What'd I do to my clutch?
 

Please excuse any ignorance...I'm new to Corvettes and manual transmissions.

I got my '92 with ~80K miles about a month ago as my manual learner car. I haven't been too bad..I did the usual bucking for a few days, and maybe 3-4 panic stalls when I got confused and let the clutch out instead of the brake in 1st or reverse, but that's it. I never noticed any related bad noises, smells, or problems shifting during this period.

A couple of weeks ago, I noticed that there was a strong burning smell when the car was cold and I was shifting in the lower gears. It was more noticeable if I shifted into 2nd AFTER the RPMs were high enough to get out of one to four mode. It usually went away after driving for 5+ minutes and/or in higher gears. I noticed it once when idling and once on the highway when I'd been in 6th so I didn't know if it was clutch-related or not.

Recently, that seems to have calmed, but now something else's going on. My fiance noticed a couple of times that, with the clutch in all the way, he was having some problems shifting into 3rd and was getting some grinding. Two days ago, he noticed that the clutch was engaging REALLY low, maybe a couple of inches from the floor, which was a change. I'd noticed it too but didn't think much of it until the next day when we had a tought time getting the car into reverse or 1st in the driveway..it feels like the clutch isn't fully disengaged though it's pressed to the floor.

So, I guess my questions are:

What could the burning smell be, and why?
What's going on with the clutch? How did I do it? I don't want to kill the clutch (or synchros) every month...
Can we adjust or fix it, or test things, ourselves? I don't want my cluelessness to cost $$$ that it doesn't have to.

Thanks!

RE: What'd I do to my clutch?
 

Clutch not fully disengaging. Adjust for propper pedle position.

RE: What'd I do to my clutch?
 

First off, a Corvette is not really the car you want to learn how to drive a manual transmission with. Second, if you clutch was nearing the end of its' life, you've now inched it further to replacement. Don't get me wrong, but a clutch that didn't have a lot of life left would go bye-bye rather quickly under the foot of a newbie.

RE: What'd I do to my clutch?
 

I would first check the hydraulic clutch resovoir behind the ECM...actually under the ECM...
mine had a rubber spacer in it(shipping spacer?)..I removed that ...filled with brake fluid...worked fine ever since....

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1990 6 speed L98 owned 15 years

RE: What'd I do to my clutch?
 

Thanks for addin' that, I wasn't thinkin'(not unusual), he had a Hydolic clutch.:eek: It do make a difference!

RE: What'd I do to my clutch?
 

I hope you're not talking about the collapsible rubber seal - 'cause that is meant to be in there.

RE: What'd I do to my clutch?
 

If the reservoir is low, it has to be going somewhere. Check the M/C input shaft for wetness as the slave cylinder. It sounds like a hydraulic problem, because usually when a clutch is going, the pedal is at the top and slipping, not at the bottom. Bottom is always an adjustment problem. ;)

RE: What'd I do to my clutch?
 

Thanks to all for the advice--we topped off the clutch fluid (reservoir's hidden so nicely by the ECM) and the clutch felt great after. I dropped it off at the shop to check for leaks and they're replacing the slave cylinder.

I'm going to be pretty unhappy if I get one of those piston-seal-backward ones (they're putting in a GM one)...guess I'll see what happens.