When To Change The Clutch

Everyone who owns a car knows that when you take the car to the shop and give the bad news that you have to change the car’s clutch, your heart races and you almost go into a sudden panic. Because yes, how to change the car’s clutch may not be important because it is taken to the workshop and the mechanics do it, but you have to pay for it and no, it is not exactly cheap. In fact, one of the biggest problems is the huge difference from one workshop to another and it also depends on the car we have.

For example, as very cheap, they can charge two hundred euros for a clutch change, but that is taking into account that it is a very basic, old car… because a modern car can go up (and we repeat that depending on the mechanical workshop and brand of car) from six hundred euros up to a thousand-odd that are collected. It’s a lot of money, yes. So the more we take care of the car and make it last, the better.

There is also the possibility (which is being seen more and more) of being able to rent a box in a workshop and that you be the one who changes the clutch of your car. This, obviously, is usually done by people who know about mechanics, who are mechanics or directly, who have friends/acquaintances or relatives who know and do it without charging them. They only buy the necessary parts and rent the machines and the box. Of course, it is much cheaper. Of course, if you have any doubts and if you do not know or are not professionals, take it to an (accredited) mechanical workshop to have the clutch repaired.  It is not easy at all, it consists of many parts, you have to remove them, repair and reconnect everything as it was. Anything wrong or not connected again can seriously damage the car and ruin it forever. The cheapest is not always the best and with a car, you don’t have to play it. Try to take it to the reviews and take care of driving. Only with that, you will notice the difference.

Instructions

1. You have to know when to change it because, although there are signs that already tell us that something is not right, we must realize it and try to do it as soon as possible, so that the problem does not end up being much worse and the car suffers serious problems. The car can be seriously damaged and the bill can go up a lot.
2. The clutch is always changed, when it begins to show signs that it is breaking down, has been damaged, etc. If not, you don’t need to do it.
3. How can we detect that the clutch needs to be changed? When we begin to notice that, when it comes to putting the gears, they begin to scratch. Look when you put a gear, if it is difficult for you or you hear a noise (because the car revs up, but does not accelerate), it is that the clutch is damaged.
4. Other data that can notify us of maintenance and that they look at it or that can show signs of a clutch change, is with the mileage. You have to pay attention. In general, when a car has many kilometers done, the clutch has to be changed. For example, how many would be suitable to change it? After 200,000 kilometers, or so.
5. Can the clutch be bypassed? Of course not. They are pieces that cannot be seen with the naked eye, but they are very important. Moreover, the clutch is essential in a car. It is the part that has the function of being able to put the gears of the car. Without this part, the car does not work.
6. Depending on the type of steering wheel, it can cost you much more money to repair.  That usually happens when they are dual-mass flywheels.
7. The reason for this type of flywheel is that the dual-mass flywheel directly rests on the clutch. It is made this way so that vibrations due to inertia (produced by the combustion of the cylinder) do not pass through the gearbox. It is one of the most expensive changes in fact, tell that although it may not seem like it, it has a lot of work. You have to remove the flywheel and gearbox and get to the clutch to change it. Only the fact of changing the steering wheel (the one of this type) are fixed, almost six hundred euros. Besides, add the change of the clutch and the time that the mechanic is there… a thousand euros will be safe.
8. Said in a summarized and quick way so that you know how you can change the clutch, it would be this: the car has to be raised. Essential to be able to work. It is done with a hydraulic jack or a hydraulic crane, inclusive, with fixed support pillars.
9. Then the front left wheel is removed and the battery is disconnected. To disconnect it, you have to look for it in the hood (where it is), remove the negative terminal (black) and then the positive (red). Order is always important. The two front wheels are removed with the cross wrench (required) and one of the bolts is removed.
10. All the pieces that you find that are connected to the clutch are removed. In general, you will be able to find: the gearbox, the clutch control, the starter motor, the transmission and the sensors of the gearbox.
11. We are not finished yet… the clutch plate and disc must also be removed (as you can see, it takes time). You will recognize the clutch plate because it has six screws. You have to remove them all to get it out.
12. Clean the flywheel (it will surely be rusty) with sandpaper, but you have to be careful because if it breaks, the consequence will be that you will have to buy a new one and it costs almost six hundred euros.
13. Once this is done, you can now mount the new clutch disc.
14. Put a new bearing (when removing the box you sure removed or should have done, the bearing) put the new one.
15. And start again, with all the pieces meaning in reverse. Extremely important, do it in the same order and the pieces are all correct. A single failure can ruin your car.
16. When all the parts are assembled, start the engine and test the clutch.
17. The really important thing about all this with the clutch is knowing when to change it to avoid a major repair and spending more money. To all of the above, we must take into account the useful kilometers of the clutch. That is why it is very important to drive properly, take care of it and thus try to make it last longer.
18. Usually the clutch life is about 150000km/200000km. Taking into account its useful life, there are parts that wear more and more quickly. It depends on the kilometers you do with the car and these are always the clutch discs. What usually happens to it is that it wears out and loses thickness. If it wears out, it loses pressure and in the end, it shows.
19. If you notice that, when it comes to putting the gears in, they start to scratch or it doesn’t go correctly, don’t force it and don’t ignore it. If you go forcing it more you will only get the dish to end up burning.
20. What you can do as drivers is try to drive well so that it lasts as long as possible.  Avoid skidding actions, which are the ones where it takes a long time to release your foot from the clutch while accelerating and changing gears. Inadequate acceleration also forces a lot, climbing slopes, overtaking…

What do you need:

• Have a car
• Have notions of mechanics to be able to change parts and remove all the parts and then reconnect them correctly.
• Have the new parts to repair it and make the change.
• A hydraulic jack.
• Easels.
• In case there is no hydraulic jack, a hydraulic crane or a device that serves to raise the car.
• A ball joint extractor.
• An emptying tray.
• A clutch centerer will be needed.
• Toolbox: sandpaper, cross wrench, ratchet wrench, torx wrench, torque wrench, screwdrivers, etc.
• A pair of gloves.

Tips

It is important to carry out periodic checks on the car to avoid that, after the clutch wears out, it ends up breaking or breaking adjacent parts. In those cases, it can even be catastrophic for the car.

Also, as a trick to save and only in cases where you are a mechanic or have a relative or someone close to you, it can be much cheaper for you to be able to rent the workshops where, in addition, many of them even rent you the instruments that you may need and you do all the changes yourselves. You will only pay for new parts. Of course, if you don’t know the slightest thing about mechanics, don’t even think about it. Not only is it dangerous, because you have to raise the car high to be able to work properly, but you have to change many parts and then you have to assemble them in the same order and without forgetting to connect anything. A single mistake and you can destroy the car.

Here, you can see how to take care of a car clutch, to try to make it last as long as possible without spending a fortune on repairs.