Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie
Please note that it is not permitted to have referral links posted in your signature. Keep these links contained in the appropriate forum. Thank you.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2055940817/signature-rules
Hi there,
There is an issue with role permissions that is being worked on at the moment.
If you are having trouble with access or permissions on regional forums please post here to get access: https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058365403/you-do-not-have-permission-for-that#latest

Clutch Burning: How not to

  • 18-09-2010 2:45pm
    #1
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 593 ✭✭✭


    I'm driving a 2006 new model Civic & I got the car serviced there last week and had the lads check out the clutch because it felt a little... off. I was told that the clutch is on the way out and that I'll need a new one soon. Balls! The car only has 50k Km (31k Miles) on the clock, half of which was done by me.

    Anyway I'm wondering, do people have any tips on how *not* to burn a clutch when you're driving? I bought the car second hand, so I'm wondering was it my driving or the previous owners that did it.

    I should note that a lot of my driving is in Dublin city so it's mostly 1st, 2nd, clutch, 1st, clutch, GET OUT OF MY WAY YOU BASTARD CYCLIST! 1st, 2nd, 1st, 1st, 1st... yawn...


Comments

  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 759 ✭✭✭ltdslipdiff


    If you've had your Honda serviced accordingly by Honda they'll cover either the parts/labour for you. Had an 06 with same problem and there was no problem getting Honda to cough up !!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,739 ✭✭✭BigEejit


    Usually riding the cluth is the culprit. I lived on a street in London where the house on the other side of the road was a good bit down from the road and their little drive was at a fair angle. When the woman reversed out of there you could smell burning clutch for ages after (high revs, obviously just a little clutch).

    Not saying all fecked clutches are caused by this kind of driving ...


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,513 ✭✭✭BrianD3


    One of the worst things for a clutch is holding the car stationary on the clutch on a upslope instead of using the handbrake. I know several people that do this. Too lazy to pull the handbrake :rolleyes:

    In general you want the clutch to be fully engaged or fully disengaged and minimise the time spent with it half engaged. By reading the road you can mimimse the amount of clutch action eg in slow traffic hanging back a bit from the car in front allowing you to let the clutch out fully while the car moves along with your feet off all the pedals. Whereas drivers who drive up each others arses will be constantly clutching, braking, starting, stopping.

    Blipping the throttle to rev match when downshifting may also help to increase clutch life. I do this all the time and it may be one reason why I have 380k kms on my current clutch


  • Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators Posts: 17,858 Mod ✭✭✭✭Henry Ford III


    If you've had your Honda serviced accordingly by Honda they'll cover either the parts/labour for you. Had an 06 with same problem and there was no problem getting Honda to cough up !!

    I find this a little hard to believe.

    A clutch is a consumable. Brakes and tyres the same. They wear out.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,679 ✭✭✭hidinginthebush


    BrianD3 wrote: »
    One of the worst things for a clutch is holding the car stationary on the clutch on a upslope instead of using the handbrake. I know several people that do this. Too lazy to pull the handbrake :rolleyes:

    In general you want the clutch to be fully engaged or fully disengaged and minimise the time spent with it half engaged. By reading the road you can mimimse the amount of clutch action eg in slow traffic hanging back a bit from the car in front allowing you to let the clutch out fully while the car moves along with your feet off all the pedals. Whereas drivers who drive up each others arses will be constantly clutching, braking, starting, stopping.

    Blipping the throttle to rev match when downshifting may also help to increase clutch life. I do this all the time and it may be one reason why I have 380k kms on my current clutch

    So only "riding the clutch", or driving with it half down, burns the clutch out, or is it a case that having it fully down (like when changing gears) wears it down, but just a lot less than if you're riding it? I'm not being smart-arsed or sarcastic in any way, I really want to know as this is something which has never been properly explained to me. :)


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,340 ✭✭✭mullingar


    So only "riding the clutch", or driving with it half down, burns the clutch out, or is it a case that having it fully down (like when changing gears) wears it down, but just a lot less than if you're riding it? I'm not being smart-arsed or sarcastic in any way, I really want to know as this is something which has never been properly explained to me. :)


    Yep, riding the clutch burns out the friction pads in the clutch


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,513 ✭✭✭BrianD3


    So only "riding the clutch", or driving with it half down, burns the clutch out, or is it a case that having it fully down (like when changing gears) wears it down, but just a lot less than if you're riding it? I'm not being smart-arsed or sarcastic in any way, I really want to know as this is something which has never been properly explained to me. :)
    That's pretty true, the clutch probably wears a tiny amount each time you make a gearchange no matter how good a driver you are. But in order of preference for least-most clutch wear
    1) clutch pedal out
    2) clutch pedal in
    3) clutch pedal half out

    Thought of another thing, if you put yourself in a situation where you need to reverse uphill you're likely to need some clutch slip to stay in control, this combined with the hill means lots of wear. Eg if a car parking spot (perpedicular) is on an upslope it is better to drive into it rather than reverse. If it's on a downslope it's better to reverse into it


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,565 ✭✭✭jaffa20


    I think my clutch is on the way out too on my mx5. Only have it a few months. 45 k miles. 2 prev owners. The biting point is really high and it's pretty high to depress. I've been told this might be normal but i doubt it so will have to get it checked out. I've gotten used to it now but it can be pretty annoying in slow moving traffic.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 16,069 ✭✭✭✭CiniO


