Hi, I recently test drove a 1987 4 speed. I noticed the clutch grabbed very high. You could barely feel it.  The car ran and performed well otherwise. It this normal?  Is the clutch needing attention?  The car has 86K miles on it .  Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks

By "clutch grabbed very high" do you mean the pedal came almost all the way UP before engaging the clutch? If so, that is not "normal", in my experience. Clutches on most of these cars release/engage about 1/2 pedal, or closer to the floor. It is possible someone has modified the slave cylinder pushrod to make it longer.....these turds are HARD to bleed the clutches on if you are not experienced in how they need to be bled. Some folks have resorted to installing longer than stock pushrod to get the clutch to dis-engage completely. I would suggest, if you can get another test drive in it, to get it into 4th gear, and hit the throttle pretty hard....make sure the clutch doesn't start slipping(if it's gunna slip, it'll slip in high gear under heavy throttle first). If the clutch passes the test, then you should be good for the time being, but I would want to double-check the pushrod on the slave cylinder, and even the master, for correct components.

Joel Adams  
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"Money can't buy happiness -- but somehow it's more comforting to cry in a CORVETTE than in a Kia"

Thanks for the detailed response. I did go back and requested another test drive but the guy frowned saying that it will behave the same. I did get him to admit that it will need a clutch. He said it would cost $300. But I imagine it would be more than that with labor.  Many unknowns dealing with "used car lot" guys. 

Oh, I could guaranTEE it would be more than $300!! lol The clutch assy itself will be close to that....around $250 in this area. I would suggest, if you purchase the car and get the clutch done, go ahead and get the hydraulics replaced at the same time. A little more parts and labor, but it's really best to do the complete job all at once, imo. 

Joel Adams  
My Link

    
(click for Texas-sized view!)             NCRS

"Money can't buy happiness -- but somehow it's more comforting to cry in a CORVETTE than in a Kia"