CC:

Quick question, what is the main killer of clutches? Yes, bad drivers are out there. They’re detrimental to clutches. And when they don’t know how to drive, they usually burn up a clutch. Also, leaky remain seals, issues with the transmission itself being misaligned, also the actuation of the clutch and the pressure plate itself. But the main thing and the source of all of these other problems could be friction. Friction generates heat. If the clutch disc flywheel and even the pressure plate get too hot, well, they’re going to damage and they’re not going to be able to generate friction in the same way. The hotter a component gets, the less friction it can generate and the lower the clamping load. So you get even more slippage and more heat in the system.

So how do you avoid this mistake? Well, you need to make sure that when you install a new clutch, you use all the applicable components. Those friction surfaces on the flywheel, the pressure plate, and also the disc itself need to make sure that they’re fresh, clean, not contaminated. Throwing a brand new disc on an older pressure plate or a flywheel can cause it to become contaminated. This can change the friction levels and increase the heat. So when you’re servicing a clutch, keep in mind that this needs to be clean and generating the proper levels of friction. If you don’t, well, it’s going to slip and your customer is going to be back complaining of a slipping transmission. I’m Andrew Markel. Thank you very much.

This video is sponsored by Auto Value and Bumper to Bumper.