Ranger

Was asked to post some pictures of the kit I carry in the Z06 for changing the fluid in the clutch master cylinder.

Kit is carried in a Zip-lock bag (one gallon), and contains
(1) the brake fluid for the clutch (GM for the C6Z and Prestone for the C5Z)
(2) a sealed can for storing spent fluid
(3) the syringe for withdrawing the fluid
(4) a cup filled with paper towels to house the syringe
(5) a funnel for use in filling the reservoir, kept in a separate zip lock.

I keep the lids tight and the Zip lock hasn't leaked yet.

Everything needed to make the job generally pain-free.

Finally, remember to keep the brake fluid off your paint.

Ranger

MikeNMaxZO6

Ranger, thanks for the info. I've been reading the fluid post of late and have deciced to change my fluids as well. Thanks for the bump!

Mike

bb609

How often do you change it? Do you track your car?

Ranger

Perhaps you missed reading my signature for a snapshot of my cars' track time. But the cars are my daily drivers and are driven conservatively on the street. Haven't been to a road course.

I change the clutch fluid every time it is any color but clear.

Here is the clutch fluid thread.

Another clutch fluid thread.

Keeping the clutch fluid fresh will help keep the pedal normal.

Just about every clutch fluid question imaginable is answered in those two threads.


Ranger

MVR 155

After reading one of rangers posts last year I also put myself a small kit together, I use a baster style device and keep mine in a rubbermaid container but it certainly helps having clean uncontaminated fluid.

J Z06

Thanks again for lending a hand John!

CDH76

Pep Boys didnt have that syringe

Ranger

Try AutoZone or Walmart. Both have it in my area.

Ranger

bb609

Perhaps I did miss a few details.....

Now you forced me to go back and reread those articles! :o (I scanned them last time). They did answer one question I had which was how replacing the reservoir fluid alone kept gravity from doing it's thing with sediments settling in the lines. Logic dictates you catch some of it suspended in the fluid but inevitably a full flush needs doing - once a year or so? Good info, thanks.

Great times too!

torchredfrc

What fluid comes stock in the car? I would like to switch to the Prestone DOT 4 fluid you are using but am not sure if it is safe to mix with the existing fluid. As I perform your flush proceedure can I use the Prestone fluid and eventually get the system from a mixed state to the Prestone fluid? Obviously I would be doing significant remove and replace to get the mixture to only be the Prestone fluid but I'm willing to do it this way if the fluids are safe to mix so that I don't have to remove the torque tube and drain/flush the entire system.

Matt

briann510

Im glad I ran across this thread. I just checked the fluid and there is hardly any fluid even in the cup! Its barely covering the bottom where the hole is. I dont see any leaks, so im wondering if previous owner bled it and forgot to refill it?

Its says to fill to the "step". Well I se a couple steps, so how full should it actually be?

Ranger

Prestone DOT4 is compatible with the OEM fluid on both the C5Z and C6Z. Going to DOT4 in lieu of DOT3 is an improvement that even Chevy did on the C6Z06.

A full bleed of the clutch hydraulics is always better. But frequent changes to the reservoir will get it clean and persistence will keep it clean.

Again, this is not a one step process. You have to keep after the fluid to keep it clear.

Ranger

Ranger

If you stick your finger along the inside wall of the clutch fluid reservoir, you can feel the "shoulder" referred to in the owners manual.

I changed my fluid before departing for the track yesterday. And then did it again after three passes. The fluid had already changed color and produced sediment. This shows the need for persistence.

The goal is to avoid pedal issues entirely.

Ranger.

briann510

ALL done! Thanks much!

Now I noticed while I was doing that my brake fluid is black. I dont have time to bleed them now, so Is it advisable or even worth sucking out whats in the brake resevoir and refilling with fresh for the time being?

Ranger

I'd have the brakes bled properly by a race shop, a good tech, or a road racing friend familiar with the process.

Ranger

briann510

My dealer says $90 to bleed the brakes (I know the tech so I do trust them). Someone told me my 03 Z06 isnt easy to bleed the brakes and need either a special tool or whatever, is this true? Ive bled plenty of brakes on older cars, but dont wanna mess with anything on this one if I might mess it up. $90 aint nothing to me, but I was just curious whats so "special" about the Z06 bleeding.

vms4evr

There is nothing special about bleeding brakes on a Corvette. C4 and C5 at least. Just get the bleed order for your car. Get a helper to do the pedal pushing or get a Motive Power bleeder and no helper is required.

The 'special' tool some refer to would be the Tech II bleeder. Only required to get the ABS to cycle and bleed if you have air in the lines in the ABS.

You need fresh fluid, a 10mm wrench for the bleed screw, a drain tube, and a pedal pumper. I've done mine on ramps without removing the wheels. A little bit of a pain but not bad. Easiest way is to lift the car and pull the wheels off.

Remove the current fluid from the reservoir as you noted and put in fresh to start. It's just that much less to bleed through.

briann510

Cool. Thanks for the info. I had all the wheels and crap off a few weeks ago changing rotors and wished to hell I had noticed the brake fluid was black! its just not worth it for me to do it now when its rather inexpensive to let the dealer do it.

FasterIsBetter

Bleeding the brakes is not a big deal. If you've done it on other cars, you can do it on your Z. I did it on my '03 Z06 a few weeks ago when I changed the brake lines over to stainless steel braided lines and changed the pads and rotors. As was said, you only need the Tech II bleed if you got air into the ABS system. Otherwise, a regular bleed works fine. As noted, remove the old fluid from the reservoir and put in fresh to start with, open the bleeder, pump down, close bleeder, release pedal, repeat. That's all there is to it. And IIRC, the order for the '03 Z was RR, LF, LR, RF.

C5Longhorn

Also, remember not to drain the master cylinder completely so that you run the risk of adding air into the system.