I Think My Clutch Is Going Out! How Can I Tell?

If you think your clutch is going out, bring your car, truck, or utility vehicle to Fairfax Auto Repair right away. We’d be happy to inspect the clutch and recommend the proper course of action to repair the problem. It could be that we can repair the clutch, or we may be able to rebuild it. If the clutch needs to be replaced, we can do that, too. Let’s talk about the signs that the clutch is going bad below.

A Spongy Touch

If your clutch pedal has a spongy or soft touch, it is going bad. Another sign that the clutch needs to be replaced is if it sinks all the way to the floor without catching. The clutch may also get extremely difficult to press down on. Any changes in the clutch’s resistance level points to a problem with the clutch.

Burning Odors

Your clutch is also going bad if you smell burning odors coming from it. This is a sign that the clutch is slipping. Slipping means that the clutch disengages even though you are still pressing down on the clutch pedal. Replacing the clutch is an effective way to resolve this problem.

Gear Problems

If you are having difficulties shifting the gears in your manual transmission, the clutch is likely going bad. A slipping clutch will cause you to grind the gears when you shift them or cause the gears to slip themselves. You may also find it difficult to get your manual transmission into gear or to shift through the cycle. All of these problems point to a faulty clutch.

Hesitating Acceleration

Another sign that the clutch is slipping is hesitating acceleration. In other words, your vehicle does not move forward when you release the clutch and press down on the accelerator. This points to a problem with the power transfer between the engine and the transmission. The clutch is the manual transmission part that transfers the power to the transmission.

High Catch Point

You may also notice a strange difference in where the clutch catches if it is going bad. Generally, the catch point gets higher and higher as the clutch gets closer and closer to needing to be replaced. If the clutch is still in good shape, adjusting it will restore the original catch point.