Hello all,
My '08, with 43k miles (stick shift).. just recently started to sound like it's grinding in 2nd and 4th gears. I'll be moving along in 2nd, and it will feel like the power dips and I'll hear a funny sound for a second. Same thing, and more often, will happen in 4th gear. I have no idea what's going on... and at only 43k miles I'm pretty disgusted by it, hopefully it's not too serious.

 

do the RPMs go up or down during the episode?

 

I'm not sure.. I'll keep an eye on the RPMs on the way home this evening. If they do go up, what would that mean?

 

would mean the clutch is toast.

 

is that considered a major fix cost wise?

 

I read that a way to test the clutch is to engage the e break, pop it into 5th, and if it stalls, then the clutch is working. I just did this in both 4th and 5th gear and it stalled out.
Isn't 43k miles super low miles for a clutch replacement?

 

It sounds like the clutch if the RPMs jump. Clutch life will depend on how the car is driven. My brother had a bad habit of resting his foot on the clutch while driving, and not fully disengaging the clutch between shifts. He went through 4 or 5 clutches in about 2 years on his cars. On the other hand, if taken care of I've had clutches last 200K miles.

Like brakes, the clutch is a wear item and life will vary.
To test I've always set the parking brake firmly (and without other cars around). I Put it in Gear and if the car stalls immediately once you let up on the clutch, then the clutch is ok. If the car does not stall, or takes a while to stall, the clutch is worn.

Did you get the car new? These cars can be tricky used, since many people drive them like their being chased by wolves.

Here is another good explanation/variation: Link

G/L