Clutch

When you press in the the clutch pedal, does the pedal feel funny?  Do you hear noise that should not be there?  Does the vehicle try to creap forward unless you press the brake?   Is it hard to shift.  Do the gears grind, especially when shifting into first or reverse?  As the clutch engauges, does the vehicle shudder violently?  If you accelerate sharply, does the engine speed up like you're gunning the engine while in nuetral?  Do you keep adding fluid to the brake master cylinder reservoir?  Then you have clutch problems.

The clutch consists of a clutch disc that is pinched between the engine flywheel and the clutch pressure plate.  The pressure plate being bolted to the flywheel which in turn is bolted to the crankshift, spins with the engine as a unit.  The clutch disc is connected to the transmission.  When you press the clutch pedal, the pieces that connect the pedal to the pressure plate (linkage), push on the pressure plate.  This pries the pressure plate slightly away from the flywheel unpinching the clutch disc.  This allows the clutch disc to spin at a different rate than the engine, thus preventing the engine power from being transferred to the transmission.  Without power applied to the transmission, the transmission can be shifted into a different gear.  The clutch disc has brake-like friction material on it and, eventually, the clutch disc wears out causing to clutch to slip.

The clutch linkage can consist of levers and rods which connect the clutch pedal to the pressure plate via the clutch release bearing.  This type of clutch linkage requires periodic adjustment.  Without correct adjustment, the clutch will wear out prematurely.  The clutch linkage can consist of a cable.  This may or may not require periodic adjustment.  Today, most vehicles have a hydraulic clutch linkage. It consists of a clutch master cylinder, a master cylinider fluid reservoir which usually contains brake fluid, a high pressure rubber flex hose to connect from the chassis to the clutch housing (bell housing) and a clutch slave cylinder that provides the mechanical action to release the clutch.  A fluid leak or malfunction anywhere in the hydraulic clutch linkage wil cause the cause clutch problems.

If you have clutch problems, bring your vehicle to Clearview Tire & Auto Service for a correct diagnosis and professional guaranteed repairs which includes our Certified Auto Repair Nationwide Warranty.  We're in Hopkinsville, not far from Ft. Campbell and we've been here since 1952. Most repairs include one year FREE towing and roadside assistance, good 24/7 coast-to-coast.