I got home from some stop and go traffic, about 45 mins for 10 miles. I noticed there was a burning smell, is this my clutch? Is it normal for the clutch to have a burn smell after stop and go traffic?

What is the best way to reduce clutch wear on stop and go traffic? It takes about 45 mins for 10 miles here and it is mostly uphill.

 

are you "riding the clutch"? By that I mean are you hodling your foot on the clutch a little so the car doesn't buck? If so, that would cause the burning smell (if it is your clutch). That will wear a clutch out so quick it's not funny. What I do is, in really bad stop and go traffic where you move inches at a time, is accelerate in first, and then go back to neutral to coast/brake. Depends on the exact situation, but riding the clutch is not a good thing to do.

 

No, but I do release the clutch pedal slower because going from 0-5mph you cannot really release the pedal fast. Hard to coast much in neutral when your going uphill.

 

when you come to a stop, are you leaving it in gear with the clutch in? That will do it. Proper technique is to keep it in neutral when stopped. If you are about to pull out of a driveway or intersection, it would make sense to leave it in gear, but in traffic, you will spend a lot of time not moving, and keeping the tranny in gear with the clutch in (even for short amounts of time( it really adds up fast)) will wear the clutch. I do drive a 5spd, and I love it. . . but traffic is a big reason why many people get auto's.

Another thing that it could be is that you are over-revving your motor (you shouldn't need to rev past 1500RPM, or 2000 MAX on a hill).

 

so getting proper rpm every time you let go the clutch is the best way
but can't do that all the time sometime even experienced drivers still drive jurky.

 

:?: I would think if you have the clutch all the way in = no wear. The clutch is not touching the fly wheel then so there should be no friction going on to cause wear. I can see the throw out bearing going out faster because of this but not the clutch.

 

warranty.

 

Correct on both points.

 

Um... definitely incorrect. Not to totally dis what youre saying... but I think youve been misinformed...
When the Clutch PEDAL is pushed in all the way... your Clutch PLATE is NOT touching the flywheel (which is connected to your motor), even while in gear... which connect to the wheels... NOW... if you have your foot all the way down on the Clutch PEDAL... that is only putting slight strain on your Pressure plate... which is connected to your Clutch PLATE... no big deal... esp since your pressure plate would wear long after your Clutch PLATE. So dont worry about holding the clutch pedal in while in gear... it is truly disengaged.

 

PS: I was referring to what djct_watt wrote

 

zizi, dont worry about it so much. i am sure you are a pretty good driver by now. if anything breaks, im sure it should be covered by warranty. correct? :D

 

Normaly Warranty only covers some parts that ware out over time. Tires I dont think they cover. Wiper blades etc.. Some say they do shocks though so I guess it depends on what parts it is. Now if your clutch goes out before you warranty is over, then something just might be wrong with the way you drive.

 

The "burning" is from giving too much gas while the clutch is depressed, as other posts have indicated. You just gotta gain better mastery over your car, which I suggest doing immediately. Your clutch will deteriorate faster than you think, especially if you are experiencing this often (reason why alot of people won't let friends learn on their cars how to drive stick).

 

The throw-out bearing, or clutch release bearing as it's sometimes called, is located between the clutch fork and the pressure plate fingers. The throw-out bearing only operates when the clutch pedal is depressed; this bearing is not designed for continuous use. If the bearing fails, it may seize and quickly wear the fingers of the pressure plate.

Do not keep the clutch pedal depressed as this will wear out the bearing.

 

I usually keep the car in gear with the clutch depressed at stop lights and I always thought only VW bug drivers put it in neutral at stops. I've got to admit I've worn out my share of throw out bearings though, so what Ms Jackal says might make some sense. Shouldn't the car's manual state a position on this? Does the manufacturer want us to wear things out so they get more parts business? Why don't they design the throw out bearing for this kind of (ab)use? Seems like keeping it in gear would save some wear on the syncros because you're not always putting the car in and out of gear.

Anyway, if zizi is burning the clutch to an extent that there is a smell, something is wrong. The biggest problem I have starting on a hill is keeping the tires from breaking loose. They seem to do that very easily with the tC. On the uncoolness scale, unintentionally burning rubber is only one level below burning the clutch--but it smells better. The solution is to use the handbrake to keep from going backwards until the clutch grabs. The problem with burning the clutch isn't so much the wear as it is the hard glaze it creates on the surface of the clutch plate. Eventually this will cause the clutch to slip when its fully engaged and your gas mileage could even be affected--then you would need to have the clutch resurfaced.