Help!!! I dont know what's wrong

I have a 1998 Corolla CE with approx. 139,000 miles on it. Its a five speed and I noticed lately that the gears do not shift good. I have to push hard on the gas in order for it to go. In fact, I think that all my gears are like that...a long passing gear before it catches. What is that, the transmission or the clutch?

Reply to
socorro_9
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When you say that the gears "do not shift good" do you mean that it is difficult to put the gearshift lever into position or do you hear a grinding noise when shifting?

check the fluid level in the clutch master cylinder next to the brake master cylinder in the engine compartment.

Reply to
Ray O

No, the gears shift into position well, its just that the gears do not catch upon shifting. When it finally gets into gear, the engine revs, but the car does not speed up.

Reply to
socorro_9

That sounds like a worn clutch or worn pressure plate.

Factors that cause rapid clutch wear are drivers who are relatively new to driving a vehicle with a manual transmission, excessive slipping of the clutch, drive frequently in stop-and-go traffic, downshift frequently, frequent start on inclines, and holding the car on an incline by slipping the clutch instead of using the brake.

Reply to
Ray O

If this is his first clutch with 139k miles, he got his money's worth.

Reply to
Art

Hey, Ray, I always downshift. Have been since I bought my first Toyota.

What do you mean by "Downshift Frequently"? I have 259,000 on the ORIGINAL clutch on my Corolla, and the Corolla before that went 235,000 on the original clutch!

Reply to
Hachiroku

When I had Corolla manuals, I also downshifted fairly often instead of braking, & would often hold the car on a hill by slipping the clutch. Never had the cars beyond 6 years or the high mileage you've had, but never had any clutch probs, either.

Cathy

Reply to
Cathy F.

Sounds like you've worn the clutch out.

Reply to
Jeff Strickland

DEFINITELY a worn clutch.

Reply to
Jeff Strickland

That's because you sold the clutch problems to the next buyer.

Reply to
Jeff Strickland

Only if they kept it basically forever, is my guess.

Cathy

Reply to
Cathy F.

Well, you can slow down the car by downshifting or you can slow down by applying the brakes. If you downshift at higher RPM, then you are wearing the clutch more than if engine and transmission speed are matched. Of course, on long downhills, downshifting is preferable to letting the brakes fade. Personally, I'd rather do a brake job than a clutch job. ;-)

Reply to
Ray O

Brakes are much cheaper to service than replacing the clutch. Downshifting instead of braking and holding the car on a hill by slipping the clutch are the worst things you can do for clutch life. You sold your clutch problems to someone else.

Reply to
Ray O

Or a bad pressure plate, which in terms of repair cost, is about the same.

Reply to
Ray O

Hachi's experience is a bit of an anomoly. Most people get about 100k ~ 150k miles from a clutch. I can get over 200k, and I'm certain there are others on this board that also get high miles from a clutch, but I think this board attracts regular participants that drive better than the general population. Most folks would need a clutch at intervals that match yours, you just get rid of the car before you realize the clutch needs to be replaced. (No dissing intended.)

And, as a point of order, I do not attribute downshifting with short clutch life. If one is inclined to goos the gas pedal a bit and raise the RPMs so the engine and transmission (in the new gear) are going at about the same speed, the wear on the clutch is not a factor. Using the clutch as a hill-holder is definitely a bad practice in terms clutch life.

Reply to
Jeff Strickland

Yes, and it's the same work to get far enough to know one or the other, AND most of us would replace both at the same time.

And, if one has to ask, they probably do not know the clutch from the pressure plate, and the distinction is more confusing than simply lumping all of the parts into "clutch."

Reply to
Jeff Strickland

braking, & would often hold the car on a hill by slipping

had, but never had any clutch probs, either.

instead of braking and holding the car on a hill by

sold your clutch problems to someone else.

If your good at shifting then there is no wear changing gears. Heck I'd bet my paycheck that I could jump into any typical car and not even use the clutch when shifting gears smooth enough no one would notice.

Reply to
Danny G.

As well as throwout and pilot bearings. It's false economy to "go inside" a clutch and NOT replace any parts which typically wear out, regardless of their condition, particularly with a front wheel drive car.

-- Mike Harris Austin TX

Reply to
Mike Harris

Upshifting without using the clutch is not difficult but downshifting without using the clutch is a little trickier ;-)

When most people downshift to slow down the vehicle, very few people blip the throttle to match engine and transmission input shaft speeds so the clutch and synchros get a little worn in the process of matching engine and transmission speeds. A little bit of wear many times eventually adds up.

Reply to
Ray O

Your clutch is slipp> When I had Corolla manuals, I also downshifted fairly often instead of

When I had a manual transmission I downshifted on long steep hills, but usually double clutched to reduce wear of the clutch and transmission syncromesh. Downshifting just to reduce braking when slowing to a stop is a fools paradise; brakes are much cheaper to replace.

Slipping the clutch to hold on a hill is a sure way to wear it out.

My '63 Chev II clutch was still OK when I sold the car at 95K miles, with 15K of that towing a 1,500 lb trailer across Canada and into the western mountains.

High mileage is not the main cause of clutch wear. Cruising along the highway doesn't wear the clutch, frequent shifting in city driving does.

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