Clutch problems????

bluecoupe5spd

Registered User
I've posted a message similar to this before. I have a 94 5 speed SC and for the past year I've had this problem where when I clutch to shift, usually above 2000 rpms, the revs shoot up about 500 rpms with my foot completely off the pedal, the moment I hit the clutch. The car doesn't lunge forward with the rpm jump it just freewheels and revs. Its very random, it seems like it only does it when the outside temp is above 40 degrees or so. It could do it all day long and the next day not at all. I had it stored this past winter and everytime I took it out, when it was really cold outside, it acted fine, but the first time I brought it out this spring it started doing it again. It'll do it one minute and act fine the next. I have a feeling its one of my fuel/air sensors, but I've replaced the MAF and TPS, and I'm thinking about replacing the IAC. However, the owner of the transmission shop that I work next to said my clutch was bad and was slipping. It doesn't seem like it would just act fine one minute and act up the next if the clutch was bad. If the clutch was bad shouldn't it start slipping when it heats up and stay that way until it cooled down. Desperate for some info on this.
 
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A manual transmission car really can't increase 500rpm without also pulling ahead since it's directly coupled to the crankshaft via the clutch.

If you don't feel the car pull when you see the rpm increase, that's a pretty good certainty that your clutch is slipping. How many miles on that clutch?

It's possible that you have some oil on your clutch that has created a slippery spot that once you hit a certain point in the torque band it's able to slip.

It could also be an issue with the slave cylinder or throw-out bearing hanging up when you release after shifting. This slipping could then occur until the part stops hanging up.

It's really all theory, and it's hard to pinpoint without driving it. Even if you drive the car it may be hard to really determine the cause. If you have over 80,000miles on your clutch it wouldn't be unusual for it to be worn enough to be slipping now.

I found on my 1993, that I could initially sense the clutch beginning to slip when entering a highway, up hill at WOT on the switch from 2nd to 3rd. When going into 3rd I'd get a little shutter and "feel" the RPM's fluctuate a moment before launching forward. I could get the same thing doing a wot roll on from say 40mph in 3rd. Our car builds torque low, and I think the Torque peak was breaking the clutch loose. You could try similar tests to see if you can "make" it slip. But once you do... stop it. The more it slips, the faster it wears. I started noticing mine in June and by August I was having to feather the throttle to keep it from slipping nearly all the time.
 
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