The average lifespan of a manual transmission’s clutch varies between 50,000 miles to over 100,000 miles. A lot of it depends on how you drive. If you ride the clutch, for example, you’re going to wear it down more quickly. Advanced Automotive advises that if you are experiencing any of the following signs listed below, your clutch is likely going out.
Acceleration Lag That Slows You Down
Your vehicle’s acceleration can lag when you start from a stop or when you try to pick up speed. If your acceleration has been lagging a lot lately, it’s possible that your clutch is going bad and your vehicle isn’t completely in gear. In other words, you may think your automobile is in first gear, but it’s actually still in neutral. This will prevent your car, truck, or utility vehicle from picking up speed.
Burning Odors Coming From the Clutch
Think back to when you first learned to drive a manual transmission; you, no doubt, burned the clutch and could smell the hot odors. Everyone does this while learning to drive an automobile equipped with a stick shift. Now that you’re an expert, however, you shouldn’t smell hot odors coming from the clutch. If you do, the internal mechanisms are wearing out and the clutch is slipping.
Changes in How Your Clutch Feels
Another sign that your clutch is going out is changes in how the clutch feels underneath your foot. For example, a worn clutch will catch much higher than normal. It may also feel spongy or sink all the way to the floor without hitting the bite point. The resistance of the clutch may get looser or tighter depending on the underlying problem. The bottom line is your clutch should always feel the same.
Grumbling, Squeaking or Other Noises
When you press down on the clutch, you notice the engine slows down for a split second. This is because the clutch has just shifted the power from the engine to the transmission. If the power is not shifted because the clutch is wearing out, you may hear grumbling noises coming from the engine. A worn clutch will also squeak when you press down on it and release it.
Slipping, Grinding, or Stuck Gears
Failure to transfer the power properly will also cause your gears to grind. If you don’t have any power transfer, you won’t be able to shift the gears at all. If your engine suddenly revs very high and you lose power, your transmission just slipped out of gear and into neutral. All of these things point to a problem with the clutch that needs to be addressed as soon as possible
We can help here at Advanced Automotive in Stanwood, WA. Call us today if you are having problems with your vehicle’s clutch.
