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Topic: Clutch Problems (Read 1470 times) previous topic - next topic

Clutch Problems

When I bought my 83 turbo coupe, it had a bad clutch. I had it fixed about 6 months ago, and it's acting up again. It makes scratching noises when in gear with the pedal depressed, and sometimes it's hard to get into gear from a stop.

I took it back to the mechanic, the same one that replaced the clutch when I first got it The repair bill was like $500, and I'd hate to spend that much again. It's still waiting to be worked on, but I just wondered what might be going on. I don't drive it hard, and I don't know why a new clutch would go bad in only 6 months of careful driving.

Re: Clutch Problems

Reply #1 –
Did you also have the presure plate replaced? did you see the old parts after the last job was done?

at the minimum you'd have the following replaced in a typical clutch job.
throw out bearing
presure plate
clutch plate\

in worse cases.........
resurface or replace the flywheel.


it sounds to me that the clutch is'nt fully enguaged when the pedal is press proving it could not be adjusted properly.  A grinding noise up in the bell housing would be a throw out bearing.

another option would be the flywheel surface does not mate well to a new clutch plate nor does the presurey plate mate to the clutch plate if both were not disc sanded or resurfaced.

another option would be the trowout bearing is worn enough to work against any clutch adjustment made.  A worn throw out bearing will insert extra slack in the mechanical actuation taking place when the pedal is pressed.

another forgotten option would be the alignment of the two on the flywheel due to your  missing the pilot bearing missing up in the flywheel.

all in all, did you see all the old parts last time?

Re: Clutch Problems

Reply #2 –
I got the car back today, and it lasted about 4 hours before something broke again. I was coming to a stop pressed the clutch pedal, and nothing happened. The clutch failed to engage, and the car began to stall because of the low speed. I pulled the shifter out of first and into neutral, but when I went to start moving, the clutch still wouldn't engage so I couldn't get the car in gear.

Also, it was still making the same noise it was when I took it in, a scratching sound when the shifter was in 1st gear and the clutch pedal was pressed down. The noise intensifies when the clutch is released and the car begins to move. It's not loud, but its definitely noticeable. I don't even think they test drove it. I'm beyond pissed right now, its been in the shop for 10 days, and probably won't get looked at until Tuesday after memorial day.

I'm convinced that something else is wrong internally with the transmission, something that caused a brand new clutch to go in about 6000 miles. Maybe that something is what broke today (forgive me for not knowing manual transmission terms, the internals are still voodoo to me.) The clutch, pressure plate, & throwout bearing are new (or should be, as I'm losing faith in this mechanic fast).

The only reason I'm taking it back is because I've dumped $800 into the tranny and something is still not right, something a mechanic should have seen. and it cost me a $50 towing bill. I don't even know how to approach this situation. In my 21 years of existance, I've never seen such disregard,not to mention blatent criticism of my driving habits. (He was convinced that I'm a "young guy with a hot car" who does burnouts and powershifts at every stoplight, apparently. My friends and my dad accuse me of driving like a grandmother.)