I was just teaching my young son how to drive a stick (on a used Audi), and apparently he rode the clutch enough that it started to smoke.

I immediately took the car home, and it's cooling off, and it drove home just fine. But it was smoking pretty good for a few minutes - - and smelled awful. How bad a problem is this?? Should I have it checked out? Or, should it be okay.

I think he's "got it" now, so it shouldn't be a problem going forward.

Car has 36k miles on it, 2002 A4.

Thanks for any advice! (I learned how to drive a stict by necessity a long time ago. So, yes, I understand that I need to become a better teach of this...)

 

The smell of an occasional burnt clutch is not so bad on it's own, but when it starts emitting lots of smoke I'd speculate it got burnt pretty badly.

 

Thanks 500. Do I need to have it checked? Or, as long as it's driving fine, should it be okay? I'm not mechanical enough to understand the life of a clutch - - or indeed, what was actually even "burning".

 

Take it to a shop. A sure way to sort of test how much was messed up is by driving in a higher gear up a fairly steep incline. If it starts to exhibit slippage,--the RPMs are going up but the speed is not, then it is in need of a closer look.

If it ultimately needs a clutch take your son down to the shop and with you, ask to see the process a bit. You will want to see the clutch, the pressure plate, the throwout bearing, and understand its relationship between the trany and the engine. I went through a clutch or two in my first Porsche MANY years ago before the light bulb came on and I figured it out. Seeing the parts and how they work together should help. Since that time I routinely take clutches beyond 100,000 miles.

 

As Edgy (Dan) says - $100 per "odor event" with a Porsche... this one sounds like $2,000.

The Audi clutch is probably destroyed if it actually producted visible smoke that escaped the bell housing... if nothing else, it's very well glazed. The flywheel surface is damaged, too. You may be able to turn the flywheel to remove the bluing, but the pressure plate and clutch plate are likely toast.

Bummer.

 

Here ya go: http://auto.howstuffworks.com/clutch.htm

 

You mention you drove it home and it seemed fine...that's a good sign. Did the clutch accident occur today or has it been a few days and if so, how's it been acting since?

 

You may be close to the end of the usefull life of the clutch. Depending on the car they are rated for about 50K miles, but I assume that's with really easy drivin. When they go generally you start to gets signs on most cars like slipping. Sadly I had an 05 Audi S4 that seemed abruptly.

 

Thanks all - this just happend a little while ago.

I'm going to sit down to dinner and give it a try after it cools down.

As long as it appears to be working, can I cause any other damage to the car?

Or, if it is working, just keep driving until a consistent problem arises?

Thanks!

 

Keep driving. Just get AAA.

 

I'd be interested in how your new method varies from your previous one.

 

I just tried a "test" where I put the parking brake on, put the car into first and tried to drive off. The car stalled. From what I understand, this is at least some indication that I'm getting reasonable fraction. Yes?

 

I disagree with your method. Keeping the car from moving doesn't prove reasonable friction, but only slight friction. If you put the car in 1st w/out the parking brake and don't release the clutch properly resulting in the car not moving it will stall.

 

rfedele - you are right, of course. But I felt like I had to try something!

 

Just drive it. No other damage will occur. Just don't go on a cross country trip.