    So only "riding the clutch", or driving with it half down, burns the clutch out, or is it a case that having it fully down (like when changing gears) wears it down, but just a lot less than if you're riding it? I'm not being smart-arsed or sarcastic in any way, I really want to know as this is something which has never been properly explained to me. :)

    Imagine clutch as two discs near each other.
    When you clutch pedal is not pressed, then this discs are pressed to each other with big force. The same as you would press your hands together to each other. They won't slide, so clutch is not wearing.
    If you depress the clutch pedal fully, then discs are not touching each other so they are not waring either. But in that situation, your bearing which keeps discs separate to each other is wearing.

    Worst situation is when your clutch pedal is both not depressed fully neither released. Then your discs slide, and obviously wear.
    Good driving practice is to minimise as possible the time while your clutch pedal is in any other position then fully depressed or released.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 16,069 ✭✭✭✭CiniO


    BrianD3 wrote: »
    That's pretty true, the clutch probably wears a tiny amount each time you make a gearchange no matter how good a driver you are.

    What about the case, when you change gears without using the clutch?


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,830 ✭✭✭RandomAccess


    You will generally partially engage (slip) the clutch when maneuvering the car at low speed, such as reversing into a space or creeping the car forward in traffic, however you should still only do it briefly.

    Or if you need to take off quickly at a busy roundabout and don't want to risk stalling. Even then it should be brief, and the revs should not be excessively high.

    When it is partially engaged you really should only be using a little throttle, (perhaps no additional throttle if your car is particularly torquey).

    Blipping the throttle when downshifting is good, but might not be practical. For example the throttle response in my current car is pretty slow, so for me its not practical to try and blip the throttle in the majority of cases.


    Maybe you could get someone you know is a good driver to sit along and see if you are slipping the clutch too much? Perhaps easier said than done.

    One of the guys I know at work is knackering his clutch but he's the kinda guy who doesn't like advice! Slips it for a long time at roundabouts, and never uses the handbrake when creeping uphill in traffic.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 22,815 ✭✭✭✭Anan1


    CiniO wrote: »
    What about the case, when you change gears without using the clutch?
    That's a little pedantic, don't you think?;)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 393 ✭✭Tom Slick


    Small turbo-diesels are a bit of a pain regarding clutch control.
    Hard to avoid high revs/clutch slipping in some situations due to engine traits.
    Can be as embarrassing as stalling the bloody thing!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 593 ✭✭✭Scráib


    All good advice here, thanks lads!

    What does 'blipping the accelerator' mean by the way?

    @jaffa20: The biting point on my clutch is very high, always has been to be honest and I was told by the lads who did my car that this is a sign that the clutch is about to go as the biting point should be halfway.

    I was told that most clutches are hydraulic, and that they adjust themselves to keep the maximum pressure on the clutch, so usually when they decide to finally go, they'll go suddenly. Happened to a friend of mine on the motorway actually, I want to avoid that fate!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 393 ✭✭Tom Slick


    "Blipping" the accelerator, at its simplest, is just that on downchanges you give the engine a quick rev before you "let out" the clutch in the lower gear.
    This means the engine will already be spinning quicker and won't be "forced" to rev by the input from the transmission.
    This saves the clutch from having to absorb the "mismatch" that would otherwise occur (between engine speed/transmission speed).
    It gets a bit more complicated if you're trying to brake at the same time.
    (not to mention non-synchro 'boxes)


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,921 ✭✭✭2 stroke


    take a driving lesson and ask instructor what you are doing wrong.
    take your foot completely off the clutch pedal when driving.
    considering low milage, it's possible that your clutch has just built up a shine on it, from poor driving, if this is so, it is possible to roughen up the surface with a bit of agressive clutching, best done off road. try select reverse, let car coast forward down hill slowly. take foot off clutch with a slap/medium revs. do this a couple of times and see if clutch function improves. Do this at your own risk. The car I currently drive had a slipping clutch, I performed this excercise during test drive, then I negotiated a deal knowing I had fixed the prob.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 12,127 ✭✭✭✭Gael23


    Take your foot off it when your not using it. An ol lady I knew used to keep her foot on it all the time and would burn at least on a year


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 23,084 ✭✭✭✭Esel
    Not Your Ornery Onager


    Get an automatic! :p

    Not your ornery onager



  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 16,620 ✭✭✭✭dr.fuzzenstein


    What mostly kills a clutch are ham-footed drivers with zero feel for revs and biting point, i.e. you would see a car (mostly reversing uphill cause it's tricky to do) inching very slowly with the engine screaming at the revlimiter.
    The other could be using the clutch as a footrest, it makes me itchy when I see people do that.
    So unless you rev the engine to the max and then creep around at 0.015 km/h a lot, normal driving should not wear the clutch too much.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,830 ✭✭✭RandomAccess


    To be honest, if from reading all that you haven't had a guilty realisation of "Oh, I do that!" plus the fact that you say "The biting point on my clutch is very high, always has been" then theres a good chance it was the previous owner wot dun it!


  • Advertisement
Advertisement