Clutch system fluid and shift issues.

[prior]

I personally think a huge contributing factor to the crappy shifting and poor feel is fluid degradation. I've got the clutch spring removed, jhr stainless line, and mgw shifter installed so far. These modifications helped with the clutch sticking to the floor at higher rpms, but the pedal would always become real soggy and you could feel a difference in the engagement point by the time 5th gear came around.

Fast foward 5k miles and the clutch pedal started to feel a little more soggy all the time and shifting became notchy. I had a look at the fluid and there was a ton of crap floating around in there. The corvette guys had figured out a while back that clutch dust was blowing by the seals in the throwout bearing and into the fluid. This of course lowers the boiling point of the fluid and it only gets worse over time. Read the article and watch the video in this link.

Clutch Care

I recently divorced the clutch fluid reservoir from the master cylinder reservoir so I could monitor and swap the fluid more easily. I also put some ATE super blue in there for good measure. This is a popular modification with the camaro guys and the new reservoir is actually a GM part from a gto.

This is the fluid after only 3k miles. The pedal started to feel wonky again, so I swapped it. It's a 10 minute job with a syringe.

I have yet to experience any major issues with my mt82. Sure, the factory clutch sucks at higher rpms, but it gets even worse with the dirty fluid. I could definitely see this being a contributing factor to the mt82's poor reputation. Once the fluid gets crap in it, it's hard to shift cleanly no matter what. Keep your fluid fresh!

 

[prior]

I should add the fact that I do drive the car extremely hard all the time. I went through the first set of tires in 8k miles and that was with them being rotated front to rear 2 times.

Your mileage may vary with the clutch fluid.

 

[bam2012@TBR]

So you bought the reservoir from an 04-06 gto, what did you use to cap off the old tube?

 

[corysmach1]

DOT 4? I need to pull my assist spring off and change over to DOT this car doesnt wanna shift at 7500.

 

[c_me_pass_u]

Does the dot 4 brand matter? I wanna do the fluid change but don't know what everyone uses

 

[Bloo]

How involved is swapping the fluid? Never done anything like that before

 

[prior]

I'm not entirely sure if the difference between regular DOT4 and a racing fluid like ATE super blue or castrol SRF would matter that much. The problem isn't the fluid itself, it's the crap that gets into it through the seals. I used to pick up the regular castrol synthetic stuff from autozone or pepboys, but I just order the racing fluid online these days.

I have a drawer full of vacuum caps and other misc. stuff that's accumulated over the years. I picked out a silicone cap and used that to block the port on the master cylinder reservoir. Here's a thread from the camaro board with some more info. GTO Clutch Reservoir Install - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums - Camaro5.com

 

[prior]

Part number for the GTO reservoir is 92065790 btw.

 

[debit_free_2010]

I'm not entirely sure if the difference between regular DOT4 and a racing fluid like ATE super blue or castrol SRF would matter that much. The problem isn't the fluid itself, it's the crap that gets into it through the seals. I used to pick up the regular castrol synthetic stuff from autozone or pepboys, but I just order the racing fluid online these days.

I have a drawer full of vacuum caps and other misc. stuff that's accumulated over the years. I picked out a silicone cap and used that to block the port on the master cylinder reservoir. Here's a thread from the camaro board with some more info. GTO Clutch Reservoir Install - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums - Camaro5.com

As far as brake fluids go, you want the highest wet boiling point fluid, and there's a big difference between regular DOT4 and the Castrol SRF racing fluids.

Regular DOT4=311' F, SRF=518' F. The ATE fluids are only marginaly higher than DOT4 at 388.

I'm using the Castrol SRF and haven't had any clutch issues since I started using it, I was using MOTUL and it would boil and I would lose the clutch if I did back to back passes at the track.

The clutch pedal does get a little soft but I don't lose the pedal.

 

[prior]

As far as brake fluids go, you want the highest wet boiling point fluid, and there's a big difference between regular DOT4 and the Castrol SRF racing fluids.

Regular DOT4=311' F, SRF=518' F. The ATE fluids are only marginaly higher than DOT4 at 388.

I'm using the Castrol SRF and haven't had any clutch issues since I started using it, I was using MOTUL and it would boil and I would lose the clutch if I did back to back passes at the track.

The clutch pedal does get a little soft but I don't lose the pedal.

I understand this. That's crazy that the SRF has such a high wet boiling point. Guess I'm a little behind the times using super blue, haha.

What I was trying to get at was this... While choice of fluid is important, the rate at which it gets contaminates in it is the main issue. I wonder if the SRF might fare better with the clutch dust floating around in it though.

I actually tried finding a bigger reservoir than the GTO piece, but it was like finding a needle in a haystack. A larger reservoir should extend the intervals between fluid changes. The fluid in the second picture is only 3k miles old.

 

[corysmach1]

Where do i get the Castrol SRF fluid at?

 

[Nuar]

I think its awesome that you separated the brake system from the clutch. All it took was a line and a reservoir? Seems like an easy task. No negative effects on performance having a setup like this?

 

[prior]

Didn't even take the line. The stock one was long enough. Just the cap to block off the port and the reservoir itself are needed.

No negative effects at all.

 

[Bullitt 3309]

Does that GM part # come with the cap? Looks like and easy fix.

 

[turd burglar]

What size vacuum cap?

 

[BPatterson]

Are there pre-existing holes in the shock tower to mount the reservoir? What bolts did you use?

 

[BPatterson]

Bump

 

[STL5OHSLOW]

so if I was going to do this what would I all need just the part number you used above or is there more items needed?

 

[gs462]

Watching this.

 

[mantis118]

Just the pn and dot 4 fluid. Fixed my shipping issues.