Is my clutch bad??

[2000 4.6]

Ok, so my wife calls me this morning (she had to drive my car into work becasue our other car is in the shop) and says that she was at a stop light and the light turned green, she put it in 1st and let out the clutch and nothing happened. It just sat there and revved. She then put her foot back on the clutch, put the car in neutral, put it back in first gear and tryed again...same thing. She finally got it to go after like 3 or 4 tries. What could this be? Is it the clutch?

My car has 50K miles on it...2000 GT.

 

[Cali03Boss]

go get in ur car, put it in 5th gear on flat ground and just drop the clutch while the engine is running. If it just dies, ur fine, if it gurgles like its skipping, you got a problem. easiest way to find out.

 

[Ryan02Stang]

go get in ur car, put it in 5th gear on flat ground and just drop the clutch while the engine is running. If it just dies, ur fine, if it gurgles like its skipping, you got a problem. easiest way to find out.

I've heard this...is that really true? How does that work?

 

[Cali03Boss]

Yea it works, especially when the car has a motor with massive torque like ours. 5th gear is the fastest moving gear, and is also the heaviest for the motor to push. By putting it into 5th gear, and dropping it, you're basically putting the flywheel to a completely non-moving object. However, if the clutch is bad and cannot grip that well, the flywheel may skip across it a few times before it gets enough friction to stop it completely. The other gears wont work as well, especially 1st. Dropping it in 1st will just jump you forward about 2 feet then stall. Its best to use 5th.

 

[Ryan02Stang]

Thanks for the info!

 

[stang976]

if your wife is anything like my girlfriend, make sure that the car was turned on when this happened. (not just the radio)

 

[2000 4.6]

So when you say "drop the clutch", do you mean to like really fast like when doing a burn out. Or should you let it out slowly?

 

[Cali03Boss]

just drop it like you did when u first drove clutch heh. The car shouldn't be moving and make sure ur Ebrake is off

 

[2000 4.6]

Well, I tried the 5th gear thing last night and the car did stall when I let the clutch out. It sounded like it was going to stay on but it did stall. I still think my clutch is going bad though.

 

[Cali03Boss]

how long did it "sound" like it was going to stay. If it kinda gurgled for longer than half a second, you're in trouble. It should just shut down with a loud "CLAMP" noise instantly.

 

[KaPPaBaLL]

your wife probably had it in 3rd gear.

 

[GoBabyVroommm]

If it revs a lot when you floor its your clutch. If you can start off in 4th gear from a died stop or 5th gear and doesn't shut off its the clutch.

I have a new King Cobra in my car, its been in the car 2-3 months and i need a new clutch. Would buy better but not looking to blow the tranny now. This time when the clutch is done i'm gettin a TKO Road Race and a Spec 3.

If you don't drive your car hard at all get a King Cobra 200 dollars for it. But if you drive hard get a better clutch but don't be mad if your trans blows.

 

[2000 4.6]

it gurgled for 1-2 seconds before finally shutting down. Definitely didn't have loud noise...it just gurgled, then quietly shut down.

 

[scion4LIFE]

if your wife is anything like my girlfriend, make sure that the car was turned on when this happened. (not just the radio)

 

[UNVMATT]

Maybe there is a problem with the stock quadrant/cable setup..

Go for the SPEC with a new cable/quadrant/firewall adjuster setup. You can probably put it in yourself. I did my own with 4 jackstands and a Jack and basic hand tools. I dont have much mechanical skill-I have problems changing my oil correctly. Ha ha..

Getting the starter off is the hardest part!

 

[GoBabyVroommm]

if your wife is anything like my girlfriend, make sure that the car was turned on when this happened. (not just the radio)

Yea i just saw that!

 

[kirkyg]

Sounds like the clutch...so how many miles did the stock clutch last?

kirkyg

 

[GoBabyVroommm]

Hehe my king cobra lasted 1600 miles!!!! Yea how long did you stock clutch last?

 

[2000 4.6]

I got 50,000 out of my stocker. I guess it is time to get the SPEC stage III. Thanks for your help guys!

 

[GoBabyVroommm]

Damnnnnn!!! that is a lot of miles. I think i really need to stop racin my car. Plus doesn't help revin the 4v into the power band and dropping the clutch hehe. Owell the car moves like there is no tomorrow. Down side is you need a clutch every 2000 miles. lol