New SSV 07 - Weird Clutch Problem ? any help appreciated

[Ripper_017]

Hey guys , i recently purchased an ssv ute , 07 model. in the process of buying the ute i never picked up on this problem when i test drove it and looked for faults.

basically what happens is when i give the car a decent squirt the clutch gets really hard / springy in between gear changes, and once it kind of sat in a bit further then normal. mind you when i drive the car normally and give it about 70% of a squirt she doesnt have any issues, its only when im giving it foot to floor. pretty confused about whats going on with the car.

iv done some research and read that this happened to a lot of people in the begining of purchase on their cars and took them back to holden to get fixed under waranty. i called holden and gave them a rough idea , and they are telling me $3000 + to replace friction plate , pedal box , clutch kit etc, a few extra things aswell which i thought my god . a mechanic friend has told me it could be the clutch master cylinder , and said holden potentially are trying to rip me through the roof but im unsure which direction to go as i dont have much money to waist after just buying it . i want to go to a clutch specialist , but i thought id try here first

anyone had this problem , and or had it fixed by someone other then holden?

any help would be much appreciated

[Nuddy989]

could just need to have your break re-bled. mine has done this a couple times since owning it but after having the clutch re-bled it no longer does this, get it done at your next service should be cheap

[Ripper_017]

how much did that set you back? im considering giving that a shot opposed to falking out that money straight away if it was that.

[bradando]

Hey guys , i recently purchased an ssv ute , 07 model. in the process of buying the ute i never picked up on this problem when i test drove it and looked for faults.

basically what happens is when i give the car a decent squirt the clutch gets really hard / springy in between gear changes, and once it kind of sat in a bit further then normal. mind you when i drive the car normally and give it about 70% of a squirt she doesnt have any issues, its only when im giving it foot to floor. pretty confused about whats going on with the car.

iv done some research and read that this happened to a lot of people in the begining of purchase on their cars and took them back to holden to get fixed under waranty. i called holden and gave them a rough idea , and they are telling me $3000 + to replace friction plate , pedal box , clutch kit etc, a few extra things aswell which i thought my god . a mechanic friend has told me it could be the clutch master cylinder , and said holden potentially are trying to rip me through the roof but im unsure which direction to go as i dont have much money to waist after just buying it . i want to go to a clutch specialist , but i thought id try here first

anyone had this problem , and or had it fixed by someone other then holden?

any help would be much appreciated

MY 2006 SSV does the same thing mate... I usually have to return the pedal stroke by lifting my foot under the pedal and pulling it back... I doubt that your clutch is u/s as its a common fault...I bled my slave cylinder and it appears to have gone...

I seen on here one of the guys has posted a mod in the pedal box which retrofits a heavier return spring... Check out VE FAQ.

[RiCeY]

It is a common fault and the revised clutch kit is the fix. The reason the pedal box needs to be replaced is that the new clutch kit requires a different ratio clutch pedal.

Try a clutch bleed first and see how it goes.

[VSTrev]

Hey Ripper_017
In a way its nice to hear someone with the same problem, but then again, its not nice to have the problem...

With the assistance of my mechanic, a clutch specialist and some mates in the know, We have determined that there is a crack in the slave cylinder seal. Why this only happens "when i give the car a decent squirt" seems a mystery to all.

to confirm its the same problem, get under the car, you will find the bottom of the clutch/gearbox smeared with what appears to be oil, but is actually clutch/break fluid, under the bonnet you may also find the clutch fluid reservior level low as i did, I had to top mine up, something which aparently you should never have to do. I was informed that the reservior is there for emergencies only, to give you a few extra ks before the clutch dies completely.

Anyway, I am looking at replacing with an aftermarket. Clearly the GM clutch is not up to the challenge. I am looking at an xtreme clutch replacement Kit. This is why i logged on today to see if anyone had anything to say about them. Basically the xtreme clutch is a little cheaper then other heavy duty/performance clutches such as excedy, yet provide similar pedel feel to the factory model which other brands don't.

Some technical details now, tune out if not interested...
In my fact findings i have found out that holden and GM along with most other manufactures have moved to what is called a dual mass flywheel. A dual mass flywheel basically has a dampening mechanism that irons out all the bumps, shakes, and rattles between the engine and the gearbox, which provides a smoother ride for you and me. Downside is that when it goes wrong this flywheel can NOT be machined, and hence must be replaced. The other issue is the slave cylinder. Its a concentric slave cylinder. Once agian in my understanding this means its a direct component of the clutch, it pushes directly onto the forks where aparently in other designs the slave cylinder is kind of an external component, pushes indirectly on the forks and hence can be a replacable item, the concentric slave cylinder being part of the clutch must be replaced as well.

