How can I tell if my clutch is going bad in my truck? This is my second 5 speed vehicle but my king cobra in the mustang never went bad so I'm not too sure what to look for!!! Any help would be appreciated.

Are the rpm'* increasing when you hit the gas to climb a hill, and getting no gain in speed? Symptoms would be very much like a TC slipping on an Auto trans.

Fuel mileage drop off lately?

You'll definantly know when you're burning the clutch.....smells almost as bad as */C oils, but more like buring brakes.

I've always noticed when a clutch is slipping when you take off from a light with moderate throttle and ride the clutch about 50% of the way, then drop it quickly.. usually the car jerks. If it doesn't, chances are it is slipping. If the pressure plate is a little weak, you will have a weak pedal [another sign the clutch may be slipping].


-justin

Not to be rude, but how many manual cars have you driven ? Just curious that'* all..


Oh you'll notice it, like Bill said up there, if the rpms run up and your speed doesn't that'* a good indicator. Basically it'* slipping, engagement in the pedal will feel smooth, and at the end almost nonexistant.

If you were trying to launch hard and when you dropped the clutch it rolls into it and isn't crisp, that'* the clutch slowly engaging.

You WILL smell it. It'* burnt metal and oil. Worst smell ever, don't park a car with a burnt clutch in a garage if you have to, our 88 nova sure stunk it up when i was teaching my bro how to drive it. It had to get fixed a few days later... Our Nova barely made it up the hill on 35 coming out fo the river valley in Burnsville. I was going 85 when i hit the bottom of it, and i was diong 60 at the top, and it wasn't a lack of power. :?

LOL Sounds like my old toyota when the clutch was goin on it.

Only one. Not a whole lot of experience [I will admit that, but when have I had a whole lot of it?]. But, I have riden in cars, with burnt out clutches, and after they were fixed [well, just one car]. I noticed that difference. I do know what a weak pedal is though. My dad'* '78 bug [hasn't run in quite some time] had a fairly week clutch when it was put to sleep, and when we tried to start it several months ago, I could dis-engage the clutch with my thumb. I don't think that is the pedal feel we were going for there.


=justin

that happens on occasion, particularly when the vehicle'* cold.

yes, from about 300-320 miles down to about 230-250. I know the clutch smell, i used to smell it while practicing my launches when i first got nitrous (not in this vehicle)

more issues/concerns:

i am going say like 35-45 in either 3rd or 4th, if i jump on the gas, it sounds like my foot is slowly releasing the clutch (which it'* totally not even near the pedal). take about a second-and-a-half to fully engage and start pulling. would anyone care to eloborate further for me? thanks!!

The other thing to watch for is the pedal should have consistant action. By that I mean, when the clutch pedal is fully depressed, the clutch should be 100% disengaged. When it'* 50% depressed, it should be 50% disengaged. If the clutch is disengaged when the pedal is depressed at only 50%, then that'* a sign of a clutch wearing out.

You want the action to be divided evenly, not all at the "top" of the pedal.

The smell is a key thing to watch for. It will smell really bad.