Date: Sun, 9 Aug 1998 23:09:09 -0400
Reply-To: Derek Drew <drew@INTERPORT.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <Vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: Derek Drew <drew@INTERPORT.NET>
Subject: Slipping Clutch fix
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Carl Turner weighs in with an interesting suggestion to scuff up the clutch
by letting the clutch out with gusto while driving at speed.
This sounds intriguing and I might try it. But I remember something about
how the syncro trans doesn't like to be slowed down by the clutch this way.
...that the syncro trans can break if you try to slow the vehicle down with
the motor/clutch combination. I remember someone saying driving off jumps
can do the same thing. You land after a jump and it breaks your transmission.
>From: CarlMarin@aol.com
>Date: Sun, 9 Aug 1998 16:54:18 EDT
>To: drew@INTERPORT.NET
>Subject: Slipping Clutch fix
>X-Mailer: AOL 3.0 for Windows 95 sub 52
>
>Date: Sat, 8 Aug 1998 11:19:48 -0400
>From: Derek Drew
>>
>Subject: Can I Drive a Worn Out Clutch for Another Month?
>
>Three weeks ago my clutch slipped driving up a mild hill in 3rd gear.
>
>Two weeks ago it happened again. Once.
>
>During the past week, driving about 220 miles I have been unable to
>reproduce the behavior (rpms zoom up but vehicle speed stays the same).
>
>Now I am tempted to drive around until mid-September with a worn out
>clutch. My mileage during that time would probably be about 1,000 miles.
>Can I hear from the list any experiences others have had doing this kind of
>thing?
>
>Specifically: how many miles do you think I can get out of the vehicle once
>the first symptom is encountered to catastrophic failure?
>
>Tell me you tried this and it ruined your day.
><<<<<<<<
>
>Hi Derek,
>
>Your clutch may have just been having a bad day. I've had cars do the same
>thing but turned out there was plenty of lining left.
>
>One trick I've used to get the "feel" back into a clutch is to scuff it up by
>using the clutch to decelerate the car. So you're rolling down the road at a
>good clip in fourth. Downshift into third and let the clutch out with gusto.
>You are scrubbing the clutch disk in the opposite direction than it usually
>engages by doing this. Do this deal a few times. You can do the same thing
>rolling down a hill and downshifting to second. It doesn't need to be
>violent, you don't need to pop the clutch in, just ease it in so you feel the
>Van slowing down pretty good.
>
>I did this on my fairly new 85 Westie as the previous owner had let the motor
>get to the point of making next to no power at all and I think he spent alot
>of time slipping the hell out of the clutch to get the box to move. I got
the
>motor making power again so the clutch wasn't having to work so hard so I
did
>the decel slipping thing for a few days and the nice positive feel seemed to
>return to the clutch. I think it is still toward the end of its useful life
>having been abused as it was but its working good now and can worry about
>changing it at my leisure some other year ;^)
>
>Let me know if this little technique works for you.
>
>Regards,
>
>Carl Turner
>
_____________________________________________________
Derek Drew New York, NY & Washington DC
ConsumerSearch
drew@interport.net
212-580-6486, 202-966-7907 (W)
212-580-4459; 202-966-0938 (H)
| 
