Clutch Problems

One of the fundamental joys of driving a car is the manual switching of the gears, and the clutch is the vital component in this process. After a period of time, though, many problems may start to appear, which may make you wish you had a vehicle with automatic transmission instead. This is something that cannot be avoided, as the general wear and tear of the vehicle means that sooner or later, these issues will crop up.

There are a number of reasons for inevitable complications in the clutch, and this is something that can happen at any stage in the car's life. There is a long and complex mechanism that works inside the vehicle when the clutch pedal is pressed, and there is a very high possibility of something going wrong in there.

The clutch disc is controlled by the pedal, and it regularly rubs against the pressure plate and the flywheel. This results in a lot of friction and heat being generated there, which can ultimately result in quite a few issues.

The easiest way to deduce that your car is facing some problems is by the noises it makes. If you have been driving the vehicle for a while, you will be familiar with the various noises and sounds that the vehicle makes in various eventualities, and you will realize when you hear a noise that is out of the ordinary. If such a scenario arises, you must take the necessary action immediately.

One of the most widely seen issue is slipping of the clutch. This can make it hard for you to get your vehicle in and out of a parking position. The various causes for this condition are an oil-soaked clutch plate, low level of fluid, insufficient amount of pedal movement, a worn-out clutch plate, or a bad waste cylinder.

All these problems are very serious in nature, and require the immediate attention of a mechanic. You can also ask a familiar mechanic for some general tips about your car that can help you in the future.

Another problem you may face is dragging of the clutch, and a failure to release. Once you release the clutch pedal, the clutch disc and other transmission gears spin for a maximum of 3 seconds. Any longer than this implies that something is wrong in the mechanism.

Possible causes are the presence of air in the mechanism, a faulty cylinder, a wrongly adjusted clutch linkage, and low level of lubricant. If you notice any kind of problems in your vehicle you need to fix it as soon as possible, as the longer you wait the greater the damage will be. As a result of this, the cost of repairs will also rise dramatically.

If you find that your clutch is making excessive noise while driving or while switching gears, then you must know that the possible causes for this are a low level of bearing lubricant, inhibition of the movement of the clutch pedal and excessive riding of the clutch. The noise may occur each time you push the pedal and change gears, and this should be a cause for concern for you.

It will usually be quite plain for you to realize when the clutch is not working properly, as you will immediately notice different things while driving the vehicle and while operating the clutch pedal. Some problems may get resolved with a little tweaking and repair work here and there, but most problems with the clutch usually require a complete overhaul and replacement of the clutch mechanism in the vehicle.