ok, have an 06 that just turned 56K this week. a couple times recently, I've had a small issue with the clutch system (stock OEM). after paying some attention to it, it seems to occur when I'm in a lot of stop & go, rush hr traffic when the clutch is engaged/disengaged frequently or when sitting at a long red light on an incline when the clutch is semi engaged to keep from rolling back. car drives fine but the pedal gets really "soft" & doesn't spring to the top of its travel, it just raises enough to engage the clutch with a few inches of "dead space" where you can pull it up with your foot. after the car sits for awhile & cools down, it works fine again. I'm assuming this is something heating up from the frequent use, but does anyone know exactly what this is? is this an indicator that something is on the way out & should be addressed pretty soon? I prefer to catch things ahead of time & address them on my terms, not wait until something goes out on the road...

 

Why in the hell are you using your clutch to not roll backwards...are your brakes broken??? If your constantly slipping your clutch to act like a break your should probably get an automatic or learn to drive a stick. Im willing to be your clutch is F'ed!

 

The problem is, many people don't know that brakes are way cheaper than clutches when being on a hill. The best way to preserve your clutch is to disengage it on a hill: shift the car into neutral and release the clutch until you need it again. This way, you avoid heating up the clutch disc, pressure plate and even the fluid. Shifting frequently in stop-and-go traffic won't be easy on the syncros or clutch, but they shouldn't cause a lot of overheating.

To the OP: how long have you been driving the Z this way? If it's been over a year, you might try flushing the clutch fluid from your brake master for some fresh high-temp DOT 3/4 fluid like ATE Gold 200. That should help performance, but the biggest improvement has to be the nut behind the wheel.

 

another question is... what is the year of it. if it is 07-08 you have the internal slave which is known for going out

 

^^It's in the first post- OP has an '06 Z; most likely a rev-up.

 

d'oh... missed that... thanks

i would do like dkmura said and do a fluid flush, and possibly replace the slave... luckily yours is external

 

Yep. Regardless of your driving habits the overall symptoms sound like fluid has air from previous bleedings or has overheated.

Proper bleed should take care of it but easy to do incorrectly.

Definitely learn better driving habits to prevent this again. There are numerous threads on exactly the same pedal symptoms you are describing and they are usually appearing on extremely hot days. The rubber clutch line is right next to the exhaust header. It is not forgiving at all to bad fluid condition. Heat reveals the problem very quickly as you found out. Good luck!

 

thanks! sounds like it might be a good time to swap the rubber line out for a braided stainless version.

to clarify a bit more for a couple others, I've been driving stick for almost 30 yrs on the street, track etc. & have never burned up a clutch prematurely. I don't always use the clutch as a brake, but we have an issue here in nashville with folks (usually younger folks & women) who get so consumed with their cellphone conversations that they creep up less than a foot off your rear bumper at a light. never fails, if they are on your ***, they are on the phone. couple that with this screwy Z pedal that releases at a weird point in the travel & yes, occasionally I slip it a bit to grab if its on a steep hill. I will address that pedal release point issue with some form of adjustable that I can set to my liking when time permits.

 

never going to win a debate on the internet on proper clutch technique. Do what you gotta do but be aware of why you could be causing some issues on your own.
Don't just get stainless braided. Get one that is that PLUS a heat shield material over it. I bought one premade like that but would have to get the receipt out at home to give brand. Bought it somewhere like "theZStore" or similar.
The stainless only will probably attract more heat than the factory rubber. OEM has a heat shield material over it. So all things being equal the stainless is probably not necessary but most of us bought something like that anyway. Maybe don't add more problems until you just flush/bleed it properly and see if it goes away. Removing the line and putting a new one in causes LOTS of air to get in there for sure!! Start by eliminating only one variable and see how it goes.