Clutch disappears: causes, possible breakdowns and troubleshooting

2024 Author: Erin Ralphs | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-19 11:42

No matter how carefully you treat the car, sooner or later the assembly fails and the clutch disappears. Quite often, a breakdown is preceded by various kinds of noise or other symptoms that signal damage to the mechanism. Many motorists, not understanding the structure and intricacies of car internals, continue to operate the damaged unit without contacting the service station in a timely manner. Let's see why the clutch disappears. What causes and symptoms precede the failure of an expensive mechanism and how to notice a malfunction in time. And also learn what to do if the breakdown has already occurred.

How the clutch mechanism works and how it works

The clutch is the key unit of a car with a manual transmission (manual transmission). For a simple understanding, the principle of operation is to repeatedly disconnect and connect the crankshaft of the internal combustion engine with the manual transmission (transmission) in order to smoothly accelerate or decelerate the carby shifting gears mechanically.

The node consists of the following elements:

• clutch baskets (also called drive or pressure plate);
• release bearing;
• clutch disc with damper springs (also called driven disc);
• damper plates (if the mechanism is double-disk);
• inclusion plugs;
• flywheel;
• manual transmission drive shaft;
• diaphragm spring (often referred to as pressure).

Causes of malfunction

The main reason for the premature failure of the elements of the clutch assembly is a gross violation of the regulations for the operation of vehicles. Frequent slippage of the drive wheels when the car starts moving, sharp jerks of the pedal or a long movement of the vehicle with an unretracted foot on the pedals, lead to rapid wear of the mechanism, as a result of which the clutch disappears. Also, low-quality parts lead to malfunctions: not all manufacturers of automotive parts comply with strict requirements when releasing them. Such parts do not have a high service life and reliability.

When the clutch fails, the reasons for failure can be:

• leakage of lubricating fluids through worn or damaged oil seals and gaskets and getting them on the disc lining;
• overheating and deformation of the driven disk;
• play damper springs;
• wear release bearing, flywheel and diaphragmsprings.

External signs often signal an imminent breakdown of the node. It can be crackling when shifting gears, the appearance of vibration and jerks, various kinds of noise with the pedal depressed and depressed.

Clutch release also disappears when there is physical wear on the shift fork or the hydraulic actuator is faulty.

Noise occurs when the pedal is depressed

The problem is easily diagnosed if, when the clutch is depressed, the characteristic sound disappears, and when the pedal is depressed, it appears again. In this case, the culprit is easy to spot - this is the release bearing. Often, drivers do not pay attention to the noise, continuing to operate the car. Such carelessness over time will lead to a breakdown right on the way. The reasons why the release bearing fails are as follows:

• natural wear of the part;
• lack or lack of lubrication;
• play of the release bearing cage.

To eliminate the malfunction, a complete replacement of the part is required. The release bearing cannot be restored, as it is not separable. The main cause of premature failure is insufficient or poor-quality lubrication used by an unscrupulous part manufacturer. At the time of purchase, pay attention to this: if the bearing is dry, then pick up another copy.

Noise occurs when the pedal is depressed

If a specific noise appears when the pedal is depressed, then the reason is the wear of the disc damper springs, they may also failplates that connect the casing to the basket. Sometimes the cause of extraneous noise can be a slipped clutch fork or its play.

The resource of the clutch disc is approximately 100-150 thousand km, it all depends on the price and brand of the disc itself. Be guided by the mileage of the car, the driven disk is not repaired, the part must be replaced. If the noise was made by worn plates, they must also be replaced with new ones.

Car twitches

We'll have to disassemble the mechanism. The cause of this symptom (when the engine troit and the car twitches) is not always worn spark plugs. If everything is in order here, then pay attention to the condition of the driven disk hub, inspect the clutch basket, if a distortion (warping) is detected, then this may cause the car to jerk. Rivets should be checked, if there is play, new parts will need to be installed. It is also necessary to check the condition of the splines of the input shaft for wear.

Clutch slips

The situation occurs quite often, the normal clutch disappears, the engine "roars", the car barely moves. Most likely, oil got on the surface of the driven disk. At the moment of acceleration of the car, a specific smell of burning will appear. The lubricant will not allow the elements to adjoin the flywheel well, a slipping effect will appear. In this case, it’s not worth stepping on the gas once again, an expensive unit can be “burned”. Also, the cause of the breakdown is the complete wear of the surface of the lining, you will need to install a new clutch disc. Worth checking outserviceability of the shift fork, whether there is any deformation of the element. If a hydraulic drive is installed, then it is necessary to inspect the clutch slave cylinder. A faulty node will also cause this effect.

Clutch leads

If you have lost the clutch on the VAZ, you can check its operation yourself. To do this, fully depress the clutch pedal with the engine running, engage first gear. It should turn on and off smoothly without the grinding of gears, the engine should not change speed or stall. If noises appear, engine speed changes or the car starts to move lightly, then the clutch does not fully engage, it leads. The reasons vary.

• Mechanical damage. Tight clutch or insufficient pedal travel. Warping or distortion of the surface of the pressure plate. The hub of the driven disk is stuck on the splines of the drive shaft of the gearbox. Loose clutch disc rivets. Worn or damaged friction linings of the driven disk. The rivets on the diaphragm spring are loose.
• Problems are caused by poor hydraulic performance. There has been a drop in the fluid level in the system. Or the cause of the breakdown was the airing of the hydraulic drive.

Mechanical causes of failure, when the clutch disappears after the appearance of a stiff pedal travel, are eliminated by adjusting the cable or actuator. If the failure is related to the clutch disc, then in most cases it needs to be replaced. The hub needs to be lubricated and cleaned. The pressure spring rivets must be re-riveted, if the wear is large, the partshould be replaced.

Problems associated with the operation of the hydraulic drive are solved by pumping the system with fluid replacement. Third or fourth generation brake fluid is used. If air has entered the system, it is required to check the tightness of the tubes and hoses of the assembly. Then replace the fluid and pump again.

How to extend the service life

In order for the car to drive without serious breakdowns and to please the owner with its reliability for a long time, it is necessary to adhere to the basic rules for operating the vehicle:

• start the movement smoothly, without sharp jerks at maximum engine speed;
• when starting off, do not hold the clutch pedal for a long time, thereby overheating it;
• when approaching a traffic light, shift to neutral, do not hold the pedal down for a long time;
• when towing a trailer or other car, try to avoid overgassing;
• at the first sign of a malfunction, if the clutch does not work properly or disappears, contact specialized workshops (timely handling will require minimal intervention and will be less costly);
• during a scheduled replacement of parts, give preference to conscientious well-established manufacturers, read reviews;
• do maintenance according to the regulations.

Minimum service life before scheduled replacement depends on the brand of car and the components themselves. Usually it is 50-150 thousand kilometers, subject to competentoperation.