Dead/dying clutch...?, Shift, hit the gas, watch the RPM's go up while the MPH CRAWLS... Options

[supaneko]

I've had this issue taking place for a little while now. When it began, I simply parked my little car in the driveway with hopes that the funding to get an easy repair would come along. But then my other Celica (a 1991) just died out on me and now I have to get one of them fixed... definitely has to be the stick.

I've noticed for a little while that when I would shift, any gear, after shifting I wasn't able to really hit the gas too hard. If I did, the RPM's would shoot up past 4k and very slowly the MPH would move. If I hit the gas pedal just right, the car would slowly accelerate and the RPM's would seem to travel in-sync with the MPH. Well, now it seems like that "just right" is just about gone and every time I shift or hit the gas pedal the engine screams because the car just isn't moving like it should.

I am not smelling any sort of burning or hearing any sort of grinding. The clutch pedal itself doesn't seem to be any different from the day when I first bought the car either.

What's going on? What needs to get fixed? Where do I take it?

[quick_5hifter]

@supaneko: first of all, your last reply tells me you just skipped mine ... or you've read it very fast. My advice was to buy & replace the entire kit, for a few reasons:
1.if you only buy the disc, it will probably cost you ~150$, if you only buy the pressure plate you will pay ~150$. But if you buy the entire kit, you will pay ~200$ and also get a pressure bearing. Now that's a stupid thing, but it's true, you can check it out anywhere.
2.once you change your clutch disc only, you will keep using a worn out pressure plate which will soon damage your new disc or will damage itself sooner than your disk.... either way, you will have to work and pay again, sooner than supposed to.
3.since you remove your gearbox anyway, why not have an entire new clutch? It will definately last for at least 30.000 km, no matter how bad you drive...
Anyway, if you really want to save 50 bucks now and pay 150 bucks later (plus work), I'm pretty sure that the most damaged part in your clutch kit is the clutch disc. So your car will run safely for ~5.000-10.000 km if you only replace the disc.

Second: if you're a newb, don't even think about replacing it alone or even with a friend. It doesn't just involve hard and careful work, you also need to know a few things that you probably won't learn on the internet. For example, the alignment... you don't know how to do it if you've never seen anyone actually doing it. Another example is that your gearbox won't fit back on if you don't remove the right side axle first (do you know how to remove an axle from the gearbox?). These are just two of some important things that need to be done.
On the other hand... I'm sure nobody is strong and skilled enough to hold a gearbox with one hand while screwing screws with the other hand.

Be really careful if you plan to order your clutch kit on e-bay!!! Here's what happened to me: I've ordered a stage 3 clutch kit, it was some no-name kit that had the pressure plate painted blue... and that guy sent me a 2.0 clutch disc and a 2.2 pressure plate (whitch was bigger). Of course I couldn't use the pressure plate, it's still laying around in my garage.

@GriffGirl: I don't know if you were refering to Aisin when writing about cheap clutches... but if you did, you should know they're made in Japan (not China) and your car came out the factory doors with an Aisin clutch (probably).
About racing clutches.... my guess is you never tried one, since you think they suck. You will never perform a 2-3 second burnout in the 2nd gear on dry asphalt, in straight line, if your clutch is oem.

[GriffGirl]

@GriffGirl: I don't know if you were refering to Aisin when writing about cheap clutches... but if you did, you should know they're made in Japan (not China) and your car came out the factory doors with an Aisin clutch (probably).
About racing clutches.... my guess is you never tried one, since you think they suck. You will never perform a 2-3 second burnout in the 2nd gear on dry asphalt, in straight line, if your clutch is oem.

I never said my cheapo craptastic Made in China clutch was the OEM clutch. I happened to know for a fact that it wasn't. I was simply stating that a no-name generic clutch kit costs just about the same as an Exedy OEM style clutch kit. Emphasis on the word kit. Pressure plate, clutch disc, TOB, even the fancy little plastic kung fu guide action.

I also didn't say that I thought racing clutches sucked. If you read what I said, I said that it simply wasn't necessary. I don't think racing clutches suck. I just think that on a stock 7AFE, they're overkill.

Here's a new kit off Amazon.com for $101.51 and if you choose Super Saver shipping, s/h is free. Part number is KTY03.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001B5ENH4


This post has been edited by GriffGirl: Jul 13, 2009 - 3:01 PM