What are the first sign of a worn clutch? thx.

 

Slipping or chattering... If you are in a high gear at low rpms and then mash the throttle and the car revs up, but the car doesn't move with it. That's slipping. The chattering is when you go to engage the clutch and it is rough like when your brakes are warped. Excessive heat can warp the flywheel the same way and then cause the chattering.

Sal

 

good info thanx..

 

Why were you asking? Did you toast your clutch?

 

no, i didnt toast my clutch, I just want to know what to expect just in case so i wont panic...

 

Heh.. Hopefully you won't have to worry about it for a while. Most people that I know get at least 60K miles out of their clutch, even when they are hard on them. I've gotten over 200K on a GTI clutch.

Basically what happens when your clutch goes is that it starts to slip. You'll go to nail it and the car revs, but the car doesn't go with it. If you cook your clutch, you can cause the chatter. That's when it's not smooth when your clutch is at the friction point. I know people that have warped their flywheels/friction plates, yet had a lot of mileage left on their clutch.

If you totally ruin your clutch doing something like drag racing, you just won't go anywhere. That's major damage though and it's hard to do unless you're doing a lot of 1/4 mile runs at the track.

Sal