If you drive a European automobile with a manual transmission, it’s a good idea to have your clutch adjusted every 6,000 miles. You can also check to see what your vehicle manufacturer recommends in the owner’s manual. Taking good care of your clutch means that it will take good care of you. In fact, some vehicles don’t have to have the clutch replaced until they’ve driven well over 100,000 miles. Your clutch will give you indications that it is having problems. Kinetech Motor Werkes lists those indications below.
A Spongy Feeling
You know how your clutch feels underneath your foot, and that feeling should never change. If the clutch starts to feel spongy or soft, there’s a problem going on with it. It should always give you the same resistance. If it doesn’t, some of the internal mechanisms have worn out.
Acceleration/Engine Hesitation
When you depress the clutch, you cut the power to the engine and shift it to the drivetrain. This is what makes your wheels turn. If the clutch is having difficulties, the power may not be shifted to the drivetrain, and your acceleration and forward motion will hesitate.
Burning it Up
You probably burned the clutch a little bit when you first learned how to drive a manual transmission. That’s okay; we’ve all done it. If the clutch smells hot now, this is a sign that it is slipping. In other words, it will engage initially but disengage before you release it. This is definitely a sign that you need to have the clutch adjusted or replaced.
Difficulty Shifting Gears
Obviously, difficulty shifting the gears points to the clutch. You may have a problem getting your European automobile into first gear or getting it to shift through the gear cycle smoothly and easily. If the clutch is slipping, the power transfer that we talked about above is also slipping. As a consequence, you will have problems shifting the gears throughout the gear cycle.
Grinding Noises
You may also hear grinding noises because the clutch is not staying engaged. Again, this boils down to the power transfer for which the clutch is responsible. It’s okay to grind your gears every once in a while, but you should never grind them every time you shift through the gear cycle. If the gears are grinding, it could be a problem with the clutch.
Look no further than Kinetech Motor Werkes in Indian Trail, NC, for all of your European automobile service and repair needs, including the clutch.
