I'm trying to do as much h/w as I can but I'd also like to get y'all's thoughts. noticed as I was driving towards mom's house this evening that it was running about 500 RPM higher than normal. Then it would feel like it finished engaging and would completely engage (and go back to normal RPM) and would alternate as I finished my drive. I checked my clutch fluid when I got home and it was low. Now if I'm wrong then by all means correct me, but wouldn't the clutch not want to DISengage if it was low on fluid? i know that's how my S-10 was. maybe it's a different setup and if it is could someone please explain to me? I hope to God it's not my clutch cause I don't have that kind of extra cash. Thanks in advance guys. I need to be able to get back home somehow so i can go to class.

Low fluid won't cause fluctuations in RPMs but it can increase the drag on the clutch and cause it to slip more.. This is usually only the case when the clutch is already about to fail, and so would just be a precursor to needing a new clutch anyway..

Get it out on highway in top gear (5th or 6th) and punch the gas. If the revs climb faster than the MPH, then it's a good indication the clutch is about to go.

So, in other words, low (as in almost none left in the reservoir) clutch fluid will cause the clutch to not fully engage? As opposed to my old S-10 where low clutch fliud will cause it to become nearly impossible to disengage. That's what I'm trying to figure out. When it started showing these signs i was just ready to get there and didn't even downshift until I was a mile from Mom's house. There were times where it fully engaged and pulled beautifully. I'm just trying to make sure that the clutch does indeed work in this manner. Cause there was almost none in the reservoir when I checked it when I got to Mom's

I would want to Check around and make sure you don't have a leak. B/c resevoirs just don't go dry. Also what would make the reving like that is the pilot bearing is almost pushed in the pressure plate. The pressure plate being worn. Just sounds like to me it needs to have a new clutch kit to be on the safe side. Also dont' you need to bleed the master cylinder for the clutch since it was low?

Sorry, I missed the "clutch" part of fluid, I thought you were talking about low trans fluid..

Right now my primary concern is getting home. don't have a whole lot of money to work with as I'm back in college. And yes I'm almost certain there is a leak somewhere cause it had plenty of fluid when I checked it a week or two ago. I have another car I can drive (needs a new control arm for the left rear though). I'm just hoping all that is cause I'm guessing it could cost 600 bucks to get a new clutch put in

Ok update guys. went and put clutch fluid in. Drove it all around Louisville. Did some on the city streets and then the rest on the interstates, some w/55 mph speed limit and some with 65mph. Tach was exactly where it should be and punched it in gear and speed went up with the revs. So for now I think my clutch is still fine. We'll see for sure when I head home tomorrow though. 200 mile trip.

The hydraulic clutch system is what disengages the clutch, not what holds it. If you were low on fluid you'd have a hard time getting it in gear as the clutch wouldn't completely disengage.

mine is low as well, i refilled it but it still doesnt seem right it improved but still seems off... when filling the resovoir should i engage the clutch so more will fit?

I figured out it wasn't the clutch. My tach sometimes goes haywire I finally figured out. I think that and it not having as much oooomph at times is an electrical issue. probably due to the fact that the battery is older than dirt and when it's cold out it doesn't want to work right. That's when most of my problems of that nature occurred. Been driving the IROC daily now that my pontiac is totalled and haven't had any clutch trouble.