I have been noticing that my clutch pedal has been feeling less firm lately and I'm maybe having to push the pedal in a little further to engauge the clutch too.

I just got done replacing the clutch fluid. I just let the fluid drain out of the valve on the slave cylindar while refilling the master cylindar's reservior. I stopped when the fluid draining out got clear like the stuff I was putting in. I occasionally stopped and pumped the clutch a few times (but it wasn't draining at the time). I didn't let the fluid level get any lower than having a small amount in the bottom of the reserviour.

Anyways, I got all done and the clutch pedal feels the same as before. The clutch works alright, but it still feels a little soft. Maybe I'm just crazy, but is there anything else that could cause this? Thanks!

 

Assuming you have no air in the system, have you been experiencing fluid loss? The clutch master cylinder, slave cylinder, or rubber lines could be leaking and need replaced, or if all that checks out, your clutch may be nearing the end of it's life.

 

Crap, I was worried that it might be the clutch itself. Are there any other signs that would tell me for sure if it's on it's way out?

I know my clutch master cylindar has a very slight leak, but the reserviour is holding fluid just fine. I looked at exactly where the leak is and it looks like it's only leaking a very small amount of fluid when the pedal is pushed in a little bit. I tend to just barely tap the clutch pedal to cancel my cruise control (I press it just enough to trigger the switch). I think that's when it actually leaks, but like I said, it's small and the fluid level stays nice and full.

 

Well... any leak at all can introduce air to the system, so that may be part of the problem.

 

Does your clutch slip at all? If it is on its way out it will begin to slip under engagement. You will notice it a lot if the clutch can't keep up with your shifting. Not being able to chirp gears, or the rpms falling unusually far when shifting.

 

Hmm, well I seem to be accidentally chirping a lot more than usual lately as well... both off the line and from 1st -> 2nd. I haven't noticed any slipping. Any ideas?

 

Clutch going out. Mine is doing the same, it'll either slip too much, or it's extremely grabby.

 

*grumble* I'm cheap. I'll need a new timing belt & water pump in 10k miles too (approx 6 months).

 

When my clutch was really bad, I couldn't chirp 2nd at all. Got the clutch out and the disc was completely glazed, not much life left on it at all.

 

Mine was that way for a while, now it just has a real harsh engagement, with no real holding power [chattering]. I have it's replacement already, but I'm waiting on my LSD so that I only have to drop the tranny once.