is my clutch gone??

Bettyboop

for the past 2 days my clutch seems to stick when i try to change gear
it sticks half way up for a few secs and it feels really weird.How do i test
it to be sure its gone or if its ok??
Thanks

monster1

take off in third or fourth gear. if the car doesn't cut out its gone. do the revs shoot up when you accelerate?

Bettyboop

monster1 wrote:

take off in third or fourth gear. if the car doesn't cut out its gone. do the revs shoot up when you accelerate?

just tried what you said and car doesnt cut out in 3rd (didnt try 4th)
didnt notice the high revs though.My own fault i suppose as I hardly ever use
the hand brake on hills.An expensive lesson that will teach me.
Thanks for the reply.

BrianD3

The symptom described in the original post sounds more like a cable (if applicable) pedal or bearing issue rather than a worn out clutch plate.

A car with a healthy clutch might take off OK in 3rd without stalling depending on the torque of the engine, gear ratios etc.

I think the best way to test for a slipping clutch is to drive up a steep hill and floor the throttle in 4th or 5th gear, if the clutch is slipping the revs should shoot up.

AMurphy

the pedal sticking or stopping half way on the return, soundsmore than a simple worn clutch as D3 suggests.
So if it has a cable, look for the possibility of a failed auto adjuster, very worn/torn/rusted cable in its seath. Wrcn lever bushings, thrust bearing, etc.

Now using the hand brake on hills is one thing, but what do you do as an alternative, slip the clutch for minutes on end or put a foot on the foorbrake...etc.
99% of the time I don't use the handbrake either, but that does not mean I'm burning the clutch either.

crosstownk

What make, model & year are we talking about here?

Esel

BrianD3 wrote:

...I think the best way to test for a slipping clutch is to drive up a steep hill and floor the throttle in 4th or 5th gear, if the clutch is slipping the revs should shoot up.

This could be very bad for the engine (lugging) - wrecks the big end bearings.

A clutch test I heard about was:

On a level, straight road, doing a steady 50MPH in 3rd gear. Without lifting your off the accelerator, quickly depress the clutch all the way and let it out immediately. If the car lurches, you have clutch problems.

Otherwise, the situation where you get no increase in speed when you depress the accelerator is a good indication of severe clutch wear.

Get it checked by your local, trustworthy mechanic.

BrianD3 wrote:

The symptom described in the original post sounds more like a cable (if applicable) pedal or bearing issue rather than a worn out clutch plate...

Agree with this observation.

Supercell

esel wrote:

A clutch test I heard about was:

On a level, straight road, doing a steady 50MPH in 3rd gear. Without lifting your off the accelerator, quickly depress the clutch all the way and let it out immediately. If the car lurches, you have clutch problems.

Assuming their car can do 50MPH in 3rd - don't try this on a Corsa!!

Esel

Longfield wrote:

Assuming their car can do 50MPH in 3rd - don't try this on a Corsa!!

Try 4th gear then! The point is the engine has to be revving resonably high when you do the clutch pedal 'trick'.

BrianD3

esel wrote:

This could be very bad for the engine (lugging) - wrecks the big end bearings.

At least if it lugs your clutch is probably OK! But yeah lugging isn't good. I think for the hill clutch test the idea is to get the engine to pull/work hard in a high gear rather than actually letting the revs drop low enough to cause lugging.

Esel

BrianD3 wrote:

At least if it lugs your clutch is probably OK! But yeah lugging isn't good. I think for the hill clutch test the idea is to get the engine to pull/work hard in a high gear rather than actually letting the revs drop low enough to cause lugging.

Yeah, but opening the throttle while climbing a steep hill in 4th or 5th gear is a big no-no. Even climbing a steep hill in either of these gears is bad!

AMurphy

esel wrote:

Yeah, but opening the throttle while climbing a steep hill in 4th or 5th gear is a big no-no. Even climbing a steep hill in either of these gears is bad!

That depends on the car and the load and the speed you are already at.... should not present a problem on a 2.5L+, V6 or 8

Esel

AMurphy wrote:

That depends on the car and the load and the speed you are already at.... should not present a problem on a 2.5L+, V6 or 8

1. Yeah, lots of those cars over here! - not. Even so, we are talking about a manual gearbox.

2. What's your definition of 'steep'? To me, it's a hill where you need to be in a lower gear to ascend. If you can drive up a hill in 4th or 5th gear, it's not steep. If you can floor the throttle in high gear, without hearing bearing-death, it's definitely not steep.

jackofalltrades

If its any help, when the clutch in my last motorbike went, accelerating from a stop was a bloody nightmare with the engine reving like mad.
Also whilst crusing along on a motorway I would ofter get a massive increase in engine revs whilst my speed actaullay decreased.

Either way i'd get a mechanic to look at it.

Bettyboop

crosstownk wrote:

What make, model & year are we talking about here?

its a yaris sol 2002 it does rev very high in 1st on take off will try all the
suggestions you were all so good to give to me and see what happens.
There is only 19,000 klms. on it (demo) dont know if the milage makes any difference ie.( is it run it yet??) I have it 2yrs the warranty is gone. Will it
cost much for a new clutch or cable??I get it serviced with Toyota just so as
to have a good history.
Thanks for all the replies;)

BrianD3

esel wrote:

1. Yeah, lots of those cars over here! - not. Even so, we are talking about a manual gearbox.

2. What's your definition of 'steep'? To me, it's a hill where you need to be in a lower gear to ascend. If you can drive up a hill in 4th or 5th gear, it's not steep. If you can floor the throttle in high gear, without hearing bearing-death, it's definitely not steep.

It also depends on what your definition of lugging is. Is it driving at low revs with a wide open throttle and the engine pulling smoothly or is it driving at low revs with a wide open throttle and the engine shaking and vibrating. Whatever the definition I think you are overstating the dangers of lugging. Doing it on the odd occasion eg while testing for a slipping clutch will not have a serious effect on your engine esp modern engines with modern oils, bearing materials etc (IIRC this was shown by 1970s studies on the effects of lugging) Personally I have lugged engines myself accidentally for a few seconds many times and in several hundred thousand miles have never had any problem with major engine mechanicals.

Anyhow, the above discussion is pretty irrelevant to the OP....

AMurphy

Think I'd agree with BD3.
San Francisco, Cork, Cobh have some steep hills, any hill where decending causes your ears to pop is steep.
15 deg is not steep.

The odd bout of lugging is not going to break anything and yes I'm talking about manual gears. Cannot lug an auto.
At 60mph in my truck with a full load, flooring it, results in the gearbox jumping about something awful. It's only got 180K on it and runs smooth as silk.... when I'm not lugging it.

Diesels, even 1.6L, which have good low end torque, respond quiet well to conditions that would otherwise cause lugging in a petrol equivalent.

Anyway, the 3rd/4th @ about 50 on a slope and flooring it, is a good clutch test. Or simply try pulling against the handbrake in 1st, if it is a very worn clutch.
Interesting story. Many years ago I was the proud owner of a VW Rabbit, for whatever reason it was fitted with a very low 1st gear. Towards the end of its life, and with about 200K on the clock and clutch. A rapid take off in 1st. would result in the clutch slipping for a moment, then it got going, even more pronounced if there was a load of passengers.
However, it behaved that way, without getting any worse for about 20~40K, till it died (the car, not the clutch) and flooring it in 3/4th did not cause slippage. Didn't cause much acceleration either....especially towards the end.