How you drive and how you maintain the clutch can directly affect its lifespan. If you are easy on the clutch and you take good care of your manual transmission, you will likely get more than 100,000 miles out of the clutch. In some cases, however, the factory clutch only lasts about 50,000 miles. Meadows Automotive lists the signs that your clutch is going out below.
If there is a problem with the clutch, you will have problems shifting gears. It will be difficult to get your car, truck, or utility vehicle into gear from neutral. It will also be difficult to shift between the gears as your vehicle picks up speed. This is an indication that the clutch is not doing its job and needs to be replaced. Specifically, it may be slipping out of engagement.
When the clutch slips out of engagement, the gears will grind when you shift them. The reason why is that the power transfer from the engine to the transmission is not complete. The power needs to be removed completely from the engine in order for the gear shift to be smooth. If your clutch has slipped, the gears will grind when you try to shift them.
Another sign that your clutch is not staying engaged is hesitation when you would normally accelerate after you have shifted gear. You will also notice your vehicle’s acceleration lag when you try to start from a stop. The power shift to the transmission enables the drivetrain to turn the wheels. If there isn’t enough power for the drivetrain, your forward motion will suffer.
Aside from the clutch slipping, a worn-out clutch will also have a higher bite or catch point. This is the point at which you shift from one gear to another. Oftentimes, this point gets higher as the clutch is wearing down. You may not notice it at first, but, eventually, it will be very noticeable that the catch point on the clutch has changed.
A slipping clutch will also overheat, and, consequently, you will smell this hot temperature. It’s important that you have the clutch inspected as soon as possible if it is overheating. Continuing to drive your automobile will cause further damage to the clutch.
Finally, if your clutch feels soft and spongy underneath your foot, it needs to be replaced. This is definitely an indication that the internal mechanisms of the clutch have worn out. In some cases, we may be able to resolve the problem by rebuilding the clutch.
Call Meadows Automotive in Waterford Township, MI, today if you are experiencing problems with your vehicle’s clutch.
