Clutch Slipping after 1000 miles?

Hey, I noticed a bad smell and some smoke under the hood last night when driving from Davis to Folsom, all Freeway and about 40 miles ish. Got me kinda concerned. I intern at a race shop, the guy has been working on Mazdas for longer than I've been alive, but I assume a clutch is pretty much the same everywhere.

 

I told the owner what I knew and he took it out for a drive and came back in a short amount of time and said sorry the clutch is dead. I drove it home at the end of the day, 30 or so miles, smoke's there again with the smell when I get home. But while I was going home I tried flooring it while in gear and the revs most assuredly didn't go up without speed, I can't feel it slipping at all.

 

The guy at the place I work seemed really sure of it, and I'm not going to question his over 20 years of experience, the only thing that bothers me is that the clutch is SUPPOSED to be new with about 1000 miles on it, was replaced with an engine rebuild I had.

 

So, is there possibility of a mistake here, or did I get screwed over by the place that did my rebuild/new clutch?

 

Also, please point me in the direction of a good kit, going to be doing the labor myself if it really is bad.

They could have screw up the install... I will take it back and have them take the clutch out and look at it.

Take it easy on it though, its more than likely gonna have some serious heat marks, and they might try and blame you! Call em right away and tell them whats going on. Good luck!

Warranty was voided when I bought the car from the previous owner who had the install done

 

I'll have to pay them or do it myself I guess...

Warranty was voided when I bought the car from the previous owner who had the install done

 

I'll have to pay them or do it myself I guess...

 

Wait!!!!!! New clutch CAN smoke for a while. Are you sure the warranty is/was not transferable?

About the only thing I can think of is that they just replaced the disc and left the weak azz OE PP and chewed FW in. When I put my new clutch in; it was jerky and a little rough for the first 1000 miles, but it never smoked. Then again I didn't launch my car or floor it at any point during those first 1K miles. The previous owner probably took it out and started beating it right away and ruined the clutch before it was even broken in.

 

Does it smell like burning fluids or does it smell like brakes?

 

Just wondering if there might be some fluid leaking onto/into the bell housing and getting on the clutch disc.

It definitely smells like brakes, I thought I had my parking brake adjusted wrong until I found the smoke. It seems fine on short drives, only smoking after like a 20+ mile freeway drive, all in top gear.

 

And yes I am sure the warranty was not transferred, I called she shop yesterday and they seemed woefully unprofessional in their presentation on the phone, even yelling at me for implying they did their job wrong.

 

If anyone lives near Carmichel in CA, stay away from "Joe's Shop"...

 

When the guy I work for was testing it, it looked like he had the brake on and tried to stall it, and the clutch just slipped and let the engine rev while the clutch was engaged without stalling or moving the car.

 

Then again, he is a spec miata guy, his engines are a bit less powerful so I'm not sure if the same tests are valid from his mazdas to my legacy. The clutch feels fine to me while driving, that's why I'm so confused here.

The same tests apply to pretty much all basic clutch setups like ours. Last gear, e-brake, let out the clutch and if it is still running; the clutch is bad. It reallly sounds like a bad pressure plate that has let the clutch disc spin too much and glaze up the PP and FW. I would call that shop again and be real cool(tell them you're thinking it was previous owners break in that f'd it up) and just ask them what all was replaced.

 

Ask things like:

Any idea what clutch was put in? factory replacement or aftermarket

Was just the disc replaced or were the Clutch/PressurePlate/Pilot Bearing/Throw Out Bearing all replaced?

Was the flywheel "turned" and re-used or replaced?

If replaced; with what? factory or aftermarket.

 

Just try to stay cool and get some info out of em.

Basically nothing is re-usable when replacing our clutches. The FW can be turned if the tech is a magician, but few survive the process. If the previous owner had them re-used anything; that part is proabably the cause of the problem. That would have been the other guys bad not the shop's.

did anyone break in the clutch? you can not just hammer it right away... I always do 1000 OF EASY driving.

did anyone break in the clutch? you can not just hammer it right away...

