roybotnik

I think my clutch is going out... it engages at the very top of clutch pedal movement and it's very hard to get moving in 1st. I have also had a few occasions where it has slipped when going from 1st to 2nd at full throttle. How does a clutch wear out on a car with 36k miles? Is it normal for them to wear out so fast?

I am thinking of upgrading to a sachs stage 2.5 clutch, sounds like a great upgrade without any downsides.

Nomak

Car mods?

Start on 4th gear WOT and the car pulls or not.

roybotnik

All I have is a TechArt exhaust. 4th gear at speed and WOT? Or try to get it moving w/ 4th?

Macster

One test is to with the engine and drive train fully up to temp get to a section of road where you can cruise in 4th gear at around 2500 to 3K rpms. Then floor the gas pedal and leave it floored until redline or...

If the engine at any time gains rpms with the vehicle speed not increasing in perfect sync the clutch is slipping. No need to keep on accelerating. No need to repeat the test. The slipping just heats the FW and can ruin an otherwise perfectly good FW.

Be sure the brake and clutch fluid (really the clutch fluid in this case) is fresh. A proper clutch fluid flush and bleed can really improve clutch action. It almost certainly won't stop a slipping clutch from slipping though.

Also, before you condemn the clutch outright be sure the engine and tranny mounts are all in good shape.

roybotnik

How should I inspect tranny and motor mounts? Can that really affect clutch engagement?

I may need to flush the clutch fluid. I had my accumulator replaced not long ago. Tried putting it in 4th and stepping on it and it just pulls like it should. The slipping only seems to happen in 1-2 during fast acceleration. Maybe the clutch isn't fully engaging before I'm stepping on the gas? I would like to think it's not driver error...

TT Surgeon

Also put it in 6th gear and start from a stop, see if it stalls or not.

djben

I personally never experienced slipping in higher gears.

Hard acceleration going from 1st-2nd would do it, though. RPMS would climb in 2nd.

roybotnik

Yea it's really just the 1-2 shift for me. Happened a few times, both before and after getting the accumulator fixed. Engine just revs like there's no clutch engaged . I've only had the car for about a month though.

Maybe tomorrow I'll get some quality backroad time to do some experimenting. If I try to 'test my clutch' near home I'll probably get indefinitely detained or sent to gitmo. Yay Virginia!

Leo997TT

You can always go to the 210 in MD ;-)

Macster

To inspect the tranny and motor mounts the car should be in the air.

I've done this with the car (my Boxster) backed up on ramps. The Turbo I gave the mounts a casual inspection once or twice but let the techs inspect these more thoroughly when I have the car in for service. The techs know what to look for and where and how. While there they can look for early water pump trouble sign, fluid leaks, CV boot issues, etc.

Anyhow, if you're going to try this yourself you need a real good light and some knowledge of what good or bad mounts look like.

Really though, unless you are experienced this is probably a job for your favorite tech.

Driver error reads like a possibility: That the clutch doesn't slip in 4th says to me the clutch is basically good. So far.

(4th is the best gear as it is the one closest to 1:1 so the torque is not multiplied or divided by the transmission.)

Are you sure you are not getting on the gas too soon or off the clutch too late?

This is clutch slippage but of the self inflicted kind, and if not stopped can lead to clutch slippage of the permanent kind.

Before going too much further you really need to be sure the fluid is flushed and bled and right. It is far cheaper to do a proper clutch fluid flush/bleed than a flush/bleed along with a clutch job that is premature or even unnecessary.