akshay67

SORRY TO POST THIS IN THE GENERAL, BUT I NEED URGENT HELP!

About 15mins ago I was at the lights and I revved up and shot off. When I hit 40mph, the car wouldn't go any faster no matter how much gas I gave or what gear I was in - lots of smoke was coming out of the exhaust and there was a nasty burning smell - what the hell happend? I pulled up and looked under the bonnet - no visible damage, just lots of burning smell.

I'm just thinking that it was like I was stuck in first gear at 40mph and nothing was happening, even though I put the gear stick into second and then third - no response in any gear.

I'm not sure what to do. Please help.

Caronte

what colour is the smoke?

akshay67

forgot to say once I had stopped to have a look and pulled off again the car seemed fine, but I didn't push it as there was so much burning smell and I didn't want something to go bang

akshay67

I was normal/cloudy - no particular hues

Caronte

black smoke?
white?
blue?

akshay67

white/bluish - I have tinted windows, so hard to tell exactly

n5pug

Do you mean revs went higher but the car did'nt go any faster ?

If yes then you smoked the clutch

akshay67

smoked the clutch? you mean killed it? It was ok after I stopped and restarted - or can a clutch sometimes pass out and then start working again?

The speedo was stuck at exactly 40mph (isn't the limiter for 32 in 1st - MY99?)

n5pug

Yep you can "smoke the thing" off the lights, stop let it cool or even take your foot off the gas and sometimes it'll be ok again you said you took it gently afterwards!

still not said wether revs climbed when speed did not tho

akshay67

Stupidly I just didn't think to look at the revs as I was on a dual carriageway and there were quite a few cars behind me and I just maintained it at 40mph (I foot on revs) in a bit of a panic and then just turned off. From the sound, it seemed the revs were very high.

RaZe-=Buzz=-

I did a bit of damage to my clutch the other day, and it was a nasty smell. But I knew what was happening so I eased right off, and it was fine, no smoke.

Sounds like you've done what I did but times 10, seeing as you got the smoke. If it was engine it would NO WAY have continued, and certainly wouldnt have been "alright"

Go easy on the loud pedal and you MIGHT not face a bill for removing your engine to put a new clutch in. Learn the lesson m8

Buzz

akshay67

Does this mean my clutch is shagged? when I got it serviced a month ago, the guy said that the clutch was only 50/60% through its life. Should I expect this to happen again?

n5pug

EDIT : OOPS double post


[Edited by n5pug - 7/22/2002 9:41:01 PM]

n5pug

Only my opinon here so take it as you please.
take it for a gentle spin and IF all seems ok then drive it a bit harder and see if the clutch trys to slip. (assuming it is this) but keep your eye on it incase it isnt the clutch,
take a fire extinguisher out with you just in case.
Does it start and run /idle ok? does it rev ok in neutral?
Dont blame me tho if the contents of the engine ends up on the tarmac , just my 2 pence worth

akshay67

Cheers guys...

OK, I'm gonna take it for a spin now, with a fire extinguisher!

n5pug

let us know how you get on

n5pug

hey Raze !!!!!

Is it an engine out job then for the clutch ???

That would go a long way to explaining the 1200 squid price tag for one to be fitted, and here's me thinking **1200 squid** :eek for a clutch...what's it made of...Gold !!!

akshay67

OK, just got back - couldn't really cane it cos there was a bike accident and loads of police around. But here are my observations:

1. It didn't happen again, but I didn't let it go off the light like I did when it did happen.
2. gears change, but on each change the car jumps - the gears are very very lumpy
3. Idles fine, revs fine.

Due to 2, the car feels very nasty to drive, as it really jerks when I change gear. What the hell is this? pls don't tell me that the clutch is gone :'(

RaZe-=Buzz=-

sorry, but thats EXACTLY what is sounds like

Pedal feel - is the clutch take up point right at the bottom of the pedal travel? If you are only getting the pedal just off the floor before it starts to creep then you have got clutch problems of some sort.

Yes, I THINK its engine out to replace the clutch.

n5pug

well I think your cl.............. oh ok I won't

akshay67

Oh no.

The biting point seems the same and I change just as normal, just that there is a nasty jerk - **** - so this is the clutch. Do u reckon I should do an ecu reset before getting out a loan?

akshay67

Actually, one would realise their clutch was about to go as the biting point would get crappier - this happend all of a sudden, I doubt the clutch went just like that. Maybe I'm in denial.

n5pug

perhaps it's the **BOX**
££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££ ££££££££
sorry mate, I'm in one of those moods tonight,
might have something to do with me selling my Pug this afternoon for 8,500 squid CASH.
oh dear thats not what you want to hear is it.

daz b

A mate had a new clutch in evo 6 £1250 sorry

n5pug

ecu reset ??? loan ??? that one went straight over the top of my head I'm afraid

STi wanna Subaru

iTrader: (1)

A new clutch is about £550. If it is your clutch it should show sign of slipping in 5th at about 3500 rpm (peak torque).

akshay67

Ecu reset to correct the jumpiness - in the hope that the clutch is not the cause of the jumpiness (and hence no loan to buy a new one!), because the car feels horrible to drive. Could all that smoke have screwed up the ECU settings by buggering some of the sensors?

My old man just checked it and said the smell is definately of a burnt clutch, although he feels when driving it the clutch feels fine.

The conclusion I'm gonna stick to is that maybe the clutch smoked as a one off and really it still has some life in it. The biting point is fine and the car pulls well again (bar the jerky-ness)

RaZe-=Buzz=-

Dads are great. If he reckons its fine then you can probably bank on it. Thats what Dads are good at, and they havent driven all those miles collecting and dropping you off without learning something about clutches

Let us know what happens! Im intrigued as to how you could damage an ECU with a clutch...Could you do the same driving past a particularly smokey bonfire?? Surely not...

daz b

Was the car jerky b4,poss running on ul

sure this won't help the main prob,just trying to narrow the problem.

akshay67

its always lived on Optimax.

I did think that maybe all that smoke could screw some settings to do with sensors - or maybe put the ECU into 'safemode'. The car feels crap to drive, so I'll do an ECU reset anyway.

I'll definately try what STi wannabe said and take it to 3500rpm in 5th

Many thanks guys - I'm just gonna sleep on it now.