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So my clutch went out after 800 miles

22K views 50 replies 22 participants last post by  GR86Love 
#1 ·
Took my mom out Sunday for dinner, she and i noticed a "burnt" smell coming from the car. Thought nothing of it as its new and thats typical as things are being broke in.

Car was behaving normal, no issues shifting.

Next day Monday, after work. Went for a drive.

At a red light the clutch would not catch for several seconds, and started seeing smoke underneath. Finally got it in gear to go, praying to just get home.

At next red light, clutch is completely gone and clutch pedal got stuck to the floor. Using my foot was able to pop the pedal back and the clutch will not engage at all. Will shift freely between gears but will not connect at all.

This all happened literally an hour after i sold my corolla to Carmax, the irony is laughable i guess.

So its at Hendrick toyota, they had to request assistance from Toyota. So i guess its true they dont really know much about them at this point.
 
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#2 ·
That’s really strange, I had some burning smell on mine a few weeks ago, it only happened once and right around that 800 mile mark also.

I’m at ~2200 miles now. No issues with the clutch, I do have a burning smell but I think that’s from the new catback i just installed.

Keep us updated on what they find. This isn’t your first manual transmission right?
 
#3 ·
No, granted its been 10 years since my last manual, it came back like riding a bike, hence why i kept my corolla till i had put a couple 100's of miles on it just in case i was having issues getting back in step.

I had a 89 Chrysler Conquest TSI that was manual that i drove for years, til the motor blew in 2011?. Admittedly i drove that thing rough and never had clutch issues.Also drove a hand me down 1989 Izuzu Amigo MT i drove for years in high school / college. I actually miss the Amigo more lol, had more family memories in it i guess.
 
#4 ·
Which Hendrick Toyota are you getting it serviced at? I have a couple Hendrick locations around me and I've had only good experiences with them for servicing. Hopefully they'll sort out your car for you with no problems.
 
#9 ·
Happened Monday night, Dealer looked at it Tuesday (yesterday), called tuesday afternoon and the service mechanic said he had to request Technical Assistance from Toyota.

Probably contact them again end of today to see what they expect to have to do / how long itll take.
 
#14 ·
Hell, its going on two weeks now. This happened on the 4th.

Called me at 7:30 am today to say toyota authorized the repairs, but that i have to pay a portion as they determined it was "Driver caused" or some crap, and it would be done by today or by Monday.

Past the point of giving a damn to fight it, never had to deal with a vehicle blowing out on me while under warranty. Just want the damn thing fixed so i can be on my way,

Calls me at 3:30 in the afternoon to tell me he thought the parts were in but they're not and he has no way to know when they'll get them since it's a brand new model and parts may take time to get.

At least my 17x8 gold RPF1's on Michelins PS4S's that came in are keeping me company while i wait, but its the waiting that's killing me.

Tire Wheel Automotive tire Tread Synthetic rubber
 
#15 ·
Sounds like 1 of 2 things to me. Either there was a failure in the hydraulic system for the clutch.... or the tech, porter, sales person beat the living shit out of the car with basically no miles on it. That can glaze the surface of the clutch disc and flywheel causing excessive heat followed by failure.
Curious to see what they say the cause was.
 
#46 ·
Sounds like 1 of 2 things to me. Either there was a failure in the hydraulic system for the clutch.... or the tech, porter, sales person beat the living shit out of the car with basically no miles on it. That can glaze the surface of the clutch disc and flywheel causing excessive heat followed by failure.
Curious to see what they say the cause was.
Agreed - test drove a GR86 that was beat in the 12 miles before I test drove it and the fumes from the burnt clutch were strong. Here: Just got a new gr86. Is this normal?
 
#20 ·
Hard to explain but eff the warranty, eff the cost, eff everything else.

I want my car fixed and on the road and next time ill take it to the local shop and tell them to fix it with an aftermarket clutch.

I didnt buy ti to bitch about the warranty.

I bought it because its something i wanted for a long time and wanted to turn into something im damn proud to have for the next 10+ years.

Maybe im a little crazy, i dont care.
 
#22 ·
Gotta agree. My cars all get modded. I dont care about any of the warranty nonsense and I know the law and rules around how that works anyways. I make my cars the way I want them. This car is probably the one I have owned the longest that still has a stock ECU program, LOL. And that is only because there is nothing available.
 
