My clutch is slipping?

[omgjacki]

I'm almost positive my clutch is slipping but I want some insight from you guys.

It doesn't do it in low RPMs and it has only done it in 3rd, 4th and 5th gears.
Yesterday I was in 4th gear at about 40-45 MPH, steady on the gas and out of nowhere the RPMs shot up, got off the gas and it caught again.
A few minutes later I was in 5th at about 55 and couldn't get any faster because if I was on the throttle more than about 25% it was just slipping over and over and over again.
Now last night, it was fine.
Didn't slip once and I would jump on the gas for a second on the highway to see if it would.
The clutch still grabs hard as hell, though and this isn't the first time it's done it.
Seems like it has its good and bad days over the last few weeks.

Anything?

[jpalamar]

Fresh fluid, bleed the clutch, and check the lines. Doens't sound like the clutch itself if it isn't consistant or gettin worse really quick.

[420sx]

Is your rear main seal leaking? Mine is, and my clutch acts up like this too. Its also more prevalent on hotter days. Either your clutch is going, or youre getting oil on it.

[omgjacki]

****, I hope not.

[omgjacki]

It's hard for me to believe it's the clutch, it's not even two years old and it's barely been beat on.

[got_tint?]

Rear main seal or input shaft seal... look under car for oil gathered where the engine and trans meet.

[420sx]

****, I hope not.

Hey, at least that'd be a cheap fix. Not an expensive part, just a bitch of a job. If you find out that it is your main seal, you can slow it down by switching to conventional oil and using a quart of lucas when you change your oil. Doing this significantly slowed my leak.

[got_tint?]

Also if either of those seals are leaking, you should replace that clutch, since it is contaminated with oil, you more than likely have uneven wear on the friction disc.

[Ej6Mike]

Organic clutches tend to slip when overheated, but work normal again when under operating temperatures.

[omgjacki]

No way it was over heated. I only drove it for 5 minutes.

[got_tint?]

If your slipping like that at those travel times, your clutch is most certainly saturated with oil or gear oil...

Get under the vehicle and look for fluid dripping or gathering where the engine and trans meet...

[Nick Merrone]

Slave? Or anything else listed above. I know the slaves on 240s go bad all the time. And cause ****ty problems. Its one thing to check off the list.

[omgjacki]

No, if it was the slave I'd have problems with the pedal. That feels fine. It's the actual clutch itself.

[Got Insulin?]

Did you try the rev test? Go to a flat parking lot put the car in 1st with the clutch still pressed in and rev the car up to 7K-ish, if you start moving forward, it's an engagement issue which can be indiciative of faulty alignment and can help you at least cross that off the list. If the plate is dragging, causing you to move forward, check out your slave and master cylinders for leaks or bubbles in the actual line itself if it's not a hardline.

[ScubaSteve]

Make sure the master cylinder is properly adjusted if you messed with it at some point. I had a brand new clutch that was slipping on me and I found out that it was related to a bad bushing on the connection from the clutch pedal to the master cylinder that screwed up my engagement.

[russiankid]

No, if it was the slave I'd have problems with the pedal. That feels fine. It's the actual clutch itself.

No, the slave can leak without having any problems. You start to notice problems when the seal is more than just leaking.

[omgjacki]

Nothing has been touched since it was put together almost two years ago and it just started happening within the last month.

[russiankid]

Check the fluid level in the reservoir. Check for any obvious leaks and also check the clutch line.

[92rps13]

Fluid level in the reservoir and/or a slave cylinder issue is not going to cause the problems she explained.

Sounds like the clutch disk is getting soaked in oil

[omgjacki]

That sound like the most logical thing. The car sat for about 5 days which was plenty of time to soak the clutch, after I drove it around for a bit, let it sit a few hours, it hasn't slipped since. I'll be out on the highway again tonight and I'm stopping at the shop to put it up on the lift. I'll take a look. Thank you all for your input.

[the mike]

I had this happen in 2 of my 240's. Wound up being the master cylinder both times.

[92rps13]

If she was steady on the gas....and not touching the clutch pedal...and the clutch started slipping....it cannot be the master or slave cylinder.

[omg]

hes right the clutch it self is slipping i bet its the seals theres no possible way its slave or master check those sealllllssss!!!!!!

[Honduh]

No way it was over heated. I only drove it for 5 minutes.

He means overheated as in, slipping it and getting hot, which causes a clutch disc to glaze and slips.

No, the slave can leak without having any problems. You start to notice problems when the seal is more than just leaking.

Lol wow really? That's like saying a leaking wheel cylinder won't cause a soft/sinking pedal.

