I think you 2 guys are getting off the point of the original post.

 

srry i was just askin wasnt trying to thread jack or whatever it called. and yes my tran fluid has been changed before, ok sorry all done itts all yours agian lmao

 

OK, here's the deal.
I went to the Toyota dealer yesterday and wouldn't you know it, the problem didn't happen. I let the car sit for 5 days in front of the house without driving it just so the engine would be cold. I explained the problem to the service rep and there was a Toyota tech standing by listening to my concerns.
He too agreed that it sounded like a clutch problem.
He told me to do a clutch test.
Start the car and put it into 4th gear and try to drive the vehicle. If the car stalls out, then he said the clutch is fine, but if I was able to drive the car starting in 4th gear, than there is a clutch problem.
The car stalled out immediately thank goodness.
So I'm guessing it's not the clutch.
I told them that it usually happens when the weather is cold, and wouldn't you know it, it hit almost 60 degrees here yesterday.
I also asked about the low release point which should indicate no clutch wear, but I was told that the release point is computerized so the release point would be the same wear or no wear.
So, I'll take it one day at a time and if the problem continues I will bring it down once again.
Oh, one last note.
Dealer told me that the clutch is a wear item and he has seen people wear them out with as little as 500 miles.
I explained to him that I have been driving standard transmissions for almost 40 years and if it is a clutch problem I would expect Toyota to be responsible.

 

Thanks for posting back. IMHO the clutch engages way too close to the top & when cold I'd bet there's something going on with the hydrolics that cause this problem. If the clutch is computer controled - How???? Did I miss something? Somehow the VSC has something to do with the clutch????

 

Now that it is cold here I am noticing things too. I live on a slight hill and when I leave in the morning and drive up it, it seems jerky (not bad-just not smooth).

I also noticed that when it is colder outside and I am just starting out all of the stalks for the controls (turn signals, wipers, etc) are much louder.

There are people running around out there with turbos and superchargers with an extra 40% hp using the stock clutch with no problem so I know the clutch is a good design and works just fine.

I believe what the dealer told you is crap about somebody wearing out the clutch in 500 miles-especially if it's computer controlled because there would be no way to drag or slip the clutch while driving.

If there is another Scion dealer nearby find it and talk to them. I have tried 3 different scion dealers here and I like and dislike them all for different reasons. 1 is too busy to get a good appt time but good to talk to, 2nd is good to get into but they kind of treated me like crap when I tried to get my aux plug fixed and my stereo still changes stations when it' really cold out, 3rd one has a few good men but some of the others are rude.

 

It could be more of a problem depending on how you drove the xB before you turned it off like if you did a lot of highway high speed driving and had an oil leak that would wet the clutch if you drive fast but not if you drive slow before you shut it down for the night. Oil would fly around the bell housing and drip on the clutch surface after sitting maybe. Computer controlled more likely a self adjusting slave cylinder that only returns the amount the clutch return spring tension provides thus staying constantly adjusted. Next time it does it try pressing lightly on the clutch pedal ans see how much pressure makes it slip. If you have ot press it way down to get it to slip more then it is not the clutch.
Running rough when cold is probably injectors or spark problems - run a little injector cleaner in the gas and consider checking your spark plugs. I have always been able to "feel" weak spots and throttle lag in fuel injected engines so I just don't move the gas pedal too quickly when the engine is cold or at low rpms.

 

I really didn't understand how to check the clutch for problems. The dealer told me to put the car into 4th gear and drive. If it stalls, that's a good sign. If it drives, it's time to get a new clutch.
What was the other way to check the clutch?
Please explain it in detail, for I am not a mechanic by trade.
thanks for any help.....

 

Hey CodyCat, I'm going to go out on a limb here and disagree with those who say its a clutch problem. I live up in the mountains at school in WV and I have been noticing this hesitation a little bit myself. Now I'm no expert on vvt-i here but I'm pretty sure that the hesitation is right about the point in which I normally "Feel" and hear ( I have an intake and headers) vvt-i kick in. Now I'm thinking that it has something to do with the oil when the car is cold and has to do with the ecu changing the timing of the intake valves. Since the oil is not as fluid when cold it takes moving parts longer to move through it. I think that the engine has to retard the timing temporary to ensure that the valves are in the correct position to ensure proper timing and ignition when the blue light is on. Long technical explanation short, when you start it let it sit for a minute then drive it. I noticed that in my case this helped to make the hesitation go away.