It's getting worse lately.....it's kind of a groaning noise as the clutch pedal is depressed. Almost sounds like the pedal itself...is there a bushing on the pedal??

I have the older "Z-bar" setup, no hydraulics.

Could it be the sleeve that goes around the input shaft that the throwout bearing rides on (scored or grooved)?? Or maybe the clutch fork pivot ball?

Anyone else ran into this? Just trying to get ideas on what I should be checking....TIA

 

Anyone???

 

That's pretty much par for the course for mechanical linkage. There are aftermarket rod end pushrods upper and lower for other GM apps. Not sure about the 82-83 though.

 

Could be any of those things.... that's the exact thing that I got so sick of (just like all the 4-speed cars I've had over the years) and swapped to hydraulics.

There's a little hole on the bottom of the Z-bar, near the engine. It's the right size for a zerk fitting. Why there's not one there is a mystery. Install one, and grease the Z-bar with a grease gun. That might help.

 

Funny this topic came up, as I have just been chasing a similar problem.

Yes, there is a bushing on the clutch pedal, that the push rod mounts to. Mine was shot, and had the metal egged out from metal to metal contact. This was the first thing I fixed. Even though it needed to be fixed, this did not solve my problem.

Next I checked both ends of the Z-bar and the ball studs and the nylon cups they ride on. I polished the ball studs and replaced the nylon cups, and greased the crap out of the Z-bar, but this still didn't solve the problem.

At this point, I am just about out of ideas, so I had my son sit in the car, and push the clutch in and out several times while I was under the car, trying to locate the source of the noise/roughness.

This lead me to the clutch itself. I removed the rubber boot that goes around the clutch fork, so I could look into the bellhousing, and the springs on the pressure plate.

Now, what I'm about to describe, I'm sure, will get some negative comments, but it solved my problem.

I have just recently got my car running after an engine swap, and installation of a new clutch. The only thing about the clutch is, is that it has been sitting around my place for many years, and had small amounts of rust, here and there. No big deal I thought, so I installed it, as is.

Now, after realizing the possibility of the rust on the clutch, I took the chance of ruining the clutch, and sprayed some PB Blaster directly at the springs on the pressure plate, as my son worked the the pedal back and forth. This was done ,by using the opening left by the clutch fork. And this is what solved MY problem, the roughness went away and the clutch pedal now moves very smoothly, without any difficulty.

And, NO the lube did NOT make the clutch slip at all, as I have just returned from a short thrash session, and the clutch hooks up very nicely.

I know this has turned out to be very long-winded, but it just goes to show, that when you think you have tryed everything, you might have to take a chance at solving a probem, by doing something that doesn't seem to make any sence, it worked for me!

Good Luck!

 

I seem to have a similar situation, but I have hydraulics? It's definately something you can feel in the pedal. And seems more noticeable at slow speeds.