I want to post in here and see what people are doing about this. I'm sure most of you, if you have a manual ecotec, are aware of this. But for those who aren't, check it out.

GM has a design flaw (who knew?) on the Cavaliers with Ecotec and Manual where the clutch hydraulic line that runs from the clutch master to the clutch slave cylinder rubs on a metal bracket that is part of the unibody. This bracket is so sharp that it eventually (some sooner than others) rubs a hole through this line, leaving you stranded because it rubs on the line as you use the clutch.

Now I have already replaced this line once (March of this year) and checking it out today it's starting to wear again, even after I wrapped the line a few times and put a piece of rubber hose from the old line on the bracket to protect it.

I thought I read somewhere on here that GM made a new line that is all metal and eliminated the soft line, but I cannot find it anywhere.

Who all is having issues with this, and what are you doing for a long term fix?

I'm contemplating grinding the bracket down, trying to hammer it and bend it over, or else run a zip tie and pull the line away from the bracket if I can't get my hands on a different line.

Thanks,

Dan


Dan Trump

2004 Cavalier LS Sport - Victory Red

where did u buy the line from and how much

I had a problem with my clutch line getting cut by the brake lines coming out of the distribution block.

I replaced it, and bent the bracket slightly to get the line a 'home' so it doesn't really rub on anything. I'll see if I can get a picture later.

My clutch line was already worn through by the electical harness and left me stranded. And of course I was just over waranty mileage so GM did squat even though it is clearly a fault of theirs and not normal wear and tear. I just replaced the clutch slave cylinder and wraped a thicker rubber heat resistant hose that i bought at a hardware store around the rubbing point. Then put a corugated platic sleeve (ie.hose cover) and 2 zip ties to hold it together. Now the harness is kind of wedged in beside it and doesn't bounce up and down to cut the tube while driving. No problems after that and its been 3 years since I replaced on my 2004.

Check your transmission and engine mounts - on a stock line, there is a rubber isolator which fits over the line and inside the bracket. When the transmission moves too much because of a worn mount, it can prematurely destroy the isolator and cause the bracket to rub the line.

I once had poly trans mount inserts and they ovaled out, causing the transmission to rock back and forth too much. The first thing I noticed was that the rubber clutch line isolator would not stay in place.

Just a thought...