Possible clutch issue?

[Mapquest]

First off, I am still new to FF.com and I haven't posted before, but now I am having an issue. :cry_smile: My 91 5spd has started acting funny lately. Whenever you take off from a dead stop and begin release the clutch, the car jumps multiple times before finally calming down. Once your moving, shifting is no issue and everything seems ok; its only when you are starting from a dead stop. Same occurs in 2nd gear from take off. It just recently started doing it, and at about the same time, I noticed that the clutch doesn't seem to be releasing all the way (when you are moving and hit the gas, the engine revs without moving faster) so I adjusted the clutch cable to be a little looser, but the jumping issue is still occurring. Does that mean the clutch is going? When I got the car, it had 170k on it. I drove it for 2 years and then loaned it to a friend for a year. While he had it, he had a clutch put in it. The car had around 220k on it at that point. I got it back not too long after and now I'm at about 244k, so I am nervous to think the clutch is going bad already. Any ideas? Thanks all.

[niccage]

Hay Mapquest, i know this sounds obvious and i;'m not a mechanic just a DIY mechanic on weekends, but hows your manual transmission? Has the fluid been changed, etc, and when last drained, did any chunks of metal or non-fluid bits appear in the fluid as it drained out? When your friend last changed the clutch, did he change the entire clutch kit or did he just change the clutch friction disc or clutch friction plate and put the same pressure plate back in? One sign that the clutch pressure plate is worn and needs changing if when you take off from the start, does vehicle speed lag when you press the accelerator, or is it pretty quick speed when taking off from full stop if you push the accelerator all the way in. I'm of the opinion that assuming your clutch kit was brand new when installed, it should still be Ok. In 2002, I purchased a Mitsubishi Lancer (Australia, but in the USA the same as the Mitsubishi Mirage DE engine) with 120,000kms on the clock. I just sold it last month and with 244,000kms. The clutch is still good though i could have changed it for better performance. Also depends on how the vehicle has been driven with the new clutch. Anyways, hope more ppl can contribute. Cheers, Jase, Australia.

[Mapquest]

Hay Mapquest, i know this sounds obvious and i;'m not a mechanic just a DIY mechanic on weekends, but hows your manual transmission? Has the fluid been changed, etc, and when last drained, did any chunks of metal or non-fluid bits appear in the fluid as it drained out? When your friend last changed the clutch, did he change the entire clutch kit or did he just change the clutch friction disc or clutch friction plate and put the same pressure plate back in? One sign that the clutch pressure plate is worn and needs changing if when you take off from the start, does vehicle speed lag when you press the accelerator, or is it pretty quick speed when taking off from full stop if you push the accelerator all the way in. I'm of the opinion that assuming your clutch kit was brand new when installed, it should still be Ok. In 2002, I purchased a Mitsubishi Lancer (Australia, but in the USA the same as the Mitsubishi Mirage DE engine) with 120,000kms on the clock. I just sold it last month and with 244,000kms. The clutch is still good though i could have changed it for better performance. Also depends on how the vehicle has been driven with the new clutch. Anyways, hope more ppl can contribute. Cheers, Jase, Australia.

Hi Jase, thank you for the response. Let me answer some of your questions -
1. I have never done anything with the trans fluid - I have had people tell me to, but more people and transmission guys have told me not to, so I haven't
2. not sure what was done to the clutch, my friend took it to a mechanic without me knowing and spent some 200+ dollars on it - he doesn't know what was fixed. The first clutch lasted until 220,000 miles (from what I can gather from the previous owners).
3. the car doesn't seem to lag at all, it just jumps violently for a few seconds when you initially take off. Once you get rolling though and continue to shift and gain speed, all seems fine. The biggest thing I noticed the first time I "goosed" it was the RPMs shoot up with the car not moving any faster - seemed like the clutch wasn't letting up properly. I replaced the clutch cable back in April (10,000 miles ago) and haven't touched it since. I adjusted it recently and seems to be much better now, but I'm not sure if the clutch as been "on" partway for the last 7 months and that has caused some damage.
4. the car has been driven mostly lightly with the new clutch. My friend who borrowed it put about 5,000 miles on the new clutch before returning it - he wasn't too bad at a stick, but not the greatest. I myself have been driving manuals for a while, so I like to think I'm good at it. I put the remaining miles on the new clutch (almost 20,000 miles - mostly highway).

Hopefully this helps a little - let me know if you have any other ideas. Thanks again!

[zoom zoom]

Check out your transmission mounts, its hard to see the rear one but that's the one that fails more often than not.

