How do I diagnose a clutch issue PLEASE HELP!!

[Sonny 3.0]

I am moving from PA to Miami in the next week and I am driving 1300 miles in a matter of a day. Last thing I need is to break down in the middle of nowhere... Please help!!

I am having a problem diagnosing whether or not I need a new clutch or peices of the clutch system or what. I am having slippage in gears 1, 2, and 3 under a hard load... When I release the clutch pedal and get on the gas, throughout the RPM range, you feel the car studder and the transmission or clutch not pulling steadily... I feel a loss in power and some kind of slippage when I run the car through the gears... Is this an indication that I need a new clutch or a part of the clutch. Maybe pressure plate, disc, etc... Can someone help me out on this...

[Sonny 3.0]

Can this possibly be the fuel pump going too??? I know it can be either of these at this point... I have 80K Miles on this, and everything is stock...

[brewmastr]

well you say slippage but what do you mean by slippage, everyone always thinks something is slipping but the information just isnt there, now i will tell you to diagnose your clutch problem, if you are in gears and you give it full gas and you dont accelerate but your rpms go up your clutch is slipping, now to further test this, put your car in its highest gear (5th or 6th depending on your transmission) set e-brake, turn off esp, and raise the rpms to about 2k and let the clutch out, while giving it a little more gas much like your trying to drive off, if it stalls right away the clutch is most likely ok, if it does not stall and the rpms continue to rise and your not going anywhere quickly press the clutch pedal back in as to not burn the remaining life of the clutch up and get it replaced. remember a clutch is a wear item much like brake pads and must be replaced at some point through out the vehicle life, 80k is a reasonalbe expectation for this service to be needed, im at 75k right now and am thinking about replacing it myself as a preventitive maintenance later on.

[doublezero30]

studdering isnt really a cluth thing. i blew a clutch in my old car and it did exactly what brewmastr said. rpms shot up, but car didnt move anyplace. personally, it sounds like a coilpack problem to me. or spark plugs. something in the ignition system. i had a problem like this with my old car, right around 3-4k it would start studdering kinda and i replaced the coilpacks and it went away.

[audipotential]

I am moving from PA to Miami in the next week and I am driving 1300 miles in a matter of a day. Last thing I need is to break down in the middle of nowhere... Please help!!

I am having a problem diagnosing whether or not I need a new clutch or peices of the clutch system or what. I am having slippage in gears 1, 2, and 3 under a hard load... When I release the clutch pedal and get on the gas, throughout the RPM range, you feel the car studder and the transmission or clutch not pulling steadily... I feel a loss in power and some kind of slippage when I run the car through the gears... Is this an indication that I need a new clutch or a part of the clutch. Maybe pressure plate, disc, etc... Can someone help me out on this...

This is not your clutch. If I had to bet, Id say plugs.

[audipotential]

studdering isnt really a cluth thing. i blew a clutch in my old car and it did exactly what brewmastr said. rpms shot up, but car didnt move anyplace. personally, it sounds like a coilpack problem to me. or spark plugs. something in the ignition system. i had a problem like this with my old car, right around 3-4k it would start studdering kinda and i replaced the coilpacks and it went away.

I was running platnum plugs for 10 K, Around 3200 under boost I would get shuddering.....Took the plugs out. The gap had gone down to .24. Changed to ngk coppers. Problem fixed

[Sonny 3.0]

Thanks for the input... I thought that it was the plugs originally, but I just replaced them with Denso Iridium IK20s. I just had two coil packs replaced (they stopped working on my way to the airport). Oh, I read something last week about trying to put the car in 6th and rev it up and release the clutch. The car stalled, but not until after I had let the clutch out almost all the way.

My only other thought might be a fuel filter or pump... Is this possible. I have also noticed I have poor throttle response. I am at least going to replace the fuel filter this week. I will keep you all posted.

If I do need to replace the cltuch, flywheel, pilot bearing, etc... Do any of you have a good recommendation on where I should start looking, brands, etc... Thanks for the help.

[BOPOH]

when you did ebrake thing did you smell clutch? when mine was going out i would drop from 5K rpm and my car would studder with noise like im burning out but after a minute i would smell burned clutch. So if you dont smell clutch i think its fine. just my 2 cents