I think I figured out clutch problem, but...

I have been trying to figure out my cars clutch slippage problem, and also have an oil leak that I have been told is one of the seals and would be expensive to fix...so I just left the leak because I thought no big deal, but my clutch also slips, and if I'm backing up a hill or driving up a curb and riding the clutch and giving it a fair bit of gas(which is necessary since the clutch slips), I smell a strong 'burning brakes' like odor...

Now in another post, someone said that an oil leak can leak into the transmission where the clutch is, causing slippage and the bad smell..

So, assuming this may be the problem, can anyone suggest to me(remember I'm ignorant), what I can expect to hear from a mechanic regarding cost/time to repair this type of problem? Anyone else experienced oil leaking into their clutch/transmission?

Thanks in advance, I really appreciate it.

I am assuming that it is your rear main seal that is leaking? If so and it is bad enough it can contaminate the clutch and cause slippage. It's not difficult to replace it, but it requires dropping the transmission to get access to it. No clue on what a mechanic would charge, but the part itself is about $15 I think.

the bad brake smell is the clutch burning

Another source for leak is the slave cylinder but that is brake fluid and would be clear to dark in color. The transmission uses (yes in a manual transmission) automatic trans fluid and it's pink. If it is the slave cylinder I think their around $70 but you probably should look it up on line or something try autozone. Either way it's about a 4hr job with a lift. He would probably have to drop the tank or the rear pumpkin down enough to remove the driveshaft.

Jeff

clutch burning

1BADSC said:

the bad brake smell is the clutch burning

Click to expand...

What exactly causes the clutch to 'burn'?

On another note, what does it mean to 'bleed' the clutch? If my clutch had oil in it or something like that, would it be a cheap to to find out by having it bled?

burning clutch is just like burning anything else. two friction surfaces spinning very fast against each other, and it heats up to the point of the material burning away (think of doing a bunrout, and thats basically whats going on)

also, bleeding the clutch wont tell you if you are getting oil in there. "bleeding" means bleeding the air bubbles out of the hydraulic line.

The burning smell is caused by excessive slipping of the clutch. When someone says bleed the clutch they are actually talking about the hydraulic system used to engage/disengage the clutch. Not the actual clutch itself. Bleeding the hydraulics will only help to a) flushout old fluid in the system or b) get any air out of the lines, but it will not really help you out in this case. Also, bleeding the clutch hydraulics is done in the same manner that you would bleed the brakes.

damn

hmm...so essentially, the burning smell is probably just the clutch slipping, taking me back to my original problem. Keeping in mind you are talking about a car that had a new clutch and slave cylinder installed last year, what would be the most common causes of the slippage I am experiencing when accelerating from a stop and when in reverse? Or, what can I suggest a repair shop try to fix the problem, short of them dropping down the transmission which will supposedly cost $$$ before I even get the actual problem repaired?

Your guys' help is awesome...at least I know when speaking to the guys at the shop whether they're completely screwing me around or not based on what your advice.

Contaminants on the clutch disk or just a plain old crappy clutch could cause excessive slipping. Any idea what brand clutch they put in? They're probably going to have to drop the trans no matter how you look at it.

What brand of clutch is it and did you have the flywheel turned when the new clutch was installed. If not it can cause problems down the road, like slipping and clutch chatter.

Other than being out of adjustment, the only real cause of a slipping clutch is either a failed clutch, or an contaminated clutch.

Clutch surfaces are made of fiberous material that can absorbe fluids. Oil leaking from a rear main seal, or a transmission input shaft seal, or the slave cylinder would be absorbed into the clutch material which decreases the friction the clutch has. This decrease in friction causes the clutch to slip excessively when applied to the flywheel. This excessive slippage creates excessive heat which in turn damages the fiberous material of the clutch disks. The smell comes from the burning of the clutch disk, as well as the oil in the clutch material.

Any of those leaks should be fairly obvious as fluid would drip out the bottom of the bell housing that contains the clutch.