is my clutch slipping?

[fl_gal]

sometimes when going to 3rd gear, the clutch engages kinda sluggish, almost as if im slow letting my foot off the clutch and it will rev for a second until it "catches". my foot is totally off the clutch. I also notice a vibration with this like i'm driving on a rough road.I do alot of driving (7+ hours) and this is something I noticed towards the end of my evening (if that helps)

[rAERRK]

sounds like it. a way to test this is to find a stretch with no traffic so you can give it full gas at low rpms in high gear.

[fl_gal]

Translate that for me.......meaning like 5tth gear and rpm like 2000?

[rAERRK]

Quote, originally posted by fl_gal »Translate that for me.......meaning like 5tth gear and rpm like 2000?right. im not sure what the ratios are like in the 5 speed vibe, but something like 30-40mph in 4th or 5th gear and see if theres any reving without movement. you could also try starting in 2nd gear, but its usually the higher gears that start showing signs of slip first.

[RIT]

The best way to check for a worn clutch is to put on your emergency brake, then put your car in fifth gear and let the clutch out slowly. The engine SHOULD stall. If it doesn't, that means that the clutch is slipping and thus no stalling.

[fl_gal]

Quote, originally posted by RIT »The best way to check for a worn clutch is to put on your emergency brake, then put your car in fifth gear and let the clutch out slowly. The engine SHOULD stall. If it doesn't, that means that the clutch is slipping and thus no stalling.I will try that in the morning. I played close attention while on the road tonite and didn't run into any issues. One thing I will say is it seems like I have a loss of power, almost like maxing out at 3k rpm (or when I'm really pushing hard, like trying to jump in fast traffic). but it could just be my imagination, I have a way of seeing/hearing things that just arent there when i'm looking for a problem. as for the "loss of power" feeling, i'm told that could be bad spark plugs? Ive never changed them and have no idea when they were last changed. I was gonna do it anyway when i got the car, but kinda went into shock when i found out how much iridium plugs are

[fl_gal]

Quote, originally posted by RIT »The best way to check for a worn clutch is to put on your emergency brake, then put your car in fifth gear and let the clutch out slowly. The engine SHOULD stall. If it doesn't, that means that the clutch is slipping and thus no stalling.I did as you suggested and it stalled as you said it should.I have some investigating to do, as I don't think it's a slipping clutch due to some other symptoms.

[RIT]

If it stalled, then I would look for something other than the clutch, such as air filter, fuel filter, spark plugs. (think air/fuel/spark) Trust me on this one - or do some google searches... I suppose it could also be low compression, but that would be gradual, and sounds like you are not describing a gradual change.

[fl_gal]

right now the money is on spark plugs. it's cheaper than a clutch to get these :-Pif it were a fuel filter problem, wouldnt I have horrible gas mileage?

[RIT]

Not necessarily. A bad fuel filter can show up is trying to go up a large hill. The car will get starved for fuel. Ever happen ?Plugs are cheap, and easy to replace. Probably needs them anyway, even if it doesn't fix the problem. Same for the fuel filter.

[star_deceiver]

Have you ever bled the clutch line?

[joatmon]

I looked at back posts, and see that you have a 2003 base 5-speed, closing in on 100K miles, and you've bought it used a few months ago.The clutch on the 5 speed should last a while, but it depends on how the previous owner(s) treated it. In a manual tranny car, when your foot is off the clutch pedal, it should act as if there is a hard mechanical link between the engine and the wheels. In any single gear, the engine speed should be directly proportional to the vehicle speed. If you double the engine RPMs, the vehicle speed should double. When the clutch slips, the engine speed will shoot up but the vehicle doesn't go up the same amount.Plugs are an easy thing to replace. Also check the air filter. Maybe carefully clean the MAF sensor (some threads on that here somewhere). Fuel filter is a non-trivial replacement on these cars, and an uncommon faillure item.If the loss of power is a recent dev elopment, then it could be a service item. If its always been that way, then maybe its that your used to cars with more HP Also, on these cars, the power band is at higher RPMs, so if the car is running ok and still doesn't have enough power, try using a lower gear for those times when you need more power.

[fl_gal]

the loss power feeling just became noticeable a couple of days ago. It's not constant, but I've noticed it when it does happen. Hopefully I'll get the plugs changed tomorrow. I got NGK Iridiums (i'm still shocked at the price, i'm used to getting copper plugs)Unfortunately with used cars you are sort of blind when it comes to knowing the history. and I just crossed the 100k mark recently

[fl_gal]

Quote, originally posted by RIT »Not necessarily. A bad fuel filter can show up is trying to go up a large hill. The car will get starved for fuel. Ever happen ?when i first noticed the "problem" i was going up a hill. not a sharp hill, but i was going "up". other times I've noticed the problems I wasn't going uphill. is the fuel filter external?

[fl_gal]

Quote, originally posted by star_deceiver »Have you ever bled the clutch line?I never have, I dont know how. Is it something I can do?

[star_deceiver]

Quote, originally posted by fl_gal »I never have, I dont know how. Is it something I can do?It's just like bleeding the brakes except there's only 1 bleeder. If you look at the front of the transmission you will see a brake type line atttached to a cylinder similar to this:Take the top off the brake fluid resevoir. Loosen the nipple and put a rubber hose on it and have an assistant push the clutch pedal. Then with the clutch to the floor, tighten up the nipple then release the clutch. Then do it again and again. And don't forget to top off the resevoir as you do this. This being said, if you have air bubbles in the clutch line you most likely have a leak somewhere or really low brake fluid.Just out of curiosity, have you ever changed the transmission fluid?

[RIT]

Don't you mean the "clutch fluid reservoir" instead of the "brake fluid reservoir" ?

[fl_gal]

Quote, originally posted by RIT »Don't you mean the "clutch fluid reservoir" instead of the "brake fluid reservoir" ?in past vehicles I've learned this is one in the same.I got my brother to change the plugs yesterday. The old ones were white on the tip part. I've driven probably 300 miles since, and no issues time for a fillup and mpg check

[star_deceiver]

Quote, originally posted by RIT »Don't you mean the "clutch fluid reservoir" instead of the "brake fluid reservoir" ?Depend's on weather the vehicle in question has a seperate clutch fluid resevoir. On mine the 'resevoir' does double duty for brakes and clutch.