I noticed, and everyone who's ever driven my 3rd gen cavalier (2003) have complained about the clutch in it. Seems like the spring in it is extremely picky. very finicky clutch, and very easy to bounce the car because of this. Is this just me, or are all J body clutches like this? Also, any way to fix this?


Buddy Club Ecotec Cavalier
* More to come *

mine is touchy too but you just have to get used to it i think. i had a hard time when i first bought it but now its nothing weird to me. my friends all agree that it is touchy too. b.t.w. mine is an 04

When I first got my 03 in December of 03, I had the hardest time driving it too. My buddy had a 94 Honda prelude, he tested my car out because I complained about the clutch. Needless to say, he kept "chirping" my tires. I could be wrong, maybe it's the hydraulic clutch, or the getrag tranny, but once I got use to it, I did fine. Still to this day, almost 4 years later, I had some rough shifting (it bounces) and I have never experienced this before with other cars. It just takes time, it's very touchy. I hope my experience helps ya out alittle.

I got z24 my clutch is very touchy it is easy to bounce, easy to peel out, and hard to drive. It just takes time to get use to it I'm much better now then 6 month ago when got it.

Awesome. I just bought my 03 a few days ago and thought something was wrong with my clutch. Good to know its normal and im just gonna have to deal with it.

Well, I figured as much. I really want to like the Cavalier, but GM's idea of a car is nowhere near to the standards set by my previous car, ye olde 93 Honda Civic. I had to get rid of the Civic because it had so much damage from a recent accident it was better to buy a less used car than try to fix it.

I notice that the hydraulic clutch has plenty of lag (I refer to plenty as a minute fraction of a second) in the 2003 Cavalier. If you're in gear 1 or gear 2 and you hit the clutch quick you can feel it disengage with a "thunk". I drove a different Civic and a SAAB 900, both with hydraulic clutches, and you didn't have that kind of feel to it. I notice that with the clutch full in it almost wants to stick there, but it doesn't. At first, it was, but I found out that the carpet was pressing the clutch down. I threw the carpet behind me and found it to behave better. It still does that "wants to stick" thing when full in, though.

The other thing is not the how but the when. There are two ways to engage the gear. One way is to roll off the clutch and let the RPM match up, or pop off the clutch and on the gas the same moment the RPM is matched. The first way can make the gear 1 -> gear 2 shift faster, but disengage just a tiny bit too fast and you jump into gear. The second way requires absolute precision with the timing, and like the first one if the RPM is off a wee bit it's a rough ride into gear. This, however, if done right, saves the clutch from unnecessary rubbing. It takes very long to go into gear 2 this way, though.

Really, if GM would build cars like Honda does, they wouldn't have these problems. Some of them are just plain stupid, like the fuel pump issue.

I test drove an '04 cavalier, then bought another one (better deal down the road). Both were brand new. The first had a very difficult clutch to me, but the second is perfect. Everyone else whose driven it agrees (or were too polite to complain about it). It looks like its hit and miss, some come off the line fine, others not so much.

As for the thread immediatly above; I know the cavalier did not come with a crazy millilon mile warranty like some cars today (including the cobalt). But many car-makers are sacrificing perfect drivability for durability. Specifically, on cars with clutches they are putting restrictors in the hydraulic system that limit how quickly the clutch engages, no matter how fast you let out the clutch. My worn out '74 bmw 2002 has better clutch engagement than most new cars I've driven., but people expect even cheap cars today to go 100-150k miles with no major problems.

You don't have to sacrifice driveability for durability. An example would be the Toyota pickup. It's known the world over to be nearly indestructible, so much that third world armies are seen toting soldiers in old Toyota pickups. Kidz have taken these trucks off road and totally beat the crap out of them (one person dunked one in a canal several times) but they still run fine after the odometer (and/or the truck) rolls over a few times. Take that truck up over 100 MPH on the road and it runs very smooth, like you're only going 50 or 60 MPH. On top of all that, it gets good gas mileage for a truck. Oh, and it's mass produced.

It's all about quality control.


We all drive in a yellow Cavalier...

James Russell wrote:I test drove an '04 cavalier, then bought another one (better deal down the road). Both were brand new. The first had a very difficult clutch to me, but the second is perfect. Everyone else whose driven it agrees (or were too polite to complain about it). It looks like its hit and miss, some come off the line fine, others not so much.

