How To Know Clutch Needs Replacing?

[pinolobu]

I've already posted this question over at other automotive forums, so i hope it's ok to post here.

How do you actually determine that the clutch needs replacing?

If you depress the clutch pedal and it feels hard (needs more effort than
usual to depress), does it mean it needs replacing? A mechanic told me that
I need to replace it soonest.

Is he telling the truth?

Another thing I noticed is that almost all the time when I change gear, the moment when I press the accelerator there's a "clack" sound, most of the time not so loud, but sometimes quite loud (not so loud lah that make me worry too much about it).

I have sent the car to 2 mechanics, and they all couldnt pinpoint the exact problem. One did some adjustments to the gearbox, another changed the gear oil, but the problem came back very soon.

Is this related to the clutch, or is it related to a different, possibly gearbox problem? Do I need to replace the gearbox?

Thanks for any info.

P.S. the car is a 9-yr old manual transmission Iswara, never replaced clutch before.

 

[PocketRocket]

wah...9yrs n never replaced ah....do u feel ur clutch makan anot?
im sure it'll slip tremendously...better change

 

[pinolobu]

i can feel the power a bit less than before, but still not too bad.
can still climb quite steep hill for 1km+ on 3rd gear.

 

[SkYwAlKeR]

quote from tunerman post in sioc forum...

ur question > when clutch need replacing..

well.. there's 2 methods to know when ur clutch need replacement

First > Stationary Test

.:Park ur car in flat surface / road
.:Pull ur handbrake tightly (make sure no obstacle in front of ur car)
.:Start ur engine
.:Press the clutch n engaged TOP gear
.:Rev up the engine until 3000 RPM
.:Quickly release the clutch pedal

Condition 1
>If the RPM dropped suddenly and the engine died instantly, ur CLUTCH is STILL GooD

Condition 2
>If the RPM dropped Slowly n the engine is still running, ur CLUTCH IS SLIPPING



Second > Uphill Drive Test

.:Find a not to steep uphill road
.:From 2nd/3rd gear, engage to top gear
.:Keep accelerating the throttle

Condition 1
>IF the car suddenly got jerking, ur Clutch is still FINE

Condition 2
>IF the car smoothly run, n no pickup, ur CLUTCH IS SLIPPIN


LIke Hatta Said, better changed the whole set if ur clutch start slippin.

hard to engage gear / got annoying 'Grukk' sound, check ur gearbox oil
mine after change gearbox oil can change gear smootly like quickshift edi..

for the clack sound.. how bout ur driveshaft, mebe can check on em.. just a suggestion though


--------------------

more info about sioc, visit www.sioc.cjb.net

 

[pinolobu]

yes, that was one of the replies to my repost of the same topic at SIOC.

 

[tl1987]

hey guys..i driving iswara yr 98 oso...haven join SIOC...busy with exams...haha

btw,very gud info there leh....my car haven change since it bought new... will do the test after exam....but want to ask if change whole set of clutch...including wat n where isit located....hehe...sorry newbie here

oo...then i think i shud change my gear oil too...coz sometime will difficult to engage gear 1..

 

[vantageX]

pinolobu: Usually a heavy pedal shows a worn out clutch cause the pressure plate has worn out. Try the above tests for your car and if it passes and you still feel that your clutch pedal is heavy then you might want to check the clutch cable. If I do remember correctly, the Iswara uses a cable instead of hydraulics to operate the clutch and with this cable out of adjustment or just sticky, it can become difficult to operate the clutch.

As for the 'clack' sound, it could be the driveshafts as stated above or your engine/gearbox mountings. Its hard to pinpoint a problem just by a sound description, sorry mate.

tl1987: The Iswara's engine and gearbox is based on an old design and most probably 1st gear doesn't come equipped with synchromesh. With the lack of synchromesh, it can be virtually impossible to engage 1st gear if the car is moving even slightly. That's why cars of yesteryear which came with no synchromesh at all had to be driven with double clutching.

If you're having problems engaging 1st gear when the car is stationary then it could be a number of faults. Of course you should change your gearbox oil first before you do anything else if you haven't changed it since 1998! A sure sign is if you're having problems in the morning or when the car has been parked for awhile. Get the right oil. Check your owner's manual for the correct grade of oil or ask your mechanic.

If the oil doesn't solve it then take a look at your gear lever shifter. Could be a worn bush. These are cheap and easy to replace.

Good luck with your problem mate.

PS: The clutch is located between your gearbox and engine. Usually one driveshaft has to be removed and the gearbox separated from the engine.

