# clutch master cylinder issue



## Z71 (Jan 1, 2019)

I have about 3100 miles on my 2018 Cruze TD 6 speed manual and I have noticed that the clutch pedal movement is not as smooth occasionally as it should be. It almost seems that the master cylinder plunger does not move smoothly when going in. This happens when the engine warms up, usually when shifting from 1st to 2nd gear. The clutch pedal is not making any noise, it is not squeaking or creaking, it is just that slight roughness sensation when the pedal is pushed in the last 1/3rd of its travel or so. I lubed the clutch pedal return spring, and this did not help. I read about a similar problem with Honda Accord clutch master cylinders made from plastic. The Cruze uses a plastic plunger in the master cylinder and maybe the entire master cylinder is plastic. I tried to get some special rubber red grease (rubber safe) inside the plunger after pulling back the rubber boot, but other than using a spray lube, this proved near impossible without removing the master cylinder. And of course, GM made removing this master cylinder difficult, as you must press in two plastic locking tabs simultaneously from both sides to free the plunger from the clutch pedal. GM offers a special tool for this, probably special pliers. 

I do not have a clutch problem, as clutch engagement is nice and smooth, it is only this strange rough pedal feel which I never experienced with any other manual transmission car or truck and I had many over the years. But none of them had a plastic master cylinder like this car. I have a 2013 Chevy Sonic with a manual transmission, and its clutch has been smooth since day one and works fine with 84k miles on it. It has a different clutch return spring. My Mazda 626 clutch pedal occasionally squeaked after every 50k miles or so, but that was easily corrected by lubing the pedal bushings. 

Anyone experienced anything similar on their Cruze? If yes, what is the fix? I believe that the clutch master cylinder replacement may be required.


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## MRO1791 (Sep 2, 2016)

I can't say I have the specific problem you are having, however when my DMF failed, the new clutch parts installed were new/updated part numbers.. so there was a design change to the clutch, at least on the slave cylinder. When the DMF went, the vibration could be felt in the clutch pedal upon release. 

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk


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## Z71 (Jan 1, 2019)

MRO1791 said:


> I can't say I have the specific problem you are having, however when my DMF failed, the new clutch parts installed were new/updated part numbers.. so there was a design change to the clutch, at least on the slave cylinder. When the DMF went, the vibration could be felt in the clutch pedal upon release.


I do not feel any vibration in the pedal, only slight roughness during last 1/3 of travel. It could conceivably be caused by the pedal return spring or master cylinder plunger. I do not think it has anything to do with a DMF problem.


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## greg7165 (Jul 27, 2020)

I have a 2018 Chevrolet cruze diesel 6 spd and have had clutch problems since about 6000 miles start by getting a warning on my info screen saying reduced power and car going into a limp mode for 2 to3 seconds then recovering sometimes would happen 2 or3 time . so I started paying attention it was in 5th and 6th gear between 1700 and 2000 rpm . it was my clutch slipping after three trips to the dealer they were able to replicate and gm tech recommended replacement of my clutch ,preasure plate,throwout bearing,pilot bearing,and flywheel under warrenty.now I have a little over 33000 miles and it is starting again I have a case with gm customer service trying to get gm to work with me to get this problem repaired.it has been a real pain but staying on them


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## chadtn (Feb 27, 2018)

Did they not replace any of the clutch hydraulics last time?

Thanks!

Chad


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## greg7165 (Jul 27, 2020)

they did not replace any of the hydraulic parts they said they flushed them


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## greg7165 (Jul 27, 2020)

still having issues plan to take back to dealer . I"m getting close to 36000 miles now


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## 6speedTi (May 18, 2018)

My 2018 diesel sedan with 15,000 miles went to the dealer to have the clutch pack, flywheel and slave cylinder replaced due to failure. The clutch pack failed so the flywheel was also replaced and they replaced the slave cylinder because of the history of failures it has. My failure started on a engine start where the engine rpms revved up to about 2,500 with a noticeable rattling noise. This lasted about 15 seconds. The ignition switch was unresponsive. Had to sit through this event thinking the engine is going to self destruct.
It settled down and all seemed normal. Everytime I accelerate to a certain engine load the rattling was noticeable. It ended up being the clutch assembly. I really don't know if I had a defective clutch or just a failure due to bad design. I hope all parts replaced are the latest and if any defects existed on any parts it was all upgraded and corrected.


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## Z71 (Jan 1, 2019)

The only problem I have is somewhat scratchy feel in the clutch pedal during the last 1/3 of travel when pushing the clutch in. It is most noticeable when I rev up the engine shifting from 1st to 2nd gear. It seems to get worse when the engine gets really hot, such as in town driving in hot weather with A/C on. When IU place the shifter in neutral with the engine running and repeatedly press on the clutch pedal, the travel is butter smooth without any scratchy feel. This has all the symptoms of a sticky throwout bearing, which is combined into one unit with the slave cylinder. . The clutch releases fine, so there does not appear to be any issue with the hydraulic circuit.


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## Z71 (Jan 1, 2019)

greg7165 said:


> still having issues plan to take back to dealer . I"m getting close to 36000 miles now



Are you saying that this is the second time you have problems around 36k miles after all these components were replaced earlier?


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## greg7165 (Jul 27, 2020)

Z71 said:


> Are you saying that this is the second time you have problems around 36k miles after all these components were replaced earlier?


no i have had my car back to the dealer probably a dozen times just turn over 40000 miles and still try to the dealer to get it fixed


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## greg7165 (Jul 27, 2020)

my dealer is working with gm tech to try to sort out the problem and i wonder if there not just trying to put a band-aid on it to get me out of warrenty


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