Auto Factory Service Repair Manuals

This guide is to help you troubleshoot and discover the suspected parts that might have caused these common clutch problems.  The numbers indicate the order of the inspection for possible cause (suspected parts).  If necessary, you should repair or replace these damaged or worn parts.

Symptoms:

• Clutch Grabs/Chatters
• Clutch Pedal Spongy
• Clutch Noisy
• Clutch Slips
• Clutch Does Not Disengage

Grabs and Chatters:

1. Engine mounting loose
2. Clutch disc runout may be excessive
3. Clutch disc may be oily
4. Clutch disc may be worn out
5. Clutch disc may be hardened
6. Diaphragm spring may be out of tip alignment

Pedal Spongy:

1. Air may be in the clutch line
2. Master cylinder piston cup may be damaged, needs to be replaced or repaired
3. Slave cylinder piston cup may be damaged, replace or repair if necessary

Noisy:

1. Release bearing may be worn, dirty or damaged

Slipping:

1. Inspect and adjust the clutch pedal
2. Clutch disc may be oily
3. Clutch disc may be worn out
4. Diagram spring may be damaged
5. Pressure plate may be distorted
6. Flywheel may be distorted

Does Not Disengage:

1. Inspect and adjust the clutch pedal
2. Air may be in the clutch line
3. Master cylinder piston cup may be damaged, needs to be replaced or repaired
4. Slave cylinder piston cup may be damaged, replace or repair if necessary
5. Clutch disc runout may be excessive
6. Clutch disc may be oily
7. Clutch disc lining may be broken
8. Clutch disc runout may be excessive
9. Clutch disc may be dirty or burned
10. Clutch disc may lack of spline grease
11. Diagram spring may be damaged
12. Diaphragm spring may be out of tip alignment
13. Pressure plate may be distorted

Genrally, you can count on getting about 50k to 70k miles from you car's clutch if your car is manufactured between 1950s to 1970s.  The modern clutches now can last more than 80k miles if you drive the car gently and maintain them regularly.  If clutches are not maintained well, they usually won't last long than the expected duration.

The most common problem found when the clutch goes bad is slipping. This is a result due to the frictional plate started to wear out, and eventually it won't transmit any power from engine to the wheels.

Keep this in mind.  The clutch only wears while the clutch disc and the flywheel are spinning at different speeds.

Here's a Clutch Diagnostic Test
If you find that your clutch has failed, here is an at-home diagnostic test that anyone can perform:

• Start your car, set the parking break, and put the car in neutral.
• With your car idling, listen for a growling noise without pushing the clutch in. If you hear something, it's most likely a problem with the transmission. If you don't hear a noise, proceed to step three.
• With the car still in neutral, begin to push the clutch and listen for noise. If you hear a chirping noise as you press, it's most likely the clutch release, or throw-out bearing. If you don't hear a noise, proceed to step four.
• Push the clutch all the way to the floor. If you hear a squealing noise, it's probably the pilot bearing or bushing.

If you don't hear any noise during these four steps, then your problem is probably not the clutch. If you hear the noise at idle and it goes away when the clutch is pressed, it may be an issue in the contact point between the fork and pivot ball.  Source: howstuffworks

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