GMuffley

I was wondering the same thing.

ChevyEFI

If the clutch is releasing too closely to the floor, it may be such that it is not released sufficiently during a shift. This effectively forces the synchro to try and slow down the engine & flywheel, which even the triple cone synchronizers are not designed to do. They're just to slow down & synchronize the particular gear. So a higher pedal point for release could be beneficial, albeit subtle.

A stationary car in 1st gear w/ the clutch pedal to the floor and a few grand on the tach tells you that the clutch is releasing; slowly releasing to find where it's beginning to grab tells more.

The question becomes whether the clutch is released during the shift into the next gear. That's where the driver's habits become part of the equation and part of an opportunity for improvement.

Happy shifting and best of luck w/ the repairs to your Z06.

Minkster

Do you know if the tranny was ever removed, lowered, or tilted to do work to the clutch or rearend? There have been cases where the tranny was moved to do maintnenance causing fluid to leak out, and the oil level was not checked. Result was similiar to what has happened here.

RichieRichZ06

When the fluid is ran low, the trans will almost always whine in 1st-3rd gears because the input bearing is starved for fluid. if the synchros are bad, that is not likely caused by low fluid levels.

FWIW to the OP, I sell these trans brand new for ~$2,700 plus freight. Shipping is the downer though, as it usually ends up being very expensive.

Frosty-Z06

GM said they would cover 25% of the cost. So that helps. Not exactly what I was hoping for but nonetheless it's some help.

They said synchro's in 2nd and 3rd are gone as well as reverse. They also said they "may or may not" need a gear replaced but will have to see once they tear into it. Apparently they have not torn into it yet.

What doesn't make any sense is that I've never had any issues with 2nd or 3rd. 2nd was a little sticky until it got warmed up but never horrible and only at higher rpms. Reverse had always been a bear to get into gear. Usually had to double clutch, but I've had that issue in most of the manuals I've driven so it didn't seem out of the ordinary to me. Always full stop btw when putting into reverse.

Now for the clutch not fully engaging or disengaging I've never ground gears, pulled it out of gear early or anything like that. Now I do have short legs and try to keep the seat as far forward as I can to be able to fully engage the clutch. So if I am doing something wrong I am definitely not aware of it. It's not like this is my first standard. I've driven them my entire life.

They are going to let me know as well if they should replace or rebuild though. I'm just stressed...

Frosty-Z06

no idea if it had ever had anything done on it like that but I doubt it. It only had 11k miles on it when I picked it up. Although there was an issue a while back where my clutch fluid mysteriously vanished. I took it into the dealer and they could not find a leak. The reservoir just came up empty one day. It had to go somewhere! I asked them about it but they said that this issue should not have been related. Makes me wonder though.

Thanks for all the feedback/advice to everyone.

and replying to an earlier post, I would have bought an extended warranty but because it was out of warranty when I bought it they could not offer one. In addition, the dealer said they could not sell me one either. Checked with USAA they did not have a plan for one for a vette. Others were almost worthless (and the companies that seemed very sketchy) So I'm debating now. I love my car. But what happens if the engine blows? It's not like I have 16k laying around.

jimman

Interesting on how few miles it had in over three years, a friend of mine also has a garage queen and the fluids drain off the components and there are a lot of dry starts and he had simiilar issues.

95jersey

Dude seriously don't be a part of the scam that the every day person falls into. My buddy owns a junkyard and could find several of these used with low miles. I would call my local junk yard and try to source one for less than 1/2 that price, maybe another $700 to install.

You could go through 2 used tranny's for the price of a new one.

jb78L-82

The source of the problem is right there-"it had 11,000 miles on it when I picked it up." I would have loved to buy my Z06 used but just could not accept that buying a Z with low miles is risky-you just don't know what has happened to the car even with VERY low miles. Bought my 10 Z06 new!

DaddyBarlow

There's that Cost/Risk factor. We all know you can save a ton of money buying used, buy there's always that risk factor. Buying a stock Z06 with an extended GMPP is a less risky way to go, IMO.

Kenny94945

+1 on NOT to rebuild.

Get a new GM trans (w/ 25%) off. Preventative maintenace do clutch et al at this time.
or
Get a used trans from wrecker
or
Other option from above; just do not rebuild.

sublime1996525

How do they know the synchros are gone if they haven't opened up the tranny? Just curious.

TapOut

You can purchase an extended warranty through Fidelity if the others have turned you down. That's what I used for my car and I'm very satisfied with them. They also offer $2k back when the policy expires if you end up never using them (pretty cool deal I thought). I purchased mine through Boardwalk chevy, but I'm sure others carry them as well.

MTIRC6Z

Send the old trans to RPM as a core, then get a new TR6060 with the their level 5 treatment. You could even use this as an opportunity to modify the gear ratios to something which might suit you better. Get GM to apply their 25% to cover all the labour cost.

Cheers, Paul.

Chevy Cust Svc

V8maro – I’m not sure if this is considered common for the transmission. Have you spoken to your dealer about this at all?

Thanks,
Laura
GM Customer Service

Bill Dearborn

Both of my C5 transmissions did that. I quickly realized I had to put the shifter into reverse and hold it there while slowly let the clutch out until the transmission dropped fully into gear. Then I could shut off the engine if parking or back up if I wanted. If I forgot and didn't do that the transmission wouldn't fully into gear and it would pop out of gear while parked or if I was backing up it would pop out of gear and make a nice grinding noise. Ran both of those transmissions for 6 years each and never had any issues with either of them though both saw extensive autocross and track day usage. I never considered the the popping out of gear thing to be an issue. Just had to make sure the gears were meshed properly before letting the clutch all the way out which was fairly common practice on all the manual transmission cars that I had driven over the last 50 years.

Bill

TAILWAG

My 06' had some similar issues but it was a Pilot Car. Apparently, and according to the dealer that worked on it, there were some issues with some parts. I had mine rebuilt under warranty. Something was still not right - after getting tired of messing with it, I traded mine in for a new 08. The 6060 is a better option.

OP, is it an early 06'? You can tell by your Vin #.

forg0tmypen

I didn't quote the post but OP asked what would happen if the LS7 popped? Well, think of it like the transmission x $$$$$. Financially you don't seem like you could handle it. Best case scenario is a rebuild but a new LS7 is $14,000. I don't even think I could handle a catastrophic engine failure. Best thing todo is preventative maintenance. Instead of that new Apple MacBook Pro and that new 3D HDTV, have your engine looked at, torn down and rebuilt for a few thousand (I'm guessing here). That's what my plans are. Or look into that fidelity warranty. I'm not a warranty person though. I'd rather spend the thousands it costs on the car. My 2 cents...

forg0tmypen

I figured this out as well. About a week after I got the car I realized reverse was a bit*h and it would occasionally pop out and grind. One day by luck I just kept pressure on it while letting the clutch out slowly and noticed that it fell right in gear that way. Haven't had a problem with reverse since.