That sound like the most logical thing. The car sat for about 5 days which was plenty of time to soak the clutch, after I drove it around for a bit, let it sit a few hours, it hasn't slipped since. I'll be out on the highway again tonight and I'm stopping at the shop to put it up on the lift. I'll take a look. Thank you all for your input.

Id like to see a clutch disc get 'soaked' while sitting. The rear main sits behind the flyhweel far from the disc. It would have to be running and sling the oil onto the disc.


Its rwd, so it takes what...45 minutes to drop the trans and check for yourself? Pull it and look for discoloration of the disc, a damaged pressure plate, or a leaking rear main. But if the main was leaking you would see oil on the ground below the bell housing after sitting.

[russiankid]

So you're saying a weeping cylinder will automatically cause the pedal to sink and feel spongy?

[Honduh]

A weep is far different from a leak, which is what you previously stated.

[420sx]

But if the main was leaking you would see oil on the ground below the bell housing after sitting.

My rear main leaks like a bitch, and i rarely, if ever, have an oil spot on the ground. 99% of the oil I lose is lost while the car is running.

[omgjacki]

Okay, Honduh. Then explain why it was slipping two minutes after I started the car but an hour later it was perfectly fine.

[420sx]

Because it only slips as long as theres oil on the disc. After using it a while, the oil will rub in or wear off, and the clutch grabs again. Mine does the same thing. It'll slip for a while, then stop.

Rather than debating what it could be, why dont you just pop your head under there and look? It should be pretty obvious if thats your problem- it sounds like yours leaks worse than mine does, and its plain as day on my car that theres oil coming out where the bellhousing meets the block. Granted, everything else gets covered in oil too, but its still easy to tell where its coming from, IMO.

[russiankid]

A weep is far different from a leak, which is what you previously stated.
If you have a stock clutch setup, you won't notice this leak in the pedal unless the leak is literally pissing fluid out. This is because stock pressure plates are not that hard, where as if you had an upgraded clutch you stress both cylinders and line a lot more, which means if you had a leak you would definitely notice it. Now I don't know if Jacki has a stock clutch or something upgraded.
Okay, Honduh. Then explain why it was slipping two minutes after I started the car but an hour later it was perfectly fine.

If you have some brake fluid or oil leaking onto the clutch disk, then it is just burning off which is why after that point it is fine.

[omgjacki]

That's exactly my point. Both you and 420 know what I was getting at but Mr. I'm-always-right thinks differently. An no, it's not stock. It's 6-puc sprung.


420, it hasn't slipped since Sunday night after the car sat for a week. It hasn't sat longer than a few hours since then and I've had no problems.

[420sx]

Yeah, mine hasn't slipped in weeks. But I know it's leaking because I lose about half a quart in between oil changes. If you're running synthetic, switch to conventional to slow it down.

[russiankid]

So since your clutch is not stock, which means the pressure plate is definitely not something to enjoy in traffic, you would notice if you had a hydraulic leak. I would check and see if the rear main seal is leaking, which you can tell by looking at the back side of the flywheel. If it is leaking, you can see streaks of oil all over it, and if you have any oil at the bottom of the bell housing.

[Honduh]

That's exactly my point. Both you and 420 know what I was getting at but Mr. I'm-always-right thinks differently. An no, it's not stock. It's 6-puc sprung.





Wow, I was just trying to help. In no way was I trying to be rude or mr. Always right. But I am a trained mechanic so I usually am right. If you can explain to me how oil is going to get on the disc while sitting, that is sandwhiched between the flywheel and pressure plate, I'm all ears.

Unless the oil is literally pooling up in the trans I don't see how that can happen, and if it was pooling up that much you'd have a significant loss in your oil level on the dipstick since it only varys about a quart or so on the stick. You would also smell the oil burning off, if you took it for a quick spin and then stopped to investigate. But since the trans to bell housing is not a perfect seal you would see oil on the ground, or at least all over the undercarrage.

I'm not saying its not getting oiled, I just don't see how it could get soaked while sitting still.

I had a similar problem with my old motor setup in my integra when the pressure plate was getting old, which was also a 6 puck.

Most rwd trannys have a sight hole that you can pop a plug out of to investigate problems like this, however I haven't been under a 240 recently to recall.

Anyway I hope that helps, even if it goes unappreciated. Id even be willing to take a look at it if you were willing to drive to my garage in quakertown.

Good luck getting it fixed.

[omgjacki]

'Soak' was an exageration and you kind of came off like a prick. Somehow, there is oil getting on the clutch, yes, I can smell it burning. It was slipping again last night but unfortunately I haven't had a chance to look at it but I will this weekend.