[Webb Moncure]

My clutch is shot at 85k miles. I am in a major metropolitan area (DC), and the repair is above my skill set. What should I reasonably expect to pay - give or take - for a complete clutch replacement?

 

[Cobb]

Man, that was short lived. Do you think of yourself as a fluent stick shift driver? Did you do a lot of chirping or burnouts? Did or is the clutch slipping? Do you see any oil leaks under your car?

Clutch is major surgery and once you are in there there are a lot of things you can or should replace while you are at it to save costs in the future. Best case its a clutch, worse case its the rear engine seal.

If the car has been driven in a spirited manner then you can expect to replace the flywheel and pressure plate. Maybe good to consider any aftermarket parts too.

Id say a grand to 1500 depending where you get it done.

 

[Webb Moncure]

I know how to drive a clutch - I'm 39 and have driven old Volvos, a miata, pick up trucks - you name it! My first car was a stick! This is what shocks me - the car is only two years old BUT it has 85k miles AND I drive in stop/go traffic almost non stop three days a week back and forth from DC on I-95.

Little by little I noticed it slipping until it started slipping worse and offering up a burning smell, which I assume is the plates rubbing against each other. At that point I stopped using it for work and just darted to places around town. Now it revs and barely catches and can barely get around - if I'm lucky I'll get it the 1-1/2 miles to a repair shop nearby which is pretty reasonable.

I'm ASSUMING it's the clutch itself and not something else... I have a diagnostic guy coming to look at it (friend of a friend, Nissan techie) this week.

 

[SlickVersa]

Good luck! Please keep us posted.

 

[Cobb]

Thanks for the update. No offense ment, I just wanted to get a feel for how you drive. Me, I dont quite have the feathering technique down so my clutching is rough as my feet are numb. Hopefully that will limit clutch wear, but rocks the motor mounts. Usually I shift 1,2,3,5 and its mostly highway.

I dont recall clutchs smelling any different if dry vs soaked in oil. I also do not think we have an adjustment as its a hydro linkage.

Maybe he will do it on the side and charge you a fraction?

 

[Keith Wagner]

Clutches don't last forever. 85k out of one is damn good! Especially in stop and go driving.
No blame can be assigned. Clutch disks are like brakes, eventually the friction material wears away.

You will be replacing the clutch disk, pressure plate and throw out bearing at a minimum. I would also replace the slave cylinder as well.
You will also have the flywheel removed and resurfaced.
Have any rubber parts in the shift linkage inspected and replace if any wear present

 

[Cobb]

I use to deliver 300 newspapers a day by car. The shit boxes I drove got about 100 thousand miles per a clutch. When a clutch was done, all the metal was rainbow colored, the springs were busted the clutch was down to the rivits.

 

[Cobb]

What was the verdict? Was it just worn out, seal leak, pressure plate failure? Were the surfaces of the flywheel or pressure plate discolored? Was it even torqued correctly?

Thx.