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how long will a clutch slip but still work

B

bxd20

CEG'er
Joined
Jun 25, 2000
Messages
110
Location
Cleveland, OH, USA
I'm looking to learn from others' experiences. About how many miles were you able to get between the first sign of clutch slippage, till the car was undrivable? Or if you had it fixed immediately, how many miles did you drive it?

Mine's not slipping or anything, just trying to understand how fast they go downhill.

Thanks!
 
he never asked how long a clutch will last BEFORE slipping.

He asked how long a clutch plate will REMAIN usable after it has ALREADY started slipping, which Big Jim already answered.
 
bxd20 said:
I'm looking to learn from others' experiences. About how many miles were you able to get between the first sign of clutch slippage, till the car was undrivable? Or if you had it fixed immediately, how many miles did you drive it?

Mine's not slipping or anything, just trying to understand how fast they go downhill.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Well mine last maybe 2miles..Started to slip so i inched it home..shut it off came out 30 mins later and wouldnt go in gear anymore after removing the clutch it was TOAST..
 
About 90-100 Miles.. Broke on my way home!!!! Luckily AAA had a flat bed to go 30 miles!

That is pretty fast Maybe 2-3 days total after the first sign of slipping! If you feel it dont drive it, till you have the stuff to fix it! then drive it to the shop or DIY!

- amyn
 
Thanks guys.... and Ray - I was going to type something to that effect but I didn't want to look gift horses in the mouth. :)

So it sounds like if the car is your only ride, you better drive it to a shop as soon as it starts slipping. Not something to try to stretch to "next week".
 
It will most likely also depend on if it slips under full throttle shifting or under normal driving, obviously if it slips only under full throttle shifting it would last longer than if it was slipping under moderate use.
 
i drove 2 1/2 weeks on my stocker. from michigan to penn. twice. pulled into my appartment and couldnt barely get to school only a mile away the next day
 
ok

ok

I was under the impression that the first sign of slippage would be in a high gear, heavy throttle. Like maybe 4th gear, 40mph, full throttle?

Are you saying a hard shift from 3rd to 4th, full throttle at like 75mph would show the slippage first?
 
How often do you drive at full throttle in top gear at 30 MPH? If you never drive there, you will never feel a clutch slip there. You will feel it slip during one of the modes you drive in.
 
bxd20 said:
So it sounds like if the car is your only ride, you better drive it to a shop as soon as it starts slipping. Not something to try to stretch to "next week".
Click to expand...

Or do like i did and wait three months and finally the whole thing gave. but i'd have to say 145k on an original clutch is pretty good. especially when people that don't know how to drive sticks have drove this car before i got it.
 
125K on my friends before it gave! Which is awesome! Mine gave out like a couple weeks after I got it(92-94K)! I was ready for it tho, I knew it was going to happen as when I picked it up or went for a test drive in it, The PO held the clutch down left it in first for a good 2 minutes at the stop light! WOW! No worries tho I have my SPEC in there now!

- amyn
 
holding the clutch down at stop lights does not wear the clutch, it wears a bearing, it's either the throwout or the pilot bearing(which is usually replaced when the clutch is done
 
I had 241K miles on my clutch before it went. there was still a fair amount of material left on the plate. the problem was that one of the springs in the plate gave out and got wedged into the pressure plate so i couldnt disengage the clutch.

oh and it happened while i was a good 40-50 miles form home.:crazy:
 
98TredSVT said:
holding the clutch down at stop lights does not wear the clutch, it wears a bearing, it's either the throwout or the pilot bearing(which is usually replaced when the clutch is done
Click to expand...

That would be the throwout bearing. However, that hasn't been a problem for several decades. Advancements in both materials for the bearings and for the grease they are made with has pretty much eliminated this as a problem.

Our cars do not have a pilot bearing. When designed for one, the pilot bearing resides in the center of the crankshaft and supports the end of the trans input shaft.
 
In my 93' 325i the throwout bearing wore out and when I pressed the clutch pedal in it made metal on metal sounds, not really badly but it was noticeable, and I was told it was the throwout bearing. Ever since I tend to put the car in neutral if its anything more than a stop sign, even though it might not be necessary. If the throwout bearing gets too badly worn out, I think you can scar the input shaft of the transmission. I think what I'm saying is true for the most part, its a bunch of stuff my auto teacher told me from highschool.
 
Mine has been slipping for 20K miles - slips when cold under moderate use, slips under heavy use when warm. A couple of times recently it has been slipping in 4th and 5th trying to accelerate hard on the freeway.

I know for a fact that when I had the clutch put in they did not resurface the flywheel. I have a SPEC Stage 1.
 
KyleQ said:
Mine has been slipping for 20K miles - slips when cold under moderate use, slips under heavy use when warm. A couple of times recently it has been slipping in 4th and 5th trying to accelerate hard on the freeway.

I know for a fact that when I had the clutch put in they did not resurface the flywheel. I have a SPEC Stage 1.
Click to expand...

i would be pissed if they didnt resurface mine. a shop should know to almost always resurface the flywheel. im a tech. so i get pissed when i hear about this kind of work
 
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