Manual Clutch Diagnosis Archives - Transmission Digest
BEING A GREAT CLUTCH HITTER

Clutch replacement has always been a steady source of business in the transmission repair shop. More and more general repair facilities are swapping clutches to add to their cash flow. There are a number of OEM quality clutch replacement sets available in the marketplace from LuK, Daikin/Exedy, Valeo, Sachs, etc. that provide OEM parts at reasonable prices. No matter how good the parts are that you are using, the installer has the responsibility for a thorough, proper installation. Anytime a manual trans is removed from the vehicle, the clutch also should be removed and inspected. A few more minutes of labor can produce added revenue from the job, decrease the chances of warranty problems, and ensure that the clutch was not the cause of the transmission failure. It is very important to make sure that the clutch is capable of transferring all of the engine torque to the transmission, and that when the clutch is disengaged there is a complete disconnect of the transmission from the engine torque. A slipping clutch will damage the clutch friction components, a clutch that does not release completely causes notchy, grinding shifts and does immediate damage to the synchronizer and speed gear components in the transmission.