Some signs of clutch failure include: a high rev of the engine with poor or no acceleration, a burning smell, a grinding noise or squeaking noise when clutch is pressed, a spongy or hard pedal feel, difficulty shifting, or a momentary loss of acceleration also called a slipping clutch. The clutch system can fail hydraulically or mechanically. If you are experiencing any of the above symptoms, we recommend getting the clutch system diagnosed.

The transmission is removed to gain access to the clutch components. When performing a clutch replacement, it is best practice to replace the clutch disc, pressure plate, pilot bearing and throw out bearing. The flywheel is also resurfaced or replaced if it is beyond the service limit or if it is a dual mass flywheel (this type of flywheel is not machinable). In addition, some slave cylinders are inside the transmission assembly and can only be replaced when the transmission is removed. If this is the case, the slave cylinder will need to be replaced with the clutch assembly. This is common in Ford and Mazda light duty trucks and some other makes and models. In addition to replacing all of these clutch components, we always replace the engine rear main seal when performing a clutch job because we believe this is best practice. This engine seal can only be accessed when the transmission is removed and since we are in there this is an appropriate time to replace it to save our customers in future labor costs. If the rear main seal fails in the future, the oil can also leak onto the clutch assembly and cause premature clutch failure, forcing the customer to have to re-do this job. Fresh transmission fluid will also be installed in your transmission as part of our clutch replacement service. We believe in having a thorough and thoughtful approach in all our repairs, which means always going the extra mile and always thinking about saving our customer’s in future repair cost by being pro-active in our approach.

Videos:

Clutch and Manual Transmission Operation
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