[neeldub]

so my clutch died out on me and was giving the car a poor performance... so my dealership suggested to have the clutch replaced. i had to pay for that because the warranty only covers the clutch upto 9000miles on the vehicles warranty.

Here are some pics of the old clutch that was removed. now i'm not familiar with clutches.. but can someone tell me whether the clutch does look worn out or still in good shape??

any suggestions?

 

[Coulda]

not sure what to look for to tell you whether it would be slipping or not. But a clutch should last longer than that...more like 60,000 or so. Was there a definate change in the cars behavior?

 

[neeldub]

[quote author=Coulda link=topic=70883.msg1246038#msg1246038 date=1172919838]
not sure what to look for to tell you whether it would be slipping or not. But a clutch should last longer than that...more like 60,000 or so. Was there a definate change in the cars behavior?
[/quote]

oh yes... the car was shaking violently whenever shifting gears...

i actually had an incident last year in december where i was driving on a hill with plenty of people at the back and a few lugages in teh boot.

now there was lots of traffic on hill, so had to stop alot. and being on a hill, i had to rev really hard to get the car to move...

then... a horrible horrible burning smell came from the car.... so i had to stop and let kool down. after that i did notice that the clutch was acting a bit funny... but the car was driving normally.. that is until two weeks ago.

so you could say that it was my fault...

but now the clutch just feels soooo soft.... one tiny push, and it goes all teh way down.... have to be a bit careful though when lifting it up again to get moving. Dealership told me thats normal and should settle in about 3 weeks...

 

[FemGearHead]

I wonder if they didn't bleed the system when they replaced the clutch. A new clutch shouldn't feel soft and the pedal should not go all the way to the floor. If anything, you should feel a lot more resistance on a brand new clutch.

Take the car back.

 

[neeldub]

[quote author=FemGearHead link=topic=70883.msg1246153#msg1246153 date=1172932477]
I wonder if they didn't bleed the system when they replaced the clutch. A new clutch shouldn't feel soft and the pedal should not go all the way to the floor. If anything, you should feel a lot more resistance on a brand new clutch.

Take the car back.
[/quote]

true.. but i can feel it beginning to stiff up a bit... and smooth when driving...

ermm i'll take it back for them to inspect it..

 

[Coulda]

the MZ3's should be a hydrolic adjusting mechanical clutch so it should adjust itself over a bit of time...how long should it take...i dont know

 

[daiking]

That's harsh, having to replace the clutch at that mileage . If you don't mind me asking what was the cost? Any chance of getting any goodwill gesture/contribution out of your dealer?

 

[neeldub]

[quote author=daiking link=topic=70883.msg1249960#msg1249960 date=1173125635]
That's harsh, having to replace the clutch at that mileage . If you don't mind me asking what was the cost? Any chance of getting any goodwill gesture/contribution out of your dealer?
[/quote]

i didnt pay anything really.. my lease company covered it... my car is on lease..

 

[daiking]

[quote author=neeldub link=topic=70883.msg1250127#msg1250127 date=1173130102]
[quote author=daiking link=topic=70883.msg1249960#msg1249960 date=1173125635]
That's harsh, having to replace the clutch at that mileage . If you don't mind me asking what was the cost? Any chance of getting any goodwill gesture/contribution out of your dealer?
[/quote]

i didnt pay anything really.. my lease company covered it... my car is on lease..
[/quote]
Phew. I haven't heard much about this sort of thing so hopefully its a one-off.

 

[wheelindixie]

sounds like you roaasted your clutch (lots of stop and go on a single hill and the burning smell. ) but still, you woudl really ahve to work to kill one that fast.

Glad to hear they are covering the repair.

 

[rubyred3]

the pressure plate looks ok still, the disc looks like its been a bit toasty, particularly that end on shot you have that shows it being a bit warped, this is probably what the shuddering is, as this warp to it is making engagement rough.

Probably only needed a new disc, but since they had the whole thing taken apart, it just makes sense to replace the whole thing while they are down there.

 

[smokinAMD]

That disc doesn't look that bad, I've seen a lot worse, but it isn't new, thats for sure. Should have seen the clutch in my Alero when I pulled that thing out, it basically fell apart in my hands.

 

[superjudge]

hold the phone....you had an mtx Alero?

My clutch isstill good at 91K, there is a bit of fade, but that's to be expected.

 

[smokinAMD]

[quote author=superjudge link=topic=70883.msg2049381#msg2049381 date=1202269809]
hold the phone....you had an mtx Alero?

My clutch isstill good at 91K, there is a bit of fade, but that's to be expected.
[/quote]

Yes sir! 2002 GL Ecotec 5speed. Still have it, its my winter beater, but now it has a dead transmission. Need to go rip one out of a cavalier in the junkyard.

 

[superjudge]

wow!!! I didn't know they existed....my friend's father has one and the stx is terrible in the thing and he wishes he had a clutch lol.

 

[smokinAMD]

They were fairly rare, something only like 8% of aleros made came with the 5 speed, they were only available with the 4 banger starting in 2001 with the 2.4 liter, and then in 2002 with the ecotec, not sure if they were available past 2002.

Mines especially rare since it's a GL and not a GX, which means I have power windows and all that jazz.

 

[superjudge]

wow that's high end olds man!

I have no idea what year the car is, but it has a ton of miles on it and looks like hell.

 

[smokinAMD]

Mine pretty much looks like ass too, most of the paint on the front bumper has flaked off, which sucks, because its silver and the bumper is black. My 99 alero at least had good paint when I traded it in back in December of 2004 for the 2005 Mazda 3 sedan. But hey, it gets good gas mileage, is fairly comfortable, and dependable most of the time.

Now if the GLS came with a 5speed, that would have been amazing. 3.4 liter v6 fully decked out. I probably would have kept my '99 despite all the problems if it was a stick. But I got sick of dealing with all the intake manifold gaskets blowing up on it.

 

[superjudge]

damn....too bad.

Alot of 6 cyl cars would be great with an MTX, too bad its all a pipe dream for us.