Do I need clutch work?

zhd

I have a '94 tercel with 4spd manual, 74,000 miles
on the odo. Feeling the clutch disc is quite thin
because I need to loose the clutch pedal almost
completely before the gear engages, but no slip. Do
I need a clutch work?

Input appreciated.

clintonjohn

perhaps clutch fluid reservoir is low. had an '81 corolla and one day pedal went all the way to the floor with no resistance. turns out, was out of fluid, which is housed in a reservoir much like brake fluid. look in owners manual to see where. be careful, because if this is it, you might have gotten air in the line which I would imagine would need to be bled out.

quadrunner500

You need to find out if there is an adjustment for clutch pedal free play. This applies mostly to cars with cable operated clutches. If you have a hydraulic clutch, most are self adjusting.

If your hydraulic reservoir is low, that can also be a sign your friction facing is worn thin. If you have to pump the clutch to get it to work sometimes, then it can be the master/slave cylinders are leaking.

So first find out if cable or hydraulic operated.
If cable, there might be some adjustment left. If hydraulic, you probably have some worn parts somewhere.

markbuck

Uh, I think as the clutch wears, you actually get more fluid in the master cylinder....... kinda the opposite effect as disc brakes.

quadrunner500

Right...clutch is spring applied. But my reservoir was low because of leaking master & slave cylinders.

Mr_Shiftright

Maybe I'm not reading the post correctly, but they said they had to "loose" the clutch to get the trans to shift, which I take to mean "lift up" all the way on the pedal, which means there isn't a clutch problem at all---right guys? In fact, the post doesn't really make sense, unless it's just a choice of words problem.

jsh139

hmm, the clutch in my car (Eclipse) makes a
rubbing/crunching sound (and you can feel some kind of rubbing) when I disengage it. It's a hydraulic clutch, it shouldn't need any adjusting should it? It doesn't affect driving or gear switching (no slippage that I can detect). The clutch master cylinder seems full ..

any thoughts?

-Josh

kevm14

jsh139,
Our 96 Maxima SE 5-speed does the same thing - it has 60,500 miles. It is likely the throw-out bearing is the culprit for both you and me. However, as far as I know, they don't just up and snap or break, so you can keep driving it as long as it doesn't get too bad and the clutch can be completely disengaged.
But expect throw-out bearing replacement in the future.

jsh139

hmmm, that's what Spokane thought, too .. the car only has 19,000 miles on it, though. It's 16 months old. Could the bearing go that quickly?

kevm14

I don't know much about clutches, but that is really early. But as long as it's in the warranty, get it replaced. I have no idea what causes premature throw out bearing failure - probably nothing, just a fluke in the manufacture. Kind of like a lemon, if you will.
What year is your car?

jsh139

It's a '98 Eclipse GS-T. Of course, the problem is intermittent, so the dealer wasn't able to find anything wrong with it. The crunching's gone (went away on it's own), but I swear now the clutch feels a bit harder to push in than it did before. The dealer didn't do anything to the car ..

weird ..

kevm14

We have a similar problem in that it's intermittent. We have yet to take it to the dealer, but I'm afraid that when we do, the clutch will be behaving properly. Most of the time it is, but when it's grinding, you really have to wonder how long it will last...

gus

Your dealer (or the person who replaces your clutch) will replace the throw-out bearing. This is generally standard procedure. If they don't, you ought to request that they do. Even people who aren't experiencing throw-out bearing noises ought to have the bearing done when they have the clutch done. If you think that you're saving a few bucks by not doing the bearing, you're practicing false economy. If your bearing goes bad--freezes up or comes apart--you'll re-pay the labor cost to remove the transmission and have the work done. Better yet, if the bearing comes apart, you may even need a new clutch!!

kevm14

As well as the grinding, I have experienced a pronounced drivetrain shudder upon clutch take-up at lower rpms. Basically the longer you slip the clutch, the more you feel it (for obvious reasons). Ever since I first test drove the car a few months ago with 6000 less miles I noticed the problem. Could this mean the clutch plates are on their way out also?
If we do have the throw out bearing done, should we have the clutch looked at/replaced while doing it?
We bought an extended warranty and if it doesn't cover the clutch, I don't know if my parents can pay for it...I'm just entering college, graduated from private high school. my brother, 2 years younger is at same private high school. Talk about expensive educations...so money is limited.

zhd

Thank you for all the input.

