Are clutches just generally a PITA?

[Erin]

I know theoretically they are just not suppose to slip under any other circumstance than during take-offs when initially engaged.

So here is my car’s story –

95 Corolla with a 1.8 and 5 speed. The clutch was replaced (along with engine) by a shop at 132,000 miles when the previous owner still had it.I was able to verify this. I do NOT know if the flywheel was turned or what type of clutch installed.

I bought it at 144,000 miles. shortly after, the clutch would sometimes slip if the throttle was hit too hard. This problem continues to this day approaching 167,000 miles. It has become slightly worse it seems but here is more about that –
it is more likely to slip when it is cold or humid out. After driving for about an hour (making a few stops) it won’t slip.
Honestly it is like it has good and bad days. Sometimes no rhyme or reason for either.

Another thing is SEEMS to do is slip worse when it is time for an oil change. The stupid engine burns a little oil anyways but i wonder if some could be leaking past the rear main seal and thus more seeps by when the oil is old and thinner.

So here are some things i wonder about my clutch or about them in general –
If a clutch should not slip no matter what (save for riding it or 1st/reverse engage) then why would racing clutches be necessary or even stage 2 thru 5 clutches? I hear they grab quicker and more solid but shouldn’t ALL clutches grab solid?

Assuming mostly stage one clutches, are they often just temperamental? I do not know how the previous owner drove the car. I assume it was drove hard because it was some young male who owned it and had it partially riced out. Even so, how would a brand new clutch have slippage problems after 12,000 miles? As i said, it seems to have gotten worse in the 23,000 I have had it but still not much on there.

If it DOES come down to replacing the clutch, would $70 on ebay be too low for a clutch kit? If so, what kind of problems would be likely?

thanks for any advice.

Topic

[Ian]

My guess as to the clutch slipping when cold is that the previous owner had some sort of “race-y” (we’ll get to that in a minute) type clutch installed. The lining of clutches is similar to those of brakes. Certain brake lining materials (semi-metallics come to mind) have a coefficient of friction like a hot d***, but not until they’re warm.

As for the clutch slipping when it’s humid- same brake analogy. Some newer cars will actually automatically apply the brakes eeeeeeeeeever so slightly when it rains to clean any moisture on the rotors to maintain brake effectiveness. There’s probably moisture ingress into the bellhousing that’s affecting the clutch…

Clutch only lasting 12,000 miles? Well, at some point we were all young, dumb and full of… uh, love? Wouldn’t surprise me in the least if the previous owner decided to offset the cost of his fleabay, made-in-Xuan Zhou “racing” clutch by not having the flywheel turned and then dumping the clutch at every red light.

As far as these stage 2 through 73 “racing” clutches go, they’re mostly designed to handle extra power while still being something you can deal with on the street. This is usually accomplished through different lining materials, heavier pressure plate springs, or a combination of both. Proper racing cluches may use some of these methods, but are most definitely something you don’t want to deal with in a daily driver.

[Author]

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