How many miles do you get out of a clutch?

[Modlbldr]

Just curious how many miles of driving that you get before needing to get your clutch changed. I ask this because I need a new one in my 97 Escort and my wife has always accused me of being hard on one. I don't see where I drive any differently than most others. If I am gard on one I need to figure out what I am doing wrong. I will eventually fess up to how many miles I have put on this clutch. In my defense however, I was given this car by a friend and when he gave it to me he said that it had a new clutch. He did not tell me how many miles he had put on the new clutch.

Anywho- what is your average clutch life?

Later-

[my80malibu]

Low avg 80.000 high would be about 110.00/120.00

[Greg Myers]

A couple of runs, maybe.

[Art Anderson]

Drove an '81 Toyota SR5 long bed pickup for 11 years, 185,000 miles on the original clutch, which worked just as well when I turned it over to my newly-minted ex-wife as it did the day I drove it off the Toyota dealer's lot.

With proper use, a conventional clutch should last a LONG time!

Art

[wisdonm]

Too many variables. 50,000 max on a vintage English clutch. 100,000 min on a Japanese car. Personally I have gone through three clutches in one day with less than 2 miles on each, and have sold a Celica SR-5 with 130,000 on the original clutch.

[mikemodeler]

Like Art said, they should last a long time if driven properly. A lot of factors go into the length of service parts will last on a vehicle. My 2008 Toyota Camry has over 100,000 miles on the front brake pads and nearly 160,000 miles on the rears! Sounds great unless you sell parts for Toyotas, which I do!

Proper maintenance and careful driving will go a long way towards parts lasting.

[Eshaver]

Since parts are so expensive and hard to find on both of my antique Ford trucks , I can safely say I've done one change on the 53 in 100,000 miles . . Since the odometer quit working several years ago, I've maybe adjusted it one time ............

[Modlbldr]

I've put 26,000 on this one. My wife may be right.-- That last sentence was difficult to type. LOL!

I must be doing something wrong.

Later-

[Casey]

I've put 26,000 on this one. My wife may be right.-- That last sentence was difficult to type. LOL!

I must be doing something wrong.

Later-

Do you use the clutch instead of the brake to hold the vehicle on inclines?

Are you 100% sure the clutch your friend installed was new? Clutch disc and pressure plate?

Not sure how the Ford/Mazda 1.9L(?) Four's clutch setup is adjusted, or if it even is adjustable, but if the clutch is cable operated, check it for wear before you single out the clutch disc/PP.

[mikemodeler]

to follow up on what Casey mentioned, be sure to shop around for a clutch and the old adage is true- you get what you pay for. A cheap clutch could be just that, cheap.

[mikemodeler]

Tom,

Your car is equipped with a clutch master and clutch slave cylinder and it could be something as simple as low fluid! If you aren't too savvy on clutches, find a reputable shop and have them look at your car. A new clutch kit at NAPA retails for $175, while a clutch master is $25 and the clutch slave is $32. The NAPA clutches are supplied by a very high quality company, keep that in mind when shopping and comparing.

[Guest]

26,000 miles sure isn't many miles on a clutch. If that's all you've got out of it, you are hard on a clutch. I got 206,000 out of my '83 F100 (first truck) and it had a 2.73 gear in it which is high. I didn't help it by putting 255/70 tires on it either. I would have to clutch it to take off every time. Sounds like you're letting your clutch slip a lot when you take off. Once your vehicle begins moving, release the clutch all of the way. Also, (I've seen a lot of people do this) don't rest your foot on the clutch pedal while you're driving down the road. Make sure that it is actually the clutch before you have it repaired. The most common problem is the slave cylinder going out. If you push in on your clutch and it does nothing,more than likely, that is your problem. If your clutch engages and the vehicle won't move, then it's probably your clutch. When you get your clutch replaced, do it right. Replace your clutch,pressure plate, throw out bearing and either have your flywheel resurfaced or replaced.

[Foxer]

I have only owned 2 cars without automatic transmissions since I got my license in 1965. That includes a '51 Plymouth and five Porsches with sports cars in between. I have never needed a clutch in any car .. most being driven to around 80,000 miles.

[timc]

13 years and 179000 miles on the one in my Toyota Tacoma.Original clutch from the factory.On third set of brake pads and shoes.I replace them at 50000 miles regardless.I also got nine years and 145000 miles out of a set of tires.

Don't hold on hills with the clutch and don't ride the clutch.Like others have said already,its probably the slave cylinder going bad.I might add cheap parts are not so cheap in the long run when you have to keep buying them.

[Ace-Garageguy]

'89 Chevy 1500 pickup, 180,000 miles on the OEM, still going strong

'93 Geo Metro convertible, an old ex-girlfriend's ex-car, 145,000 miles with HER driving it

'77 MG Midget, same girl's car, 80,000 miles when I replaced it (rear main seal oil-leak, plenty of clutch lining left)

'74 Fiat 124 Spyder, again a girl's car, over 80,000 when we sold it.

'76 Toyota MR-2, 160,000 on the OEM, still doing fine

QUERY : WHAT IS THE SYMPTOM that makes you think it needs a clutch?

