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Clutch/First gear
Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2003 11:23 am
by DavidPIL
Hello all...Well, I got my first oil change last week. All went well except for the place not having any info at all about the filter or quantity. I had to tell them.Anywho, about my clutch issue. I was sitting there watching the guy pull my Vibe into the bay and watched the front driver's side tire noticably bounce or wobble when he was pulling forward. I have nocticed that then taking off in 1st gear, the clutch seems to need to be released quite a bit before I get a full gear engagement yet it seems to start to engage after a slight lift of the pedal. I've killed it several times because it just doesn't seem consistent throughout the release of the clutch.Is this a problem others experience? Is the wheel bounce normal? (We're talking maybe .5-.75" movement up and down here. Not off the ground obviously but wobble). Should I get the clutch checked? I don't remember this happening on the one I test drove so I'm a bit concerned.Thanks for any help!!!Dave
Re: Clutch/First gear (DavidPIL)
Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2003 1:21 am
by tau166
hmmm. Intersting. The only time I notice anything "funny" is when the car first starts compared to when it's warmed up. When it's cold and the idle is high it seems like the clutch catches earlier. It's not really, it's just more noticeable because of the higher RPM, but that's what it feels like. If it isn't just when the engine is cold then it sounds really weird..like maybe a problem.
Re: Clutch/First gear (tau166)
Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2003 7:18 am
by Chris
Whoa... David, I'd get it checked. Someone correct me if I'm wrong but there should be NO wobble no matter what's up with your clutch.I'm not certain I understand what sort of wobble you're describing but if there's anything loose in the front end, I'd get it checked - pronto! The only wobble I've experienced is a front end bounce when doing a burnout but that's just an up down thing when the tires are spinning and alternately gripping then sliding... not really a good thing but, ya know
Re: Clutch/First gear (DavidPIL)
Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2003 9:52 am
by MadBill
Don't know about the "wobble", but my clutch had a very long "take up", i.e., started to engage very low, but not fully engaged until quite high. I was grumbling about the spongy clutch disc and plotting to change it for crisper shifting, but as the miles rolled up the probem faded away. I chalked it up to fuzzy new friction surfaces that bedded in over a period of 8-10,000 miles of mostly highway travel.
Re: Clutch/First gear (MadBill)
Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2003 3:59 am
by DavidPIL
Yeah, I'm not happy with the performance of the clutch in first gear but it seems fine through the other gears. I assumed it was just me being used to a Truck clutch that really only engaged middle to full release. The sight wobble up and down of the tire reminded me of what a tire would look like if it went slowly over a rumble strip on a highway or road. Wasn't anything extreme but was noticable. I'll probably take it in in a few days just to have that checked though now I think about it, with the oddness of that first gear and the oil change technician driving it probably the first time he ever drove a manual vibe, the combo could have lead to something that wouldn't normally happen.Thanks for all the input. Hopefully I'll know what's up soon...Dave