Heres the story I baught an 89 Camaro RS 5.0L 5spd. about 2 weeks ago. When I was purchasing the car I was told that the car came with a nearly new clutch in it. I do not know what that means but he did not have a reciept to prove it so I was a little skeptical. I drove the car and nothing seemed to be wrong with it. Once I had baught the car I noticed that when it heats up to temperature and after a bit of driving the clutch seemed to slip. I tried to contact the previous owner but of course he is no where to be found. hmmm i feel like i got screwed. But anyways if the car is drivin for more than about an hour the clutch starts to slip horribly like to the point where I can not put the car half throttle and it will be slipping. Once I turn the car off and let it sit for about 20 minutes it goes back to its original drivability. I would really like to know what the problem is. Did these cars come with hydraulic clutches or is there any other part of the transmission that would be making the clutch slip the way it does? I mean I really dont think that its the clutch for the fact that it goes back to its original drivability after cooling. The car is not overheating if that is what you are thinking. It runs a little over 220 but never raises any higher than that. I need help soon guys I am very desperate as I need this car to get back and forth to school and work.

Thanks for whatever you can tell me. I really appreciate you taking the time to read over my article.

Tyler

 

It's the clutch. Nothing else can possibly make a clutch do that.

Either it's not a new clutch, or it's a low-bid POS just-get-the-car-running-so-I-can-sell-it clutch. In either case, a typical used car seller lie. Just be glad you didn't pay extra money because "it has a 350 out of a Corvette in it".

It's not a big deal though. A really good clutch is only about $300-350, plus a flywheel turning (about $35); it's something you can easily do yourself in an afternoon; so I wouldn't get too stressed over it, if you got an otherwise good deal on the car.

The temp sounds absolutely normal for the stock cooling system setup in one of these cars. As long as it never really gets into the red while sitting still, and goes right back down as soon as it gets moving, it's fine.

 

He had wrote New Clutch on the for sale sign so if I can catch him do you believe that a transmission service center could prove that it was not a new clutch if they drove it or if they took a good look at it?

 

basically it comes down to your word agfainst his..i dont think anytthing good for will come out of it..i mean **** u can try but i dont see anyhting happening...better off just tellin the guy to f..k himself when u get a hold of him and put a centerforce in it and be done with it...

this is a job that anyone who knows what a wrech is can do..
i just helped my buddy put one in his t-5...very very simple..
the hardest part was getting the flywheel off

 

So what if you could prove that it isn't a new clutch? What good would that do you?

Carry this to its logical conclusion....

You go somewhere and pay somebody ($$$cha-ching$$$) to inspect it. You might find that in fact it is, and it's just a POS, in which case you don't have a case; or you might find that it isn't. So in the case that it isn't, you take the proof back to the individual in question and show him. He could do one of 2 things: order you off his property immediately, or agree to put a new clutch in it.

Let's assume he does the former, and you decide to seek some kind of redress. This would usually involve a court. ($$$cha-ching$$$) That means you get to take off work ($$$cha-ching$$$), maybe hire a lawyer ($$$cha-ching$$$), file a bunch of paperwork ($$$cha-ching$$$), collect various data ($$$cha-ching$$$), pay a court cost ($$$cha-ching$$$), etc. etc. etc.; and of course there's no certainty that you'd win this case in court. But worst of all, it might be months before the case actually comes to court; for that length of time your clutch still doesn't work right.

Assume that you do win the case in court.... we all know (well, those of us that have been there know anyway) that you can get any kind of judgement in the world in a court, but it's only worth the paper it's written on until you collect ($$$cha-ching$$$). More time off work, more chasing him around, more hassle. And of course there's no certainty going into this that you'll ever collect a dime.

Assume for a minute that you do go to court, the proper number of months has elapsed, you case came up, you won it, and the seller agrees to put in a new clutch. On paper, this is the outcome you want, right?

Now, reverse roles for a minute here; if you were the seller, what would you do? If you put a new clutch in it for an aggravated buyer that just wants "a new clutch", what kind of clutch would you put in there? Would it be a clutch that you, as the buyer, would actually want? Or would it just be a low-bid POS just-get-the-car-running-so-I-can-sell-it clutch?

Let it go. It isn't a battle worth fighting, it's too trivial. Just put a clutch in it and consider it a lesson learned....

Used-car purchasing law #1:
Never believe a single word out of the mouth of a used-car seller, unless you can verify it with your own eyes.

 

Is there any way that it could be the linkage because I kinda find it weird that the clutch only slips sometimes and doesnt other times? I just wanted to find the guy and see where he had it put in and when he had it put in and if it had a warrantee like you said it wouldnt be worth the hassle of going to court with this. Since Im in school it would be a greater lose than if I were at work.

 

Probably not... the linkage is even less temperature sensitive than the clutch facing is.... rathe rthan the clutch not working as well when hot (extremely common, and likely) some part of the linkage would have to be expanding so much that it would hold the clutch partly released (I would say impossible, but at best highly improbable, never seen such in all my days)

In the words of a wiser man than I will ever be:

"The simplest explanation that fits all the facts is usually the right one"
— Occam, ancient Greek philosopher, from the days before hydraulic clutch actuator systems