How to Tell if Your Vehicle's Clutch Needs Service | Portland Area Chevy Repair

Going for a drive and grabbing gears manually with a stick shift can be a lot of fun, but how can you tell if your clutch is in good shape? Some manual transmissions are equipped with an inspection port that allows you to simply look at the clutch assembly. However, this isn't always the case. Even if you can look at it, there are common symptoms of a bad clutch that you're likely to notice first. For instance, pressing the clutch pedal in but struggling to get the shift lever into gear is one indication that there may be a problem with the clutch.

To better understand what signs of a worn clutch to look out for, let's look at what the clutch does and how it does it. The transmission transmits power from the engine to the wheels. This means that there is pressure on the gears and components inside the transmission, making it difficult to shift from one gear to the next. Because of this and other factors, the transmission must be temporarily disconnected from the rotational forces of the engine when shifting. That's where the clutch comes in.

Pressing the clutch moves the center of a disc off the transmission input shaft, which effectively disconnects the transmission from the engine. Releasing the clutch reestablishes the connection so power can again go to the wheels. The clutch disc is made from a similar material as your brake pads, and it's clamped to the flywheel that's connected to the engine. Over time, the friction material on the clutch will wear out and compromise the connection between the engine and transmission.