guys, my pedal seem to stick when the weather is hot or when I try to drive hard for a few mins. When weather is below 75F the height seem to be fine but if I try to drive hard the pedal seem to stay low all the time. I look like my clutch is disengaging coz if I press the clutch all the way in and put it to first, the car doesn't really move even if I put some gas. Will bleeding the clutch help or do I need to switch to an SS line? Also when the car has been sitting for a while the clutch seem to be about an inch of the floorbefore I even start the car.

I have the Competition Stage 2 clutch and FW, but this problem has been there even before the upgrade. It's just very inconsistent sometimes clutch will be in normal height but sometimes it will be almost close the the floor.

 

Sounds like a pressure plate problem.

 

It might be a pressure plate problem, but I'm willing to bet if you go with an SS line your problems will go away. Plus, you can get an SS line for under $50 and install it yourself. If that doesn't fix the problem, it's not a huge loss, and definitely easier and cheaper than starting out trying to diagnose or fix a pressure plate problem that may or may not be real.

 

I think I'll try that but I just had my clutch/FW installed 2 weeks ago and this problem has been there even before the install. It all started after my ST install and after 1000mi of hard driving my clutch start slipping and also the pedal has been low ever since. I replace the clutch with heavy duty pressure plate and the problem is still there.

 

I bet it's heat related, especially if it started after you had the turbo installed, which again leads me to believe it's the clutch line. The stock line is thick rubber, which obviously will expand when it or the fluid is heated. The stock line is actually heatwrapped, which surprised me, but it's not enough to prevent the problem.

People that go with headers sometimes experience this problem, especially with the crawfords.

 

Thanks, I just ordered my SS clutch line for $50 Cheaper way to troubleshoot, now you said that it can be DIY so is there any link how to do it?

I'll to do some search but it will be nice someone can point me there quicker

 

Sorry, no DYI. I just did it with some help from my dad. I'm 30, and he's over fifty, so we don't get much opportunity to do things together, so he likes to help out with the car sometimes.

The line itself is easy to install. But you do have to be very careful. It's going to be full with brake fluid(DOT 3 stock), so be sure you have some container down there with you that you can use to catch the fluid when you drain it. And brake fluid is nasty stuff. It will ruin your clothes, and aggravate your skin. Be sure to wear something that you don't care about.

And be extra careful when you refill the fluid. The reservoir is next to the VDC relay block on the driver's side, close to the brake fluid reservoir. When you fill it, make sure you have some towling or something to cover the fender. Brake fluid will eat the paint very quickly. Be very careful not to spill it.

And another thing: bleeding the system really is a two person job. It can be done with one person, but it's much easier if you can have an extra there to cycle the clutch pedal while some one else bleeds the line. And the clutch line is very thin. Due to that and it's location/orientation, it's very easy to get a tiny air bubble in the line when you're bleeding the system. It's not uncommon to have to bleed the system 3, 5, or even 10+ times to get all of the air out. Just be patient. If you don't get all of the air out, the pedal won't return all the way. Depending on how much air in the system, it may not be a big deal. I still have air in my system from over a year ago and have lived with it.

GT-Ron experienced this problem when he had his clutch pit in. Here's the original thread:
https://g35driver.com/forums/drivetrain/154272-urgent-clutch-install-pedal-return-issue.html

Here's the thread with the resolution. In it he states that multiple bleeds resolved the pedal-return issue:
https://g35driver.com/forums/drivetrain/154473-braided-stainless-clutch-line-users.html

For more reading, here's my thread where I described my mushy pedal issue, and how the SS line fixed the problem:
https://g35driver.com/forums/drivetrain/110846-help-clutch-mushy-pedal.html

Hope that helps and good luck.

 

Thank, you are very helpful.

 

Also, it could be the clutch line that runs near hot parts, like turbo or exhaust manifold is heating up and causing the problem. Try insulating it.

 

Another thing to check is your clutch fluid -- heat will ruin it pretty quickly, so if it's been in there awhile, you might want to drain/refill it. You can do a flush/refill/bleed or you can use Ranger's method and suck it out of the reservoir w/ a syringe, fill it back up, pump the pedal 20 times, and repeat until the fluid in the reservoir is clean.

Also if you're not running a good DOT3-compatible DOT4, switch. I use synthetic dot4 by prestone, I think.

I had the exact same issue on my stock set up ... pedal "long" when it's hot. Switching the fluid in about 15min using Ranger's method totally cured it and I've not had it happen once since then (about 2 months ago).

 

I found the easiest way to change the fluid and to make sure all the old stuff is gone is to put a small rubber hose on the bleeder on the actuator and place it into a small can with some brake fluid in the bottom. Then crack the bleeder open just a bit. Go to the clutch fluid reservoir and watch the fluid start to drain from the cylinder. When it gets low refill. Refill the reservoir about 8 times to make sure that you are getting new fluid all the way through the system. when you are happy you have flushed all of the old stuff out close the bleeder and top off the reservoir and your done.

I did this last after my peddle started to stick when it got hot. Since i have driven it very hard to see if i could get it to stick and it has not. Today i was in stop and go traffic for 30 minutes in 96 degree temps and it was fine.

 

That look simple. Will this also bleed the air? or I still need to do the clutch cycle?

 

+1 for trying to replace the fluid with the syringe method. Do 5-6 reps of sucking out the fluid/replenishing then pumping the clutch 20-25 times. Use a good DOT 4 synthetic brake fluid...

 

Where are you guys getting the SS lines from?

 

I got mine from THMotorsports.