1998 Chevy Camaro Soft Clutch Pedal

1998 CHEVROLET TRUCK
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KELLYANNA4
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
I have a 1998 Chevy Camaro, 85,000 miles, and two days ago the clutch started feeling very easy to push in. Not as much back pressure as usual and it would engage much closer to the floor than it did before but it still shifted fine. The next day I got in the car (it was left in reverse) and it felt extremely easy to push in again and it engaged after letting up on it maybe 1/2". I tried to shift into 1st gear to pull back into the parking space but I had to force it into gear. And when I tried shifting it back into reverse it started grinding the gears. Is this a matter of the clutch cable breaking or fluid levels? Please help, I'm so tired of putting money into this car for repairs!
Jul 5, 2006 at 4:15 AM
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MIKEYBDMAN
  • ✓Experienced Mechanic
  • 623 POSTS
I believe u have a hydralic clutch instead of a cable. You probably just have a leak. Look under your dash, and there should be an actuator with lines running to the tranny. Look for leaks, repair, and then reservice the clutch. You will have to bleed the resevoir to get your pedal back high again.
Worst case senario is you have a bad actuator cylinder, but all in all, its not the worst thing that can break on a car.
Jul 8, 2006 at 9:58 AM
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BBATTON
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
I have an 86 Chevy Camaro that I replaced the hydrolic clutch on and I bled the it like I was suppose to but now I am getting no pressure what should I do
Feb 6, 2007 at 6:42 AM
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KINFOLK_712
  • MEMBER
  • 2 POSTS
i just had this problem 1 week ago...i had to replace the cluth master cylinder and bleed the cluth and now it runs good...pretty easy to do but just not alot of room
Jul 6, 2007 at 9:23 AM
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Suggested Repair

Inspect the hydraulic clutch actuator and lines under the dash for leaks. Repair any leak or replace a failed master or actuator cylinder, then bleed and reservice the clutch so pedal pressure returns.

Conversation Summary

The owner of a 1998 Chevy Camaro reported a suddenly soft clutch pedal, engagement near the floor, difficult shifting, and gear grinding, and asked whether the clutch cable or fluid was at fault. An expert said the car uses a hydraulic clutch and advised checking the under-dash actuator and lines for leaks, repairing them, and bleeding the system; a bad actuator cylinder was noted as the worst case. Other owners described similar hydraulic clutch problems, including one resolved by replacing and bleeding the clutch master cylinder.

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