Why does the clutch pedal stay down and feel soft?
When a clutch pedal is held down, it can fail to spring back and feel unusually soft, making it difficult to shift gears. This often happens shortly after a clutch replacement, sometimes causing the car to stall or making screeching noises when the pedal is pressed.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Bleed the clutch by pumping the pedal and adding fluidDid this help you?
- 2Replace the master clutch cylinderDid this help you?
- 3Replace the slave cylinderDid this help you?
- 4pulling the clutch pedal back out by handDid this help you?
- 5giving it a lot of gas to prevent stalling while drivingDid this help you?
- 6Attempting to pump the clutch pedal to temporarily build pressure to move the vehicle to a safer locationDid this help you?
- 7Checking and topping off clutch fluid levelsDid this help you?
- 8Replacing the failing slave cylinder and bleeding the hydraulic lineDid this help you?
- 9Check the clutch fluid reservoir for low fluid or discolored fluid.Did this help you?
- 10Bleed the clutch line to remove air bubbles.Did this help you?
- 11Replace the master and slave cylinders.Did this help you?
- 12Using force to change gearsDid this help you?
- 13Replacing the clutch return spring with a modified one from eBay or AmazonDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I’m having this problem where the clutch pedal doesn’t push back when the truck has been sitting for a while.”source ↗
“1991 Mazda mx5 Symptoms: no pedal, I could build pressure at one point to get me in a safer location but now I've got nothing.”source ↗
“Previous owner mentioned a weeping clutch slave cylinder so guessing that's the culprit? Looks fairly wet around that area”source ↗
“One week after replacing the clutch set, the clutch pedal didn't spring back as it should.”source ↗
“Usualy the clutch pedal doesn't sping back when I keep the pedal pressed for a longer period, for example, when parking.”source ↗
“The pedal also feels weirdly soft, and engages only at the bottom.”source ↗
“as I shifted into third the clutch got stuck in, I couldn’t shift into gear, and my power steering turned off probably bc the car turned off.”source ↗
“every time I put the clutch in it made a screeching noise and would almost stall so I had to give a lot of gas.”source ↗
“sometimes I can’t change gear unless I use force, or the clutch pedal sticks to the floor.”source ↗
“Had a new 3 part clutch kit fitted and new master cylinder and the problem is still happening.”source ↗
“Same pedal sticking on my car last winter.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 4New clutch slipping or not fully engaging after replacement
- 5Brake pedal still sinks to the floor after master cylinder replacement
- 10Why is my brake pedal mushy after a service?
- 3Why does a new clutch shake and feel sandpapery?
- 2Gas pedal not working after wrong battery installation
- 6Why does my engine stall when engaging the clutch?