New Clutch Slips Terribly but only after 10 miles - Dodge Stealth

Had a new clutch put in my 2WD 1993 Dodge Stealth a month ago - $900.00. It starts the day just fine with no slipping and quick acceleration. After about 10-20 miles it starts slipping terribly in all gears where the RPM's go from 2000 to 4000 without ANY acceleration.

Why does this happen only after 10-20 miles are driven? Is it overheating? Could it be the wrong clutch parts? Is it overheating? Do I have a leak of some kind (I see no fluid on the driveway)? Thanks for any thoughts

Reply to
chrispalaw
Loading thread data ...

A suggestion, but you would need a mechanic to prove it.

The cluth mechanism is designed so that in its normal position it is fully engaged.

When you press the clutch pedal the clutch plates are pulled apart and held apart by the hydraulic system.

When the pedal is released the mechanism pulls the cluth plates into contact.

If the hydraulics is not releasing properly the plates may be held slightly apart.

This may be a build up of pressure after multiple uses of the clutch.

It should be able to be duplicated by sitting in the driveway and pressing and releasing the clutch pedal. In Nuetral with the parking brake on.

After 10 - 20 cycles press the clutch in and put it in gear, then see if it slips.

Personally I would take it back to the shop that did the work and get them to fix it. hopefully for no cost as a guarenteed repair.

Reply to
marks542004

snipped-for-privacy@earthlink.net writes in article dated 13 Jul 2005

16:14:36 -0700:

Hydraulic clutch, right?

It sounds like there could be air in the system, something that expands when it gets warm. If that's the case it needs to be "bled". This is something that the shop should do, since it was probably their carelessness which allowed air into the system.

-- spud_demon -at- thundermaker.net The above may not (yet) represent the opinions of my employer.

Reply to
Spud Demon

that would cause the clutch to not disengage ...

Reply to
web1000

Exactly the problem with my dad's '87 Nissan Pickup....there was too much air in the system, so the clutch wouldn't disengage from the flywheel....

Sounds like maybe the pressure plate is either bad or not installed properly,

-LMB

Reply to
Louis M. Brown

Who did this installation, Chris? What do they tell you?

Seems pretty expensive. I found a clutch kit for that car for about $200, but there could be cheaper and more expensive. Did you go with some sort of trick aftermarket clutch?

I agree with another poster that overheating in the hydraulics to the clutch is suggested.

Let us know what you find.

Reply to
<HLS

Thank you all for your wonderful suggestions. No word from the mechanic yet - he hasn't looked at it yet. This is actually the fourth time I have been back there this month about the new clutch (once before for slipping and twice for clutch pedal not springing back completely (O.K. now) - each time he went to the floor pedal to make adjustments on what he says is "a wierd clutch pedal setup"). The mechanic was puzzled 2 days ago when I returned again and explained that the new clutch he installed slips ONLY after ten miles, yet when I went back yesterday to review with him all of your thoughtful posts he said "I never needed no internet to fix a car" (sigh). I think he agreed to try and bleed the hydraulic system first cause your suggestions that the cause may be air in the lines that heats and expands after ten miles is a great diagnosis and could be explained by a sloppy clutch installation. While there I started it up cold and then pressed and released the clutch pedal 30 times to try the suggestion re pressure buildup from multiple uses of the clutch. I then drove it (still cold) - no slipping until

5-10 miles of driving. There is no visual leakage but still could be a problem with the hydraulics - (?? cylinder, plunger, or whatever all is involved). Maybe the clutch is overheating due to poor installation or wrong parts. The clutch fork had snapped and was replaced at the same time.

All parts should hopefully be stock - this ain't no race car (though my black Dodge Stealth is pretty and has PA license plate BATM0BL). Total cost = $900.00. Clutch kit = $262; Clutch fork (was snapped)= $71; Resurface flywheel = $75; Labor (5.5 hours at $75/hr) = $412.50; Shop supplies = $11; PA Sales Tax = $50.

Will repost once it is fixed and no longer slips after ten miles. THANKS AGAIN!!!

Reply to
chrispalaw

Answer: Air in the lines that expands when heated up resulting in clutch slip only after ten miles. Or, at least I think that was the cause. Drove 200 miles with no clutch slip. The mechanic said he adjusted the clutch (a fourth time) AND bled the system.

Thanks for the great diagnosis!

Reply to
chrispalaw

"adjusted the clutch"... in a hydralic system?

He's giving you a load of bunk.

Reply to
larrybud2002

He likely adjusted the pushrod between the clutch pedal and master cylinder. If that rod is too long the port in the master cylinder is closed which traps the fluid. When that fluid heats up it expands and pushes against the piston on the slave cylinder which makes the clutch slip. His problem had nothing to do with air trapped in the system, it had every thing to do with a misadjusted clutch linkage, just not in the traditional way. Bob

Reply to
Bob

Reply to
chrispalaw

PART II - Still Problems

Yesterday, after two hours of stop and go freeway traffic a problem developed. The clutch pedal would not spring back, it only came back halfway from the floor and I was grinding the gears terribly. This happened only after two hours of use in hot weather.

The clutch no longer slips after heating up. As I mentioned in an earlier post, the mechanic has adjusted the clutch pedal FOUR TIMES since the new clutch was installed 90 days ago - twice my complaint was the clutch slipping after ten miles, and twice my complaint was the clutch pedal not springing back (apparently opposites).

Both of these past/present problems, the past slipping after ten miles, and the present not springing back/grinding gears after two hours of very hot stop and go freeway traffic occur ONLY after heating up. The Dodge Stealth is always shifting perfect early in the day.

Perhaps I need a new master cylinder for the hydraulic clutch? - but why only after two hours of clutching?

The pedal adjustment issues seem to be that we cannot reach a happy medium. If I understand Bob's post correctly if the pedal adjustment makes the master cylinder pushrod throw too long then the clutch slips when heated up because the clutch plates are not returning to full contact once the pedal is released. Perhaps then, if the pushrod throw is too short then the plates do not separate enough when the clutch pedal is pressed so the gears grind and the pedal does not fully return from the floor.

So therefore if the clutch slipping is the opposite of the pedal not springing back (with the correspondent grinding of gears) one would expect there is a happy medium for the clutch pedal adjustment. If there is no middle ground then maybe the master cylinder is bad, but there are no leaks and no problems until it heats up.

Guess that I will first try experimenting with the clutch pedal/pushrod throw myself. The mechanic cannot seem to adjust it satisfactorily (perhaps due to faulty master cylinder). Since the most recent issue is gears grinding rather than clutch slipping I will make the pushrod throw "slightly" longer then take a long trip.

Reply to
chrispalaw

My pedal on my 89 toyota clutch started "creaking". And I had problems getting it to clutch , seperate flywheel from clutch. It got so bad I had to drop my transmission and put in new clutch. Then I couldn't adjust clutch right, I extended push rod all the way but couldn't get clutch to disengage. Had to change pedal assembly, because frame was cracked not allowing clutch to disengage. Had to change pedal assembly 2 times since. I think my starter switch on pedal made me push on clutch too hard and that kept cracking my pedal frame. I think you have something in the clutch from pedal to fork that is cracked or something like that and giving after awhile. Because I've never seen a clutch fork break. That implies something after clutch fork bad, like throwout bearing, transmission / engine misalignment, bad pressure plate, clutch disk, transmission input shaft, pilot bearing. Did he change the pilot bearing?

Reply to
edmechanic

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.