As for the thread immediatly above; I know the cavalier did not come with a crazy millilon mile warranty like some cars today (including the cobalt). But many car-makers are sacrificing perfect drivability for durability. Specifically, on cars with clutches they are putting restrictors in the hydraulic system that limit how quickly the clutch engages, no matter how fast you let out the clutch. My worn out '74 bmw 2002 has better clutch engagement than most new cars I've driven., but people expect even cheap cars today to go 100-150k miles with no major problems.

yeah i didnt expect a cheap car to go that far but mine has, i bought my 04 cavy new with 9 miles on it, she now has 98000 and no problems, all ive done is a tune up and a fan relay. i dont see that as major, id buy another one in a heartbeat


2004 Cavalier, 2.2 ecotec, 5spd getrag
do you ever notice that the ones who talk the loudest have the least to talk about?

Impreza WRX. You HAVE to go to Youtube and find the Top Gear episode where they see how much they can damage an old toyota diesel before it dies. They dunk it in the ocean, put it on top of buildings that they then blow up, and still drive it away. I agree that those trucks were probably the most durable vehicle ever made.

Been there seen that...


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We all drive in a yellow Cavalier...

Sorry for pointing that out to you. I should have assumed you had seen it. My mistake. The reply you probably should have posted reads:

"I've already seen those clips. Yeah, thanks for agreeing with me, Toyota makes a great product. As I said,I've already seen those, but thanks anyways for noting them. Had I not known of them (a fact my previous clips could not possibly have informed you of) I would have found them entertaining and enlightening." Screw you. And, as to any reply you make to this post...

Been there, seen that...

JR your sense of humor needs some sharpening (not that mine is very cutting either).

I am naturally politically incorrect, therefore anything I say may offend someone that is looking to be offended. I never mean to offend anyone by nature. It just comes across that way.




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We all drive in a yellow Cavalier...

i got an 04 and my clutch is very picky and bouncy sometimes...i have had the car for about 3 months and still bounce sometimes from 1st - 2nd. You just got to get used to it...the clutch just seem to want to pop right back up very fast. It chirps very easy and took like 2 weeks to get used to completely but i like it. Feels good and better than most other stick car i have driven...a little harder to drive but feels a little better to me.... Also is it me or is 1st gear really hard to get into sometimes? 2nd gear isnt a picnic either but easier than 1st...any one else feel this? overall i like the feel of it and its relatively fun to drive...cant wait to mod it for some performance to get some more pep...right now i want some good sound...let me know about 1st and 2nd gear ....

I like it, people don't like to drive my car....so I love it. I love the way the clutch feels, and it makes it very easy to chirp the tires going into second....makes my car _feel_ fast



"The Blue Bullet"

illdwes . wrote:i got an 04 and my clutch is very picky and bouncy sometimes...i have had the car for about 3 months and still bounce sometimes from 1st - 2nd. You just got to get used to it...the clutch just seem to want to pop right back up very fast. It chirps very easy and took like 2 weeks to get used to completely but i like it. Feels good and better than most other stick car i have driven...a little harder to drive but feels a little better to me.... Also is it me or is 1st gear really hard to get into sometimes? 2nd gear isnt a picnic either but easier than 1st...any one else feel this? overall i like the feel of it and its relatively fun to drive...cant wait to mod it for some performance to get some more pep...right now i want some good sound...let me know about 1st and 2nd gear ....

YES YES YES! OMG YES! I thought I was the only one with 2nd gear shift problems.
I dont have any problems going into first, UNLESS the car is moving above 20 kmph... then you have to force it in if you want 1st gear.
2nd gear however, gets stuck somtimes... can't even force it in... boggles my mind, but I think it may have somthign to do with my manual trans fluid... Getting it changed in about 8K... I'll let you know if it makes a difference. Are those the types of problems you're having?



Buddy Club Ecotec Cavalier
* More to come *

well not exactly like your problem but similar , sometimes when im at a stand still and i try to go to first it wont go in so i have to go back to nuetral and they try it again. Other times it feels a lil rough putting in 1st. I never go in 1st from 2nd i stay in 2nd, only use 1st to get going. Sometimes going from 1st to 2nd it feels a little rough but doesn't get stuck....i guess i get stuck sometimes going into 1st. Anyway similar problem but not exactly...any way let me know whats going on....

Try double clutching?


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We all drive in a yellow Cavalier...