I decide not to do the clutch work until it completely gone. My friend's MR2 had a bad throuw-out bearing and the dealer convinced her to have the whole thing changed by the reason that the prices do not have big difference. My tercel now has 76500 miles on the odo. with the original clutch. It will finally get to the point when I have to take $500 out of my pocket for a new clutch.

sugardog

I now drive a 1999 Subaru OUTBACK with a 5 speed
and a hydraulic clutch. The car vibrates excessively when starting from a dead stop. If I give it a lot of gas, it moves out OK. The problem is manuvering in parking lots or in my drive way. Is this typical of a clutch on a Subaru due to the AWD? I think it may be due to the AWD, more stress on the clutch. This is my first AWD vehicle, is this typical? Is this clutch adjustable?

ckarma

I've got a '96 Outback which has just started exhibiting the problems you are describing. It's got 41,000 miles on it. I'm bringing it in next week for an inspection of the symptoms and I'm gonna ask them to check the motor mounts due to some of the other responses in this section concerning clutch work. Earlier weirdness concerning the shifting of my 5 speed were the shift lever shaking when starting the car (dealer called it normal), a burning odor especially when having done much highway cruising (the dealer said this was undercoating burning off), stiffness of the shift lever in cold weather (they changed the transmission fluid to a lighter weight) and an intermittent condition where the engine rpms would stay above 2100 until the car came to a complete stop (unable to duplicate for dealer). But, as you describe, recently the car has started feeling jerky like a driveline shudder in low demand acceleration for reverse, 1st and 2nd gears. I also feel a shudder while releasing the clutch in a downshift from 3rd to 2nd. Another thing I have noticed lately is that the hill-holder clutch seems to work when I am in neutral, stopped on a hill and have the clutch depressed. If I release the brake the car will not move. I expect this to happen when I am in a forward gear, but am not sure this should be the case in neutral. I will have to reacquaint myself with the hill-holder feature to see if this is normal, otherwise it may be related. When the car was breaking in, I remember feeling a very slight rubbing when pulling off from a hill-holder situation. The service manager at my dealership has commented that 41000 miles sounds early for a clutch to go, but it's not impossible. I don't think it's my driving style since I've got the original clutch AND BRAKES on my '92 Mazda at 71000 miles. I'll post back with what they find, maybe your problem is due to the same cause. Another question I have for them is if a warped flywheel could cause the problem to be intermittent, that a specific alignment must occur for the problem to be experienced.

subarunut

I have a 1995 Legacy sedan with a 5 speed. My car has 124,000 on it and just had to have the transmission replaced. Very long story. But to answer your question about the hill holder, yes, it will stay engaged with the clutch depressed rather it is in neutral or any other gear. Also, have you noticed a crunching felling in the clutch pedal it's self, like it is getting hung up? Also, have you noticed a squeaking noise or rubbing sound from the clutch pedal also. If you have, have it checked out as soon as possible. My input shaft and case in my transmission went, thats why I had to have it raplaced, and these were just part of the earlier symptoms before they got much worse. I should also tell you that, Subaru dealers whom I spoke to, told me that it is not uncommon for this to happen. It sounds to me like Subaru has a problem that they should address. I also realize that 124,000 is a lot of miles, and I don't expect my car to last for ever. But I just think that if you care for your car as I did, the transmission should last a long time, if not a lifetime of the car.

ckarma

Well, I DID take the car AGAIN to ask them about these symptoms. The technician drove the car and said he couldn't duplicate the symptoms. We went for a ride together, and indeed the symptoms were mild enough not to be felt by the technician from the passenger seat, try as I might to induce them. Isn't it always the way? What BLOWS MY MIND if in fact what you say is true that this transmission problem is relatively common is that I have brought the car to the dealer at least twice for cluch "feeling" problems you describe: squeaking and 'rubbing/crunching'. They put some vaseline on the hinge and called it cured. I always think that the floor mat is getting hooked on the pedal, but it never is. Please verify, if you read this what I should ask them to inspect -- the input shaft and case. Is there any other info I can give them so that they know how to do their job?
Do I care for my car? I sometimes call it "Principesa." At least while it's on the powertrain warranty, I want this remedied. I've certainly given them enough chances to find what's wrong, having described ALL the symptoms. Does anyone else have a similar story with a Subaru 5-Speed?

sugardog

Response to Cris and Ckarma.
I simply needed to get used to the clutch. I had been driving a Camry 5speed and I think the AWD causes extra drag on the clutch so you need to give it more gas to get moving. Now that I have been driving it five months, I have no problem until I drive my wife's Camry with a 5-speed, it feels a lot different. Sounds like you folks have more serious problems, if mine gets no worse than now, I will be very happy.
Sorry I can't be of more help.

pat455

Folks, it seems we have several discussions about clutch issues going on. Let's head over to Clutch Questions (Topic #170) to continue this.

Pat
Community Leader/Maintenance & Repair Conference