Weird clutch pedal feeling in '00 GTS

[Yamajee]

Hey guys,

I'm new here and hope to get help regarding an issue I'm facing with my '00 GTS.

I was cruising and while I was shifting into sixth gear, I heard sort of a small metal piece hitting the front left wheel well and then falling onto the ground, ignored it as it might have been something on the road. Then, I started to feel like my clutch pedal is sort of grinding whenever I'm releasing the clutch pedal.
It's not the grinding noise coming from a bad throw-out bearing, neither do I feel like it has anything to do with the clutch itself but rather the linkage, primary/slave cylinder, etc. I have read up about different clutch pedal issues in Gen 1 and Gen 2 Vipers and also know about the infamous birdcage bushing problem but I can assure you the symptoms are not the same for me.

If I release the clutch very slowly, the grinding sensation is not there (moving from a complete stop) but if I'm shifting from second to third for example and releasing the clutch at a faster rate, I can feel it happening right where the clutch engages. Sometimes I feel like the clutch pedal even gets stuck.

I'd be very surprised if it's a clutch cylinder issue as the car has about 8,000 miles only.

Unfortunately I have tried every way of going in the foot-well area and looking for anything in the linkage but I couldn't.

Thanks!

 

[MoparMap]

I wouldn't be too sure about low mileage not being concerning. 8000 miles in 17 years of life is not even 500 miles a year. That's barely two tanks of gas. Sitting around is often harder on a car than being driving regularly as the seals can dry out and if not exercised could crack. It's a fully hydraulic setup, so there isn't really any linkage to speak of aside from the rod connecting the master cylinder to the pedal. I supopse it's possible that connection is grinding, but I can't recall if the rod actually has a bearing in it or just a clevis and pin. Otherwise I think it sounds like it would have to be internal to the master cylinder. Not much else to the system.

 

[white out]

How old is the clutch fluid?