LawrenceFromTorrance

My clutch spring broke. How hard is this to fix and is it covered under GMPP extended warrantee? How much for a new spring or is there a better after market solution. Can I drive it at all.

Thanks any help appreciated.

RamAir972003

Leave it out its fine mine is gone to its just for people who have a weak foot it asssists in engagement.. Its 9 dollars.

LawrenceFromTorrance

There are two springs attached to the clutch pedal. Which spring are you referring to? The spring on the left broke under my pedal.

Also when you say assists in engagement do you mean the clutch contacting the flywheel or do you mean physically engaging the clutch pedal (ie pushing it down)?

As it sits now, on hard up shifts I get a pretty nasty snapping noise almost like the spring parts are jamming up against something. If both springs push the clutch back against the drivers foot then it would seem pretty useful to have especially in the case that my clutch fluid gets murky and the clutch pedal gets stuck to the floor.

LawrenceFromTorrance

I take that back. There is only one spring but it does appear to push the pedal towards the driver. So again Im not sure what you mean by assists in engagement.

Carnac

Although it is an over-center spring for better clutch petal feel and not a return spring, GM has stated that not having the spring installed can result in the pedal not fully returning to the full up position.

There is a port in the master cylinder that opens to allow the all fluid to return. if the fluid does not all return the throwout bearing may also not retract all the way causing clutch problems and can cause the petal to get stiff due to failure bleed off pressure from the clutch master cylinder.

Many have removed the spring with no problem, but I would not recommend it.

The C5 spring is lighter and to some gives a better feel than the C6 spring. They are interchangeable and about $9 - $12 from the dealer.

They are kind of a pain to get installed (not hard, but if you haven't seen where and the orientation - plus it is in a cramped space under the dash). The original style spring should be covered by GMPP. It isn't all that un-common for them to break.

Search "clutch spring" for more info.

Cheers - Jim

RamAir972003

Its the whole spring under your foot by clutch it a whole piece.... Yes it pushes pedal towards driver also you should have no problems with your car If so just take it to dealer they will replace it...

383vett

I've removed my spring. Without it, the pedal is harder to push down so it actually pushes the pedal towards the floor to make the pedal easier to push down. It also won't allow the pedal to return to the up position as easily and might cause the pedal to stay on the floor if things get hot compared to a pedal with no spring.

dmuellenberg

It is actually a dual purpose spring, to assist when pushing it in and keeping it pushed in (as in heavy rush hour traffic) and also as a return spring to return it back to full up position. It should be covered under GMPP extended warranty.

forg0tmypen

Mine broke last year this time. Everyone wanted me to leave it out that I asked...I bought a new one and installed it myself. It returns the clutch all the way up the last 1" or so, you'll feel this when u get it in. Was also one of my proudest "mcgyver" moments. I could not for the life of me get the second end secured in its hole so I took some string I had lying around and tied it around the troublesome end and pulled it in place then cut off the string. Took all of 5 secs.

LawrenceFromTorrance

Thanks, that should help.

peterpiper

You can drive it. Best to replace it; when you do, press the pedal down and it should fit into place nicely. See a friend's vette for how it fits if you're unsure. Fix under GMPP if you have it and want to.

-pp

PRE-Z06

I agree, it returns to ensure engagement with the cruise control switch though I've never seen it be a problem with it not being there.

ErnieD

The above info tells you almost everything you need to know but I'll add a couple of comments that may help. 1) The overcenter spring acts as a clutch return spring near the top of clutch pedal travel and as an assist spring, to help you depress the clutch pedal, near the bottom of clutch pedal travel. With it removed, it's possible that the pedal may not fully return to the top -- that's bad as pointed out but the few I've seen without the spring did return fully to the top. The pedal will also be a bit harder to push all the way in (not usually a problem and, in fact, it may feel better to you that way). If you're going to drive the car without the spring, just check for full pedal return by putting your toe under the pedal and lifting up. You'll probably find, as many others have, that the pedal returns all the way up without benefit of the spring. 2) To replace the spring, insert the two tips of the spring that point laterally into the nylon bushings above and to either side of the clutch pedal. Then fully depress the pedal to the floor and insert the loop part in the middle of the spring into the notch on the clutch pedal arm. You may need more than finger power -- perhaps a large screwdriver as you'll need to slightly compress the spring to get it into place. By the way, small bodies have an easier job of this than larger folks -- you're on your back in a tight space. And all of this will make more sense as you're under there looking at it.

Good luck with it.

LawrenceFromTorrance

Thanks, everybody, Spring ordered and I will let you know how the install goes.

sublime1996525

Good luck with the install. I remember when mine broke. Loud pop and clutch pedal feel changed. I didn't know what happened at first as the car still drove fine. Freaked me out.

SONKIST

Interesting... I just installed the C7 clutch in my '08 Cooksey and essentially have an "on-off switch" type feeling with the clutch now. That "bump" feel in the pedal is right where the clutch is engaging and then at that moment it's pushing up on my foot. Now with a cam in the car, it makes it tricky to launch.

Thought about taking the spring out completely, but if the C5 spring is lighter, that might be the better part of valor.

So question... How much lighter is the C5 spring?

SONKIST

Never mind. At the advice of Chris at Monster clutches, I took the spring out. Pedal is perfect now...

Mark2009

Those do feel good

Magnetic Red

My under dash clutch spring broke in half and part of it fell on the floormat. I ordered the replacement oem spring for my C5 from my local Chevy dealer (about $10.00) and put it in myself. There are pics and videos online on how to do it but I used a larger screwdriver to pry off the remaining spring portion and used it again to put the new spring in the factory designed retaining holes. You then depress the clutch all the way in to connect the spring to the "spring holder" on the clutch but it didn't catch. I then used a wire hanger, hooked it on the spring as I depressed the clutch and the spring popped into the spring holder on the clutch. Only real challenge is laying on the floor and try to fit myself in a confined area.

LawrenceFromTorrance

wow, thanks two years later