Short version first
Scion XB 2005 Manual.
Shakes when starting out from a stop and going up a hill. No other clutch or engine problems.


I own a 2005 Scion XB Manual. It has 62,000 miles on it. Unfortunatlly for me I have only put 2K miles on it and bought it used from a dealer with 60,000 miles on it. This just started happening about a week ago. This problem only happens when starting out moving up a hill from a stop. I let the clutch out and give it gasas the car starts to roll it shakes pretty badly. I don't feel any vibration in the clutch. I don't have any problems changing gears or grinding or any other clutch symptoms. It doesn't always happen even when starting out on a hill. It is pretty hit and miss. I can't intentionally have it happen which makes it hard for me to show a mechanic. I read about clutch grab/shutter and that sounds most likely what the problem is.

I called a clutch shop and took it to them. They said they would test it for free. Had I known their test was so minimal I wouldn't even wasted my time. As I read about the same test on the internet. They put the parking brake on and tried moving the car foward in first and second gear. It pulled hard against the parking brake before the engine died. The guy said that my clutch felt very strong. He also said clutch problems don't usually happen on occasion. He said if it is the clutch it should happen all the time. He seemed at a loss. He suggested that it might be the fuel pump.

I really don't want it to be the clutch. I orginally bought a used 03 focus SVT and pretty much hated it and traded it in 4 months later. I ate it big time on trade in and didn't get a great deal on this XB. BUT I Love my XB so I guess that is what counts. I am just not really in the mood to lay down $700 to $800 for the total cost of clutch and labor.

Any thoughts on what could be causing this?

I have yet to have the oil changed and the air filter changed. I am thinking of having that done tomorrow because I was going to soon. Maybe not enough clean air is making its way into the engine?

Edit: It is not the air filter. I checked it and it was perfectly clean. Could it be a fuel filter? The dealrship I bought it from actually seemed to do a good job servicing it before selling it. I just had the brakes checked and they are brand new.

 

I would get the oil changed and prolly throw in some new plugs and see if that helps. Sounds more like a power issue than a clutch issue. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

broken mounts??

 

so the xb is known to have that clutch grab/shutter? like the car doesnt really shake but pulsates forward until the clutch is all the way out. i've had that happen before but only when its cold in the mornings leaving the neighborhood when it has happened.

 

How would the mechanic know if the mounts are broken? Does this involve the same 8 hours of pulling out the transmission to fix or diganose?

 

not neccessarily

 

If I am correct and the xB has a hydraulic clutch. With the amount of miles on the car I am curious if the fluid has ever been replaced. Condensation in the fluid causes it to have air trapped in the fluid resulting in it being able to compress and not allowing smooth clutch engagement. Also water/oil in the clutch area can cause erratic operation.

 

Turn off the traction control and see if it still does it. Traction control will make the xB shake, shudder, and hop as it tries to control wheel spin. I'll get it occasionally on one really steep hill with a stoplight in the rain. Had it a few times at stops with snow/ice on the road over the winter.

BTW, my wife had a Focus SVT. Good move getting rid of it. It got horrible gas mileage (~17 city), rough ride, was constantly in the shop, and required premium gas for average power and mediocre performance. It wouldn't shake the way the xB does when the traction control kicked in.

 

Do you know how to change/check the hydraulic clutch fliud?







I will try the traction control off just because that is way easy.
I owned the Focus SVT for just a little less than 6 months. I bought it from an orginal owner to treated it awesome. I think the reality is he was sick of it too Here is what I hated also

-Premium Gas
-Gas mileage, I got like 20 average.
- 6 Disc CD changer would always jam. I would take the cd player out and lift of the casing and have to put the CD on the spinner
-Check Fuel Cap light would come on about once a week. I would disconnect the battery to reset it. The Fuel Cap would always be tight.
-When september came around and it got a little colder the car would start wierd. It would delay for a second and than rev up on the first morning start. Than it would be fine for the rest of the day. I had no idea what that would be.
-Getrag transmission. I didn't know about had this manufactor of transmission until after I bought the car. My dad and I both owned a Dodge Stealth which also had Getrags and had HORRIABLE experiences.

Screw Ford and especially a sport tuned Ford. I think that car was going to have a ton more problems.

 

Yeah, I owned a base model Ford Focus hatchback. At about 20k miles, the car would magically shut off at random moments of driving. Also the gas mileage sucked major oranges. The car was just built horrible. For example the o2 sensor was on the bottom by the oil pan and stuck out so much that if you bottomed out it was likely you would break it off.