Clutch components that are replaced:
Pressure plate
Friction plate
Bearing

 

[tl1987]

vantageX...yea i noe wat u mean...but sometime my car stationery oso cant engage gear 1...sometime oni...i think change b4 gear oil few yrs ago la...coz sometime cant engage gear 1...ppl at back tot i die engine....haha...btw my manual padeling very gud la...coz i get myself ready to drive monster with racing clutch...haha....=P

n btw....do u guys noe brake pad need replace after how long distance...i think my brakes are making noise...the drum brake at rear oso...when braking la...so isit bcoz of brake pad ? lol..thx for u guys advise..

 

[vantageX]

1st gear not engaging: Gear oil, worn shifter bush, misaligned gear shifter rod (or mountings), gearbox internal shifter worn. Hope it helps.

As for brakes, there is no distance rule, it depends on your driving style and you can check the brake pad thickness when you remove the wheel or get your mechanic to do it for you. Same goes for the rear drums. You remove the drums and check the shoes thickness and don't forget to check the drum itself to see if its worn badly or not.

What kind of noise are your brakes making? Noise from the front can mean warped disc or worn out discs. From the rear it could be worn out shoes, worn out drums, non-working adjusters. Does the handbrake still hold the car on a hill? Might also be your bearings but since the noise only comes when braking then I doubt its the bearings.

 

[silverwave]

vantageX...yea i noe wat u mean...but sometime my car stationery oso cant engage gear 1...sometime oni...i think change b4 gear oil few yrs ago la...coz sometime cant engage gear 1...ppl at back tot i die engine....haha...btw my manual padeling very gud la...coz i get myself ready to drive monster with racing clutch...haha....=P

n btw....do u guys noe brake pad need replace after how long distance...i think my brakes are making noise...the drum brake at rear oso...when braking la...so isit bcoz of brake pad ? lol..thx for u guys advise..

sometimes the brake pad is dirty and it needs cleaning. my car also was making noise few months back. i thought it was the brake pad which spoiled. but my mechanic said its fine and just needs cleaning...

if brake pad is worn out, it should be thin.

try to check...good luck :_:

 

[vantageX]

sometimes the brake pad is dirty and it needs cleaning. my car also was making noise few months back. i thought it was the brake pad which spoiled. but my mechanic said its fine and just needs cleaning...

if brake pad is worn out, it should be thin.

try to check...good luck :_:

Hey, just wondering, how do these guys 'clean' a brake pad? I got an idea but will wait for some replies to confirm it. Thanks!

 

[ken12292703]

Hello,

Mine was like this, it creates sound gekk when press.
I taught it's normal, 11 years didn't change clutch. It doesn't slip at all.

At last, i decided to get it changed although it didn't slip. What a surprise, it wears until the bottom can even see metal linings. Luckily got it changed. :_:

 

[pinolobu]

thanks for all the info.

 

[nonameNo]

the brake sound can be cause by few factor...

some bubble of air ("angin") formed between the brake pad and disc brake.

or when you washing your car, some of the water will go in between the brake pad and disc... so sometimes when you brake it... will create the sound.

normally it will goes off after a while. if not, then the worst part is the brake pad is worn off and it oledi touching the brake pad (metal part) against the disc brake.

as for clucth, just replace it as the cost is not expensive... for proton, cost is less than RM200.

2) water betwee

 

[ysy2911]

Anyone have idea where to get RM200 clutch set. Mine is Wira 1.5 caburetor..

 

[edwin_lcw]

wah got so cheap anot ?
the cheapest price i get for wira is onli 260 .....

 

[intergratypezero]

it doesn't matter if u using carb or efi, the thing is what car and cc of ur engine. you can get around RM180-RM250 for OEM clutch like daikin/exxedy. if u looking for hi perf clutch, i have no clue. ask the sifu and masters....

 

[theorekz]

edwin, u try to search at the marketplace for HMS... he is selling the exedy OEM replacement clutch... the price i not too sure.. for iswara, last time i asked is around RM160... quite reasonable...

cheeers

 

[ysy2911]

The original OEM Price for Wira Clutch Set

Yesterday, i juz been for my car service and i have enquired the mechanic about the OEM clutch and they have quoted me RM 320 inclusive of labor. Is that expensive or wat? normally the labor also cost around RM 60 - RM 80 already...

 

[WISE8183]

i brought the OEM Exedy Clucth from HMS and he recommend me go to Shell Workshop near the Armada Hotel. Labour charges is Rm80 and done a nice job. Total up is only rm230.