Clutch question

Hey guys!

Got a clutch question for y'all.

(This is gonna be LONG, so....heads up)

2007 reg cab, 2wd, 2.7 I4, 5 speed

I've had 3 of these trucks in a row now for 10 years, and they've all driven exactly the same the whole time I've owned them.

Now: yesterday, I was on my way to pick up a network switch. I pulled up to a stoplight in neutral. While sitting there waiting for the red to go, something changed when I clutched to put it in first.

There was always a very, very short intermediate area where the clutch goes from disengaged to engaged...the petal travel distance from 'full coasting' to 'fully in gear' was maybe an inch or so. And the clutch grabs fast & hard. Not much 'grabbing' area....even when moving your foot very slowly, it goes from rolling to powered driving in a very short amount of time.

Sitting at that light, I clutched and went for first and...it wouldn't go into gear. Physically. The gear shifter simply wouldn't move into place. Second, either.

I let go of the clutch and goosed the throttle. I heard a light, schlicky ticking noise that seemed to follow the RPMs of the motor: faster & higher pitched with the speedup. Clutched again, moved the gear shifter around and tried to get into gear again. No dice....hard resistance.

Let up on the throttle again, and also let off the brake as well, and coasted a foot or so forward on the downhill slope of the road. Clutched, and this time it reluctantly (not much force was needed) went into first gear...and the RPMs of the motor dropped a lot, down to the 5-6 hundred mark. The motor was chugging and on the edge of stalling.

Now, I was first in line in a large intersection, so as it turned green I dumped the clutch and hit the throttle to clear the area and get out of the way. My destination was a block up the street, so I parked with some trepidation.

Now, since then:

Everything "looks" normal. The shift action went back to normal, the shifter itself moves around as before, the action is loose and smooth and easy to control.

But the engage/disengage action is all ballsed up.

It used to be a fast, hard grab....now there's a half second lag. The engine RPMs drag while going from 'full coast' to 'in gear and moving' in a big way that they never did before. The pedal distance your foot has to move to go from 'sitting at the light' to 'start moving' is about 3 inches now.

I need to give it a lot more gas now when starting from a full stop. The clutch just feels sloppy now, where it used to be tight and springy.

I took it to the local stealership yesterday (I was coming up on an oil change and had the oil & filter in the work box already anyways) and had them check the tranny and rear end and everything else while also doing a service and...got a clean bill of health. They say the fluid is clean and unburnt, nothing looks out of place, there's no metal shavings or anything floating around, etc

But it still feels...stickey. It never felt all sloppy like this. I'm concerned that one of the physical parts of the clutch (and I know fuck-all about the proper names for these parts, I'm not mechanic) has either partly failed or has worn to the point of needing to be replaced.

The truck only has 77,000 miles on it, but it's first 38,000 miles were as the work truck for a municipal water company down in Texas, so heavy lifting is a distinct possibility in the past.

As such, I reach out to y'all, who know a lot more of these things than I do. What other information can I put forward to find out...

Am I nuts, or is my clutch needing some new hardware someplace?

Thanks in advance

 

It sounds like a failing Pressure Plate Spring(s) or fingers.

https://www.howacarworks.com/basics/how-a-car-clutch-works

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqF-aBtTBnY

 

As it turns out, one of the springs popped off the pressure plate and wedged between it and the flywheel.

Ripped the dogshit outta the flywheel and the plate is toast.

All things being equal, new hardware + labor is just under ~2k, should be done Friday or Saturday

My poor wallet

 

$2000 for a flywheel, and basically the rest of the parts for a normal clutch job? On a 2wd.

Mine started to slip due to some overenthusiastic driving. I took it easy and action returned to normal with firm engagement and normal pedal.

That said, there was another clutch thread regarding the use of the old 3.4 V6 clutch on these to replace the delicate flower installed by the factory.

I hope you are getting an upgrade.

Mine went down the road yesterday, so I shan't be seeing the exciting conclusion to my clutch story. Sorry for your loss.....

 

Yea, I'm having them put in some upgraded hardware and freshen up some other things while they're at it, so the labor is a couple hundred more than it otherwise would be, plus an extra couple in parts.

It's only a BIT of a ripoff, honestly. A couple hundred worth. *shrug* Given that I don't know any local mechanics and am fairly new in town, it's worth the $ to have it done soon, correctly, with paperwork, with the dealer so I can go back and bitch if it isnt' done correctly.

Sorta.

 

Well you are correct there. Paying too much sucks, but you'll have a good job that's backed up. I've seen several where people paid too little and ended up in one case owing about twice what the vehicle was worth between the recent purchase price and the engine job, which failed leaving that person with a worthless vehicle and massive debt. Going cheap has it's risks.