So i was driving to the cubs vs mets game on sunday, and i was in stop and go traffic w/ the air on and it was hot as hell out....like 98degrees. When i started to notice my clutch pedal would not return to the the full "up" position, it was disengaging though, i had to physically lift it the last 3'' up. i was on and off the clutch like every 2 seconds for a half hour. The clutch engaged really wierd too. After the game the clutch was Normal and i havednt experienced it since then. I have the Jim Wolf Clutch/Flywheel combo. Just wondering if you guys have seen this. Possibly boiling clutch fluid?? Do i need Redline fluid....maybe ss braided clutch line?? Did the search and no direct answers. Any help would be appreciated.

 

the fluid is bad, you need to change it out, it will require multiple changings to get all the old fluid out, it should be a clearish yellow color when its clean

 

Sounds like boiling fluid...try dot 4 or SS clutch line or both! Do you have after market headers?

 

clutch fluid should not boil just sitting in traffic quite honestly. But, cars have their own personalities, and sometimes, they just like to complain for no apparant reason

First thing I'd do is, if you are somewhat handy, get under the car and check the slave and master, see if there are any wet marks where perhaps the diaphragms might have torn and a leak resulting. Even a small one would be exaggerated as it gets hotter, and caue the issue you are describing.

It also could be something as simple (and what I would guess) as the rubber line expanding because of the heat and lack of air flow (which helps dissipate heat) from sitting in traffic. The line expands, the overall pressure in the line drops, and causes the erratic behavior. Then after its allowed to cool, it returns to normal. This is where a stainless braided clutch line is more desirable - it wont expand like the factory rubber one will, and leads to a more consistent pedal - it's a reliability mod.

Trust me, you don't want a clutch line to burst on ya - I had it happen to me once in the middle of a major intersection...it was not fun!

 

thanx guys, that helped alot, any suggestions on what ss clutch line to go with and what fluid

 

I have had that exact thing happened to me when I was in traffic in hot weather. I too have the JWT clutch and flywheel. And I also have crawford headers which releases a lot of heat to the engine bay. I had the clutch fluid changed and it didn't fix the problem. So, I had the dealer change my master clutch cylinder and slave and the problem went away.

You should try changing your clutch fluid as other people have mention first. Motul RBF-600 is used by a lot of members here. If that doesn't fix the problem. Replace your master clutch cylinder and slave. If you still have warranty go through the dealer. I got mine done through warranty for free.

 

I have also had a similar experience, I was driving in traffic the other day in weather between 95-100 deg. with a/c running and my clutch pedal started to stick at the end of maybe 2 inches of movement left until full up position. I kept having to kick it up with my foot. I recently purchased this 05 Z and it has 19k miles. it hasn't done it since weather has been cooler and I have also been driving at night more often. I may go to the dealer if it continuous to swap out the master and slave cylinder but I may have to invest in a steel line as well. I'm glad I'm not the only one who has experienced that problem.