mweiland

about 2 wks ago, i noticed a quiet hiss/scraping sound when i engaged the clutch. i didn't think much of it (i don't drive the car much). just figured i'd have it looked at when a buddy of mine had time.

last week, another noise started. loud screeching when the clutch was not engaged at all. it lasted about a minute and stopped.

yesterday, the loud screech when the clutch wasn't being touched came back and didn't stop. after a few blocks, i decided to get it back home rather than risk it.

i almost made it back when the clutch stopped working entirely. the pedal dropped to the floor with no resistance. i looked under the car and was hydraulic fluid was pouring out. couldn't see exactly where but around the tranny.

my guess is the slave cylinder blew (throwout bearing noise). any other guesses? i can't get it looked at for a few more days. just trying to get an idea of possible repair costs.

i've had clutches start to go on other cars (slipping, etc.) but nothing like this before. it only has 47k miles at 7 years old (2005 v6).

kevinmalec

My slave cylinder/throw out bearing went out at 65K miles. I had a 2-3 inch dead spot at the top of the clutch and also had to slam my shifter into gear. I had everything replaced (except the master cylinder) with OEM parts and paid $1,300+
Replaced: Slave cylinder/throw out bearing, pressure plate, fly wheel and etc.

mweiland

i never had any dead spots. just some pretty low level noise for a while when engaged, then pretty loud noise for about 10 mi while disengaged, then completely dead.

i had about 2 minutes where it felt a little harder to get it into gear before all pedal resistance vanished and i couldn't shift anymore.

still assuming it's the slave cyl. find out for sure this weekend.

kevinmalec

It could possibly be the slave cylinder......
Keep us posted and good luck!

mweiland

just a follow up.

it was the slave cyl. the rest of the clutch is in great shape.

seems kind of early for it to go... (47k mi) but maybe it was more a matter of the age.

thanks for the input.

kevinmalec

Appreciate the update! Gotta love these slave cylinders...NOT! (LOL)

jtfrog

My clutch makes a noise when i first use the clutch after starting the car. Also the clutch grabs right off the floor. Also a little more play at top. Only 45,000 mi. Any ideas?

kevinmalec

What kind of noise are you hearing?
If the clutch grabs close to the floor, that is OK. When clutch goes bad, typically it starts slipping and grabbing more towards the top of the clutch.
Are you having difficulties getting your stick shifter into gear?

jtfrog

Like a very slight scrape. Transmision more notchy thsn usual. Just installed short shifter so we'll see on the way to work tonight.