[niccage]

Hay pal, I'm out of more ideas for your issue. But I just wanted to comment, who said to not touch transmission fluid? It's supposed to be changed at recommended intervals as per your car's manual. When i was picking up my manual gearbox for my Land Rover Freelander this year in february following removing it to replace the original clutch to the new heavy duty one, i had the flywheel and gearbox taken to a transmission specialist for machining if need be. They machined the flywheel and said that the gearbox was good and just ended up renewing the bead of sealant that seals one manual gearbox casing to the other. Anyways, the gearbox specialists told me that if their customers were all renewing their manual tranny fluid at the recommended intervals, then they would be out of business! I just wanted to state that though i don't think your problems are related to a lack of adequate or renewed tranny fluid.

[WmWatt]

If you jack up the front end and put it on stands you can start the engine and go through the gears without any load. You can see what that feels and sounds like. Or you can try sarting from a standing stop on level pavement, and up and down grades to see what that feels and sounds like.
If the motor mounts are loose you should probably feel or hear something when you drive over a speed bump or maybe jump up and down on the front bumper.
However, since you had clutch work done you should take it back to the shop and ask them to test drive it for you. I hope you kept the receipt and work order.

[TheresGabe]

JUMP VIOLENTLY = moisture in your distributor cap. Take it off and wipe the inside with a towel. Put it back on. If that fixes it, you might want to get a new distributor cap. I was dealing with a bucking bronco of a Festiva a couple of months ago, and that was the problem.

[FestYboy]

WOW guys!!!
way to read the ENTIRE OP....

OP states that clutch is SLIPPING while in gear and there's chatter durring takeoff AND that there's 220k on the clock whe the "friend" replaced the clutch and now there's 244k on the clock. all of this screams BAD CLUTCH. at 170k when the op purchaced the car i'll bet dollars to donuts that the factory clutch was still in place, and then the car was driven for 2 years without issue. then, when the "friend" borrowed the car, the clutch had to be replaced (friend doesn't know how to drive). now again with the new clutch (undoubtedly abused and not properly set in the first place) needs to be replaced again.

not knocking the friend, but if a clutch is good for over 200K, it's likely that it'll go another 100K with proper shifting because that's the only way it got to 200 in the first place.

[TheresGabe]

WOW guys!!!
way to read the ENTIRE OP....

OP states that clutch is SLIPPING while in gear and there's chatter durring takeoff AND that there's 220k on the clock whe the "friend" replaced the clutch and now there's 244k on the clock. all of this screams BAD CLUTCH. at 170k when the op purchaced the car i'll bet dollars to donuts that the factory clutch was still in place, and then the car was driven for 2 years without issue. then, when the "friend" borrowed the car, the clutch had to be replaced (friend doesn't know how to drive). now again with the new clutch (undoubtedly abused and not properly set in the first place) needs to be replaced again.

not knocking the friend, but if a clutch is good for over 200K, it's likely that it'll go another 100K with proper shifting because that's the only way it got to 200 in the first place.

I read the entire thing. My car finally got it's first replacement clutch at 215k, and now it has 248k. If you read my old posts, I was sure that it was a trans/clutch issue when my car was bucking like a bronco and chattering. What he is describing sounds EXACTLY like what was happening to my car, when I cleaned the condensation out of my distributor cap.

I'm just recommending you might want to try that, before replacing a clutch that only has 20k on it.

[FestYboy]

^ but you didn't have slippage....

[zoom zoom]

I noticed that the clutch doesn't seem to be releasing all the way (when you are moving and hit the gas, the engine revs without moving faster) so I adjusted the clutch cable to be a little looser, but the jumping issue is still occurring.



I assumed this meant adjusting the cable fixed the slipping issue, and that jerking during takeoff was his only problem, wether he takes off in first or second gear from a stop. If he already put 24k miles on the clutch, ...

[Mapquest]

HI all - thanks for the many responses. I haven't been logged on in a while to respond. I also haven't had much time to work on my car, but the issue is coming and going randomly so I am really not sure what to think. I think I will defiantly check the dist cap first (maybe I'll get lucky) but I think that my friends lack of knowledge with a stick is what is causing my issue. I know he wasn't good with a stick (still isn't) so thats probably where I'll be headed. I will defiantly try everyone's ideas though to save me time and money! Thanks again, I am really glad I joined FordFestiva.com - you are all very helpful!

[Damkid]

Possible clutch issue?

Quick question, when your friend replaced the clutch, did he get the flywheel resurfaced?

[Mapquest]

Quick question, when your friend replaced the clutch, did he get the flywheel resurfaced?

HI Damkid,

Honestly, I don't know. This so called "mechanic" he took it too is now MIA. I am pretty pissed about the whole thing, I mean I understand he was trying to help, but wish he would've talked to me first so I would KNOW what was being done...

[Damkid]

Possible clutch issue?

I've heard of warped flywheels causing chattering issues like what you describe, which resurfacing the flywheel would help with that, but also if your friend was beating on the old clutch causing the flywheel to get hot spots/glaze over, it could also create slipping issues with the new clutch which resurfacing the flywheel would solve that as well

Personally if that is what's happening, I wouldn't worry too much about it and just remember for the next time you need to change a clutch to get the flywheel resurfaced