[babukvishnu]

Originally Posted by mithun

Clutch slippage usually happens at higher gears when the clutch is in the death-bed. Soon it will slip in any gear at any speed.

If the vehicle is abused, then a clutch replacement can happen even at 15K KMS.

Go to a competent garage ASAP.

Is there any chance a clutch line bleeding would cure the issue? This issue seems to have arisen after a brake and clutch fluid change. Baleno Diesel has a hydraulic clutch. The car is driven in a sedate manner and has not been abused in any way. The clutch seems to be fine in all other aspects. Wondering whether a clutch line bleeding for trapped air would cure the issue. Any thoughts??

[mithun]

Originally Posted by babukvishnu

Is there any chance a clutch line bleeding would cure the issue? This issue seems to have arisen after a brake and clutch fluid change. Baleno Diesel has a hydraulic clutch. The car is driven in a sedate manner and has not been abused in any way. The clutch seems to be fine in all other aspects. Wondering whether a clutch line bleeding for trapped air would cure the issue. Any thoughts??

Clutch bleeding will help if:

1. The clutch pedal is spongy.
2. It is difficult to disengage the clutch
3. It's hard to shift gears.

[babukvishnu]

Originally Posted by mithun

Clutch bleeding will help if:

1. The clutch pedal is spongy.
2. It is difficult to disengage the clutch
3. It's hard to shift gears.

Thank you for the prompt responses. I had the vehicle inspected by a MASS mechanic suggested by a friend of mine. He was of the opinion that the gearbox oil seal might be failing and gearbox oil might be leaking and might have contaminated the clutch disc and hence the slipping clutch. A visual inspection of the gearbox did not reveal any oil leakage signs and hence he was of the opinion that the leakage might be negligible and minor and the vehicle can be safely driven for another 20k or more and when the problem worsens,the gearbox can be dismantled and issue rectified.

[babukvishnu]

Can the clutch pedal free play of a hydraulic clutch be adjusted?

[PearlJam]

As updated previously, my clutch was replaced a few months ago due to slippage, and now there is absolutely no slippage. There is no issue in slotting the gears too.

However, I sometimes face a shudder when going at extremely slow speeds in the 1st gear (like in crawling traffic). This happens during half clutch only, and once the vehicle picks up speed, everything is perfect. It can happen either when starting from cold state, or can happen after driving for a long time - so I don't see a pattern that can be attributed to "heating" of the clutch plates.

The key word here is "sometimes". When this problem does happen intermittently, I have noticed that the clutch pedal feels a bit "grainy" or "sandy", and not perfectly smooth.

Could this be a bad master cylinder? Or bad slave cylinder? Or both? These were not replaced when the clutch was replaced.

Or, could it just be air in the lines and needs bleeding?

Thanks!

[SunnyBoi]

Originally Posted by babukvishnu

Can the clutch pedal free play of a hydraulic clutch be adjusted?

Nope

Originally Posted by PearlJam

As updated previously, my clutch was replaced a few months ago due to slippage, and now there is absolutely no slippage. There is no issue in slotting the gears too.

However, I sometimes face a shudder when going at extremely slow speeds in the 1st gear (like in crawling traffic). This happens during half clutch only, and once the vehicle picks up speed, everything is perfect. It can happen either when starting from cold state, or can happen after driving for a long time - so I don't see a pattern that can be attributed to "heating" of the clutch plates.

The key word here is "sometimes". When this problem does happen intermittently, I have noticed that the clutch pedal feels a bit "grainy" or "sandy", and not perfectly smooth.

Could this be a bad master cylinder? Or bad slave cylinder? Or both? These were not replaced when the clutch was replaced.

Or, could it just be air in the lines and needs bleeding?

Thanks!

Bleeding the clutch line will definitely help, do it first. If the problem reoccurs, one of the two components is bad and will need replacing. Its almost always the slave cylinder that goes bad - master cylinder going bad is not common.

[PearlJam]

Originally Posted by SunnyBoi

Bleeding the clutch line will definitely help, do it first. If the problem reoccurs, one of the two components is bad and will need replacing. Its almost always the slave cylinder that goes bad - master cylinder going bad is not common.

Replaced the slave cylinder, and the problem is fixed now. Verified under various city conditions for few days. Thanks Sunny!

[febin8055]

Dear Fellow BHPians,

I'd like to share an issue I've been experiencing with my VW Polo, in the hope of gaining your insights and hearing if anyone else has had similar experiences.

In brief: I bought my Polo back in 2012, brand new, and it has since clocked roughly 108,000 kms. Up until 40,000 kms, I was the primary driver, and since then, my wife has taken over.

The clutch was replaced at 102,500 kms at an authorized VW service center in late October 2022. Since then we've covered an extra 6,000 kms on short-distance drives, 90% of time in rural Bangalore. However, this new clutch unexpectedly failed on 23rd February 2024, leaving the car unmoved even with the gears functioning smoothly. We had to get the car transported to the Hosur service station, where they concluded that the newly installed clutch was damaged and needed replacing.

I am utterly perplexed at the short lifespan of only 6,000 kms for the new clutch. In fact, since the first clutch lasted about a 100,000 kms with the same driving pattern, this seems absolutely puzzling.

The service center team strongly suggests that the damage could be due to improper driving. However, the driver and the usage pattern have remained the same and the logic given by dealership does not make any sense to me

I have taken up this issue with VW India and they maintain the stance of the dealership, attributing the problem to driving habits. This to me feels like a convenient dismissal, rather than a thorough investigation and resolution. I feel confident that the damage is either due to a faulty part installed or incorrect installation process, and not negligent/improper driving.

I would like your opinions on this. Has anyone else faced a similar issue or can provide any insights into this perplexing problem? Your feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Best regards,

Febin Mathew.

[sirius]

Originally Posted by PearlJam

Update:
I finally got this repaired by Hyundai. They said that the gear box oil had leaked into the clutch system, and that's the reason for slippage in higher gears. Apparently the oil seal breaks with age after some years, so it's not an uncommon issue. Since the gearbox is designed to always have a reservoir of oil below a certain level, it will never seize.

They changed the clutch plate, pressure plate, and release bearing, since it was already near it's end of life, and also got contaminated with oil. The flywheel was fine so didn't need a replacement.

The gear box had to be opened up to fix the leakage. I was a bit apprehensive, but the SA assured me that it was simple and routine job of just fixing the seal. "All in a day's work", and "we're not a roadside garage, this is nothing new for us" assurance from them .

They did a fantastic job, to their credit, and the car was returned in 24 hours flat, with regular WhatsApp updates about the status, along with pictures. Contrast this with the painful experience of just changing my VW Polo battery, but that's another topic

Absolutely no slippage now, with a softer clutch pedal as bonus. The clutch action from standstill is a bit aggressive, though. I remember this was how it was when the car was new. Cost me around 16k.

Looks like same situation as my car. To repair the sealant they opened gear box and then said it is better to replace clutch plates etc as you can save labour costs and quoted tentative cost as 18k.