A clutch can last a long time before you need to fix it, as this article excerpt from How Stuff Works shows:
From the 1950s to the 1970s, you could count on getting between 50,000 and 70,000 miles from your car’s clutch. Clutches can now last for more than 80,000 miles if you use them gently and maintain them well. If not cared for, clutches can start to break down at 35,000 miles. Trucks that are consistently overloaded or that frequently tow heavy loads can also have problems with relatively new clutches.
The most common problem with clutches is that the friction material on the disc wears out. The friction material on a clutch disc is very similar to the friction material on the pads of a disc brake or the shoes of a drum brake — after a while, it wears away. When most or all of the friction material is gone, the clutch will start to slip, and eventually it won’t transmit any power from the engine to the wheels.
The clutch only wears while the clutch disc and the flywheel are spinning at different speeds. When they are locked together, the friction material is held tightly against the flywheel, and they spin in sync. It’s only when the clutch disc is slipping against the flywheel that wearing occurs. So, if you are the type of driver who slips the clutch a lot, you’ll wear out your clutch a lot faster.
Sometimes the problem is not with slipping, but with sticking. If your clutch won’t release properly, it will continue to turn the input shaft. This can cause grinding, or completely prevent your car from going into gear.
To read more of this article from How Stuff Works, click here.
Clutch repair is an inevitability, as parts wear out. Call a transmission shop today if its time for a scheduled service, or if you need repair.
Trail Transmission is an Arizona owned transmission shop serving Mesa and the east valley.
Trail Transmission
11240 East Apache Trail
Apache Junction, AZ 85120
(480) 986-7367
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Read another clutch repair article here.