Edited January 29, 2013 by Ace-Garageguy

[azers]

2 clutches in my wifes v-6 05 mustang and 280,000 miles. But still running original front brakes. Of course she drives highway miles.

[Fabrux]

The only clutch I've had to replace was in a 96 F-150. It had around 200000km on it but I'm pretty sure it had been replaced before. As was mentioned before, the 97 Escort has a hydraulic clutch so be sure to check the master and slave cylinders as well as the line between them for leaks.

[Modlbldr]

First of all, thanks for all of the input. I appreciate it. I don't leave my foot on the clutch pedal when not using it and I try to let the clutch pedal out completely as soon as the car begins moving. With that being said, my interpretation of what I am doing could be mistaken too. It's like anything else, I may not be paying attention to certain bad habits at all times.

Anywho- I have no idea what parts were replaced or repaired when my friend had the clutch replaced last time and I am sure that "high quality" parts were not used. Still, I have never gotten the mileage that you guys are quoting from a clutch.

As far as symptoms go I have had to let the pedal out quite a distance before it engages for some time now. Not all the way yet, but at least half way. What it is doing now is sputtering a bit at take off ( like it is slipping) and when cruising along and I head up a hill or try to give it a bit more gas it begins ti sputter again. I had thought that it might be a fuel problem because it reacts as my older cars with carbs used to when the secondaries would kick in. I told another friend about this reaction and he told me that it sounded like the clutch was slipping---which led me ti this conclusion that I might need a new clutch already.

What do you say?

Later-

[GeeBee]

Before I sold My Probe Mk2 last year, it had 148,000 mile on the the clock on the original clutch

[Harry P.]

There's no answer to this question that will directly apply to you. Depends on the car, and the driver. One guy can get 100,000 miles+ and another guy can't get to 50,000. It all depends on how you use it. Too many variables; giving you my personal results is absolutely irrelevant to your own situation.

It's like asking everyone what their shirt size is before you buy one for yourself.

[Danno]

A question, frankly, with no real answer.

There's no answer to this question that will directly apply to you. Depends on the car, and the driver. One guy can get 100,000 miles+ and another guy can't get to 50,000. It all depends on how you use it. Too many variables; giving you my personal results is absolutely irrelevant to your own situation.

It's like asking everyone what their shirt size is before you buy one for yourself.

[niteowl7710]

I have just shy of 129k miles on a Chevrolet Colorado at the moment.

[Ace-Garageguy]

As a prior ASE certified Master Mechanic, I can tell you this: there are several components in a clutch to fail. If the friction-facings on the disc itself are worn out, the engine will speed up under load without the vehicle moving any faster. This is the classic 'slipping clutch', and it's most noticeable in the higher gears where there's not as much torque multiplication from the transmission. It's also noticeable under heavy acceleration, as the engine may speed up unusually quickly without the vehicle speed increasing proportionately.

Feeling the clutch 'engage' with the pedal higher off the floor than before is also a sign of worn clutch linings, as the linkage (mechanical OR hydraulic) and release bearing have to travel farther to allow the pressure-plate to fully compress the thinning disc against the flywheel.

A 'judder' as the clutch engages can be caused by contamination of the clutch disc material, weakened pressure-plate springs (sometimes caused by the excessive heat produced by 'riding' the clutch or intentionally slipping it to hold position on hills), or broken motor or transmission mounts.

Failure of the hydraulic master or slave cylinders results in a gradual inability to fully release the clutch and a tendency to grind gears during shifting. This failure mode involves leakage of hydraulic fluid past the seals in the cylinder(s), which effectively lessens the distance the clutch actuating arm is able to move the release bearing, which then fails to completely DIS-engage the clutch and allows it to drag on the flywheel.

SOME hydraulic clutch linkages and ALL mechanical clutch linkages have a mechanical adjustment provision to compensate for clutch disc wear, but many later-model hydraulic systems are by design fully self-adjusting with no secondary adjustment possible.

Edited January 29, 2013 by Ace-Garageguy

[THarrison351]

"As far as symptoms go I have had to let the pedal out quite a distance before it engages for some time now. Not all the way yet, but at least half way. What it is doing now is sputtering a bit at take off ( like it is slipping) and when cruising along and I head up a hill or try to give it a bit more gas it begins ti sputter again."

From what I read in this post, if your car is "sputtering" the engine is slowing down. In my experience a slipping or worn clutch is an increase in engine RPM without an increase in speed. A clutch that is fully engaged at half travel sounds like it is working properly and not maladjusted. Usually on the older non-adjusting clutches, the clutch might not fully engage until the top of the travel. Self adjusting clutches will keep the travel reasonable. If your master cylinder fluid is low or leaking internally, normally it is difficult to engage a gear without grinding. This is due to air in the system or fluid bypass and the pressure plate will not fully release the clutch.

As I have told many a customer at my parts store, without first hand knowledge the diagnosis is difficult. Take the car to a professional mechanic for evaluation.

Edited January 29, 2013 by THarrison351

[Draggon]

I had a 71 Bug, built up a little, drove it real hard, got close to 250,000. Had to replace the throwout bearing, only reason I did the clutch disc and pressure plate was because the engine was out.