CLUTCH LIFE EXPECTANCY ??

[soonercruiser]

What's the normal life expectancy of the clutch assembly for a 5-speed manual tranny?
-Soonercruiser just went past 26,000, and has been having difficulty lately shifting into 1st and 2nd gear, but only after the engine or tranny warms up!
-The shop ordered and put in a new clutch actuator yesterday. But, the problem has even gotten worst. I had to stop and pull off the highway several times when I couldn't find another gear. And now, it is pulling slightly in any gear with the clutch pedal all the way to the floor; unless I hold on to the hand brake.
*Anybody had a similar problem or solution?
(I'm drivin' the Black Sheep now, just cause I'm afraid I might damage the fear box.)

[bobs turbo pt]

could it be the shifter is out of sync ??

[CREWZIN]

Frank,

I don't think there's ever a time/mileage on clutch burnout because everybody drives differently. It's like brake pads, some people can go 100,000 miles on the same clutch/pads while others wear them out way before that kind of mileage.

Sounds pretty much like your clutch is gone the way you describe it.

[soonercruiser]

I know that the clutch isn't covered by the warranty....but, what if it's a "defective part" like the clutch springs?

BTW Crewzin, how come I can't see this thread on my computer? I posted it two nights in a row...abnd still didn't see the thread on the forum list. I had to go to your profile, and look for your posts to find it.?????

[CREWZIN]

Originally Posted by soonercruiser

I know that the clutch isn't covered by the warranty....but, what if it's a "defective part" like the clutch springs?

BTW Crewzin, how come I can't see this thread on my computer? I posted it two nights in a row...abnd still didn't see the thread on the forum list. I had to go to your profile, and look for your posts to find it.?????

Frank,

Defective parts are always covered but only under a limited time frame. Not sure your circumstances, might be just the 3/36 that a lot of us had. But, it should come under the "powertrain warranty" if you have one, but again, only if it's defective and not "worn out".

Why you can't see this thread is a mystery. Bob's TurboPT put his short note in so he must have seen it when going thru the forum, and I can surely see it. Do you keep the forum up all the time (probably not) but take it down all the way and bring it up with the URL www.ptcruiserlinks.com instead of a bookmark.

[ptborder]

I assume "clutch actuator" included the clutch slave cylinder? If not, I'd suspect that first, especially with warming up being a issue.
At 66,000 mine seems just fine, had to fill the clutch res. once, it was down to the low mark.

[soonercruiser]

What's the difference between the actuator and "slave cylinder"?

[teahead]

I'm not too familiar w/PTs, but if it's a hydraulic clutch, then maybe you just need to bleed the heck out of it if they put a new slave in and it gotten worse.

Usually a bad clutch is when it goes nowhere but the RPMs rev...in gear.

[soonercruiser]

Well, in soonercruiser's case, the life expectancy of the clutch was 26,400 miles!
Seems low to me!!! But, I do trust my dealer. Last week's warranty fix didn't work (clutch actuator). So today I had the clutch assembly, and release bearing replaced. ....$420 in parts...$480 in labor = Total $950!!
That's soonercruiser's first significant problem. But, the good news is...it's as good as new now!

The clutch is sold as a complete "assembly". So, we couldn't see inside, if there was a part failure, or the clutch plate itself was worn badly.
You techies out there does this sound correct - the service manager said that the replacement was different - redesigned????

[ucantcme]

Glad you got it fixed...Too bad it almost costed a grand!