So, I have received a quote from my mechanic to replace the clutch with an xtreme clutch. This clutch has the solid mass flywheel but still has the concentric slave cylinder (I think this is how it retains the factory pedal feel), Quote includes labour, parts, and fluids for around $2500.
I know it still has the concentric slave cylindar but the upside is if it hapens to die again no need to replace flywheel.

Does anyone else out there have an xtreme clutch?

Hope this helps, Good luck!

[RiCeY]

Only V6s have dual mass.

[Potta9]

Do not use the updated Holden clutch!!! It will do the same thing again in a matter of months. Go and get a decent aftermarket clutch kit

[adr8]

it is a common fault, holdens fix was to fit updated clutch new flywheel and pedal box (which is basically the clutch fitted to LS7), it has been fitted to holden & hsv from 2009 onwards. it seems to fix it from what i've heard

[RiCeY]

We havent had any comebacks so far.

[COL3SY]

i had the same problem clutch was getting stuck on the floor had to put my foot behind it to pull it back up,
then i installed extreme h/d clutch rated 400rw and now never had a problem with it
i beleive its to do with the pressure plate and the clutch not release at the same time or some crap,
best thing to do is just upgrade ya clutch
cost me 2000 installed for the whole kit plus some other stuff

[VSTrev]

Only V6s have dual mass.

Getting a lot of mixed reports about this. Suppliers, mechanic & clutch specialist via their contacts at holden are certain its dual mass,NRMA advice line via their contacts at holden have confirmed single.

I have mechanic looking deeper into this as apparently there is a different clutch conversion kit for each and the single conversion kit is significantly cheaper.

[RiCeY]

Getting a lot of mixed reports about this. Suppliers, mechanic & clutch specialist via their contacts at holden are certain its dual mass,NRMA advice line via their contacts at holden have confirmed single.

I have mechanic looking deeper into this as apparently there is a different clutch conversion kit for each and the single conversion kit is significantly cheaper.

Im a Holden mechanic and Ive never seen dual mass on a V8.

[VSTrev]

Im a Holden mechanic and Ive never seen dual mass on a V8.

It's clear that whoever answers the phone at dealerships parts or service departments or wherever don't have the knowledge to accurately provide the advice they are giving.

I appreciate your help RiCeY!

[Craig93]

how did you go with this mate?

[VSTrev]

Sorry guys, i have clearly been a bit slack updating this.

I can confirm Single mass flywheel, it is currently sitting on the floor of my garage. Will make a nice paper weight i guess...

I have the Xtreme clutch in now. The clutch itself seems great. Excellent almost factory feel. Very slightly heavy (almost unnoticeable), smoother pedal travel, and I actual find it easier to drive smoother with it. Hopefully being a performance product it will handle higher heat load. My mechanic who would normally recommend exedy mentioned that the quality of the design, make and build of the clutch is excellent. Time will tell if it performs as well as it looks.

Issues I had with the new clutch: -
Found that the clutch is shipped with a GM Slave cylinder and components. Seeing as this was the part that failed originally i was not happy. Turns out that exedy also supplies the GM slave cylinder and it would appear that no after market slave cylinder is available at this time.
Xtreme shipped the pack without a Thrust Bearing. The thrust bearing is supposed to be located with the GM slave cylinder in a sealed bag, it wasn't. Xtreme were quite rude/ignorant about this, initially the person answering the phone didn't even know what a thrust bearing was, when we got onto some who did they basically called my mechanic a liar. Thankfully my mechanic and his supplier took on the cost of purchasing another kit which did come complete with all parts.

So no real words of wisdom from me sorry. I expect the GM slave cylinder to fail again in 3 or so years. With no alternative i have no idea what else to do, apart from bitch about it on this forum. I like the xtreme product but not their service. If you are going through a similar problem then clutch choice is personal preference as their is no alternative to the actual issue, which is the slave cylinder.

[RiCeY]

To extend the life of the slave cylinder buy yourself a syringe and suck all the fluid out of the reservoir whenever it starts to get dark or cloudy and refill with new brake fluid. I do this every 5000kms when I change the oil and filter and my slave cylinder is still going strong after 170,000kms

Alternatively if you can be bothered getting under the car and flushing it properly via the bleed nipple thats even better.