How to fix the clutch pedal hanging problem

Caution: Some of you that are suffering the pedal hanging problem may have a different cause. This solution may not be the only solution to the clutch pedal hanging problem.

Symptom:  The clutch pedal does no return all the way up after it is released.  The last 2 inches of travel when released is very rough and sticky. 

Solution: The piston inside the clutch pedal assembly can sometime be expose to dust and dirt causing friction on the piston travel.  I cleaned the piston and lubricated all the connecting linkage and used lithium silicon grease to grease the piston rod. 

Aftermath: The pedal felt smoother and it returned to the original position after it was released without any assistance.

Step 1:  Remove the floor mat.  A plastic round screw holds the carpet in place to the floor pan.  Turn it counter clockwise to loosen the plastic bolt and remove it.

Step 2: Remove the carpet underneath the pedals will expose the wooden floor board that covers the pedal assembly.

Step 3:  There are 3 philips screws that holds the wooden floor board in place near the bottom of the floor board, you will need to pull back the carpet to see them.  There is one screw that is hidden underneath the gas pedal, you will need to pull the gas pedal off it's socket to get to that screw.  Just pull the gas pedal away from the top of the pedal will release it from the ball socket.

Step 4: From this point on everything could be different from car to car and problem to problem.  I want to show the pictures of where I cleaned and applied grease to.   I did notice that the protective rubber boot for the piston assembly was cracked and that was how dirt got into the piston.  Besides cleaning the piston rod and greasing it, I also lubricated all the linkage associated with the clutch pedal assembly.

To install everything back should be very straightforward with the exception of pushing the gas pedal back to it's connecting socket.  It is hard to exert force on the gas pedal and expecting it to stay.  The function of the gas pedal is for you to push upon it, and pushing it all the way down will not give you enough leverage to push the rod back into its socket.  After playing with damn thing I figured out in order for the gas pedal connecting rod to stay I need to wedge a screw driver underneath the connecting rod as a leverage for the gas pedal to push against. 

Donor car for this DIY: John Chung's 95 993.