I recently purchased an 03.5 6mt coupe. It only has 50k and drives great. My only concern is with the clutch...I've been reading around and noticed ALOT of people having trouble and complaining about clutches.

My problem is that when revving hard in lower gears the clutch doesnt seem to catch the gears right away and is shacking/vibrating slightly it is also pretty hard to depress. My father drove it and said that it was just my driving and that I would improve.

I took it on the highway tnight and noticed when accelerating hard in higher gears my clutch would take the revs up and then drop down ? is this normal, is it drivers error ? I also smelled some burning. guessing it was the clutch.

When driving slow the clutch and gear shifting is seamless and smooth. Not so much when going fast. It seems as though it will not engage properly on the initial push of the clutch or perhaps it is me not knowing the car well enough like my dad said....

Any help or input would be greatly appreciated


Thanks
Brandon

 

Sounds like your clutch is slipping, but it shouldn't be going unless the previous owner raged on it.

Test again on an uphill road @ 35-40mph in 6th gear. If you slip at WOT then you may need a new clutch.

 

excuse me for my ignorance but what is WOT ?

 

WOT = Wide Open Throttle = Pedal to the Metal

The shaking you're experiencing at low RPM clutch engagement is called Clutch Chatter. Its normal, and you need to learn how to shift a little differently to avoid it. Concentrate on being especially smooth as you let the pedal lift through the engagement point (where the clutch first starts to bite). I also find that if I use more gas 3-4k rpms and let the pedal out smoothly but quickly, I get a strong launch with no clutch chatter. This will vary from car to car and driver to driver.

I am a little confused by the highway issue you're having:

"I took it on the highway tnight and noticed when accelerating hard in higher gears my clutch would take the revs up and then drop down ? is this normal, is it drivers error ? I also smelled some burning. guessing it was the clutch. "

First, If I'm reading you wrong: If your foot is off the clutch pedal, and when you give the car gas on the highway you see the rpms rise but the speedo doesn't, your clutch is worn and needs to be replaced very soon (asap). If this is the case, don't worry about the below.

If I am correct, I am reading this as: When you are on the highway, shifting from 4th to 5th or 5th to 6th, you depress the clutch pedal, shift the stick into the next gear, apply gas, and let out the clutch. You are saying that as you let out the clutch pedal, the rpms climb, then fall as you take your foot off the clutch pedal? Afterwords or even during the drive, you smell burnt clutch? This is normal but you are shifting badly. It means you are giving the car too much gas as you shift into a higher gear. Use very little gas between gears.

Example, 1st to 2nd: Lift foot smoothly off gas, press clutch pedal to floor, and tug lightly at stick to pull out of 1st gear all at the same time. Rpms are dropping now. Pull stick into 2nd gear, and give enough gas to make the motor start to increase rpms. Bring clutch pedal up quickly, slowing just before engagement point. Smoothly bring foot up and smoothly take foot off clutch pedal. JUST before foot leaves the clutch pedal, you can begin to apply more gas.

The process is identical for 4th to 5th and 5th to 6th, just use even less gas until your foot is about to come off the pedal. After you get good, that can all be done in half a second or less.

Practice shifting slowly first, and gradually get faster. Always use finger pressure on the shifter, never force the shifter into gear.

Hope I am reading it right, and I hope this helps.

 

Thanks anynigma. the problem I was having was when accelerating fast, releasing the gas and then depressing the clutch the rpms would not drop as soon as I pressed the clutch(they would kind of jump up and then go down). it seemed as though the clutch wouldnt bite the gear right away. This could be because I am trying to shift fast and I still do not have the timing down.

At light accelerations the shifts are very smooth but its only when I am accelerating hard that I find the clutch harder to depress and also harder to engage gear smoothly...

 

Ahh, a different issue. You need to let off the gas earlier. Whats going on there is you're still giving the car gas when you depress the clutch, so the rpms rise until your foot is off the gas pedal. My foot hangs in the air over the gas pedal for a split second every time I shift.

Practice shifting the way i showed above. Shift slowly, and and gradually increase your shift speed. learn to shift below 4000 rpms first. Most of the steps must happen much faster at higher rpms for things to be smooth.

 

Okay, thank you for your help. I was worried that the clutch was slipping, it may be a little bit but when I drive below 4k rpm everything is seamless and smooth. Ill let you know how everything goes.

Thanks
Brandon

 

You were doing whats called overshifting. As said above you were adding too much throttle before you depressed the clutch.

It will take time to get smooth, especially with our engagement points. It just gives you an excuse to drive more.

 

I tried it again today, getting better but still overshifting. I was listing off the throttle before i depressed the clutch. Im wondering if perhaps the idle is a little high but the clutch feels fine...any suggestions ?

 

You've got to have your foot off the gas pedal every time you shift. Take your foot off the gas before you even begin to move your clutch foot down.

 

yes when i say lift off the throttle i mean my foot is not on the throttle

 

Sorry, you typed listing, which sounded like you were backing off, but had not taken your foot off completely. The clutch has a very heavy flywheel and the ECU doesn't cut fuel just because your foot is off the gas. There is a delay that you may notice. To feel this, accelerate from 30 to 50 in 4th gear and then quickly take your foot off the gas. You'll notice the speedo and rpm needle continue to rise.

You have take your foot off the gas earlier to prevent this delay from causing you to overshift. Practice shifting slower (but still at high rpms) and you'll see what I mean.

 

ok. had my local mechanic take it for a drive today. said that the clutch was a little "high" but that it should be fine. it only has 50k so I cant see it being to bad...Thinking about getting aftermarket clutch/flywheel within the next year or so....any suggestions ?

 

The clutch is designed to have a high engagement point, to allow for faster shifts (for experienced drivers)

I wouldn't replace the clutch/flywheel if it isn't going. It's money that would be better spent modding your car to your taste. Drop, wheels/spacers (if needed) make the car look even better.

 

I am getting the hang of it better now. just a thought...are there aftermarket ECU's that do cut the power quicker than the standard one ?