driving enjoyment is chump change. I look at it this way - I pay like only $350 /year on insurance as a "seasonal collector" car- all that insurance savings can go into mods/preventative maintenance.

If wind was tracking the car I would absolutely install a remote bleeder. Lastly, keep in mind much like the catch can fad - the dirty clutch fluid is more of an OCD maintenance habit than a must do. My buddy had 80.000 miles on his 05 GTO before changing the clutch fluid (after we realized this issues)

85RIT

Regardless of if its a "waste" or not, I did it on mine ('02, 46k 3rd owner) and noticed quite a bit of a difference when enganging into gear from a stop, and going through shifts.

It took me about 3 times to get it back to clear.

I read though this, seems a lot of people have had similar results. For me, this might become a once a year (1 oil change) thing.

P.S. Yes, I know I need to drive it more.

jjanow

Ranger, thanks for the DIY on the clutch fluid change. My 03 Z06 with 7800 miles, I am the 2nd owner, had never been changed. The fluid was dark as coal, it took me many exchanges to get it clear, but I just got back from a 400 miles trip and the fluid is clear. The shifting is very smooth. Thanks.