 

That's what I asked too. It took well over 1000 miles for my clutch to break in to where it was smooth while driving normal(Spec Stg2/LWFW). I didn't take off hard or floor once during that period. The suggested break in period was 500 miles, but mine didn't feel "broken in" enough for me so I gave it another 500 before I started driving it hard. Believe me I was tempted to stomp it a few times, but knew the consequesnces. 5K miles later and it's working and holding fine.

I'm sorry -but no what way you slice it I think you need a new clutch maybe FW... sorry

I'm sorry -but no what way you slice it I think you need a new clutch maybe FW... sorry

 

+1 now that I got the latest info. The clutch is toast.

It's interesting...any idea why the break-in requirement is not the case with stock clutches (I.e. brand new cars?).

 

Breaking them in is definitely a good idea, but they can also take abuse right off the bat and seem to do fine with people who go easy on the shifting but still floor the car alot...

 

Joe

Well I just did the test you mentioned.... put it in fifth and let out on the clutch while handbrake on, it stalled right away...

 

I can still smell clutch burning pretty badly and see smoke from the bellhousing after long drives though

Check an see if there is any fluids on the bell housing under the intercooler. Do you ever see drips under the car?

 

I spun my stock clutch up a bunch of times, but never saw smoke. I smelled it many times, but never saw smoke even when I intentionally put it to rest at the drag strip. Mine slipped to redlined in first, second and third on it's last run, but it never smoked. I even drove it 40 miles home afterwords.

 

Did you ever call that shop back and ask what was all changed out? I'm sure they won't cover it, but at least you would know what was done. I'm betting that they just did a clutch disc an re-used the PP and FW.

The shop told me they did their standard job, resurfaced FW, and OEM clutch kit. There is a leak under my car, it's oil... been leaking for a while but was never enough to drip more than 2-3 drops a week on where it's parked, never seen oil levels go down. It's more near the sump though, doesn't look like it's near the bellhousing.

The shop told me they did their standard job, resurfaced FW, and OEM clutch kit. There is a leak under my car, it's oil... been leaking for a while but was never enough to drip more than 2-3 drops a week on where it's parked, never seen oil levels go down. It's more near the sump though, doesn't look like it's near the bellhousing.

 

Well, it is possible that the shop bunged the rear main seal when they replaced the FW. You might first check the banjo fittings on the Turbo. It is easy to jar them and they can leak. Make sure that they are tight!

Dude. Again, the tech who resurfaced that Dual Mass Flywheel must be a magaician cause NOBODY else here has managed to have one re-surfaced and have it be usable. Well, your clutch and PP may have been re-usable early on, but I'm sure the clutch disc and the PP are toast. That flywheel should have been re-placed the first time. Call the dealer and ask them if you can resurface the Dual Mass FW of a newer LGT and see what they say.

 

I hate to say it, but this is the reason you don't let just anybody work on your car. The smaller shops while cheaper; will do what the customer asks weather it's a good idea or not(most don't know the specifics of every vehicle). Again, our Dual Mass FlyWheel should NOT be turned or reused. Mine was so chewed, blued and grooved that there was no way it could be re-used or re-surfaced and I was pretty easy on the first one and had it changed out before it spun up too much.

 

I'd try to find out the part numbers for what was supposedly replaced and see what kind of warranty there is on them. I know my SPEC clutch pack and LWFW have at least a 6 month warranty on them. Also, I've never heard of any issues when the dealership installls the clutches. I have however heard of many botched DIY jobs and a few like this from small shops. I'd ride that shoip that did the tranny and tell them you need a copy of the parts list with receipts/invoices so you can contact the vendor and look into warranty. If they won't give it up or say they can't find it; it probably means they didn't use all the new parts they said.

Good Luck with whatever you decide.

No TMIC, it's N/A

 

But there is a leak on the frame right behind the sump if you're looking at it from the front of the car. Dunno where it's coming from, looks like it may be the power steering hoses. It's not near the bell housing though.

I had mine (ACT setup) slip a couple of times around 1300miles. Slipped hard stink and everything. Since then I never encounter a problem again....