#24 ·
Ended paying for labor but toyota covered all parts.

Back on the road and driving like grandma... well mostly.

Question, do the aftermarket clutch kits fit the new model or is there a difference in flywheel / cutch dimensions from old gen vs new?
 
#27 ·
Question, do the aftermarket clutch kits fit the new model or is there a difference in flywheel / cutch dimensions from old gen vs new?
Everything I see points to the flywheel and clutch size being the same. Exedy makes the OEM clutch for these cars and I have seen a video by them stating the 22 does have an upgraded unit compared to the gen 1 car. There is more clamping pressure on the pressure plate and a slightly more aggressive clutch disk material. Idk how much torque they will hold, but it is sure to be more than the gen 1 cars.
 
#28 ·
One thing about manual ownership from new is that a dealer will never replace a clutch or it’s components totally under warranty. You can fight it, but really it’s the factory that won’t pay squat for labor . Same with brake pads going out early. But with clutch parts, no matter what manufacturer, they use minimal quality specs from head to toe for the last 20 yrs or so. Way back when, you could beat the crap out of a clutch with no worries.
 
#29 ·
I wouldnt say that about all manufacturers. Definitely the germans though. My speed 3 has 170k miles on a stock clutch. It has a bigger turbo and nitrous and has been launched on full blown slicks more than any car I have ever owned. My last mustang gt had a stock clutch with a roush supercharger and some other bolt ons making around 750HP also on a stock clutch. My current daily beater has 228k miles on a stock clutch, which is another mazda. Only clutch I have ever toasted in my life was a GTI. But that whole car was a shit experience.
 
#33 ·
Clutch failed / shattered. Flywheel was blued from heat. No mention of hydraulic failure.

I admit i thrashed it a bit, launched a few times, but nothing radical. Maybe that was unwise lol, not sure.

Mind you ive never had a "powerful" sports car. My old conquest was a beater 2.6l turbo i think pulled barely 190 hp? I drove the hell out of that and beat it to crap and never had a clutch blow.

Maybe it was my driving, not sure but ive moved on. Job is busy with a hospital integration so i could care less to go through some long drawn out process about it.

In the end i paid a few hundred for labor and they covered all the parts, which was over 2k apparently, well at dealer markup prices.

I got the car back, 1300 miles in on the new clutch in 2 weeks and no issue.
 
#36 ·
Clutch failed / shattered. Flywheel was blued from heat. No mention of hydraulic failure.

I admit i thrashed it a bit, launched a few times, but nothing radical. Maybe that was unwise lol, not sure.

Mind you ive never had a "powerful" sports car.
Still havent. 😂😂
A little thrashing should be no problem when done right. Sounds like an oxymoron to say but there are right ways to drive hard. Very well could have just been a bad clutch. Who knows.
 
#34 ·
I'm slightly concerned as I still smell something although I'm not sure it's clutch (much more faint than I remember) but I have 400 miles and it's still there.
Only owned one auto car. Probably 500ks of driving. My wrx clutch took a beating after having one wheel peel fwd cars prior. Couldn't be Slightly aggressive like I was used to and I had the most ridiculous driveway.

Still no clutches replaced since my 88 jetta with 130k's.
 
#35 ·
I'm slightly concerned as I still smell something although I'm not sure it's clutch (much more faint than I remember) but I have 400 miles and it's still there.
Only owned one auto car. Probably 500ks of driving. My wrx clutch took a beating after having one wheel peel fwd cars prior. Couldn't be Slightly aggressive like I was used to and I had the most ridiculous driveway.

Still no clutches replaced since my 88 jetta with 130k's.
I drove a Jetta manual from that time period. It was the easiest, smoothest, mistake free rowing on a clutch I ever experienced. Not a performance model either. I never felt a clutch and shifter as sweet as that. Granted , I never drove a Miata.
 
#39 ·
adding something along this issue, could it partially with the hill assist feature?

I've own / track / daily for 20 years with few cars. never ever prematurely worn out one clutch. I live in Seattle so i know a thing or 2 to deal with the hill areas around. the 86 hill assist is great convenient feature for me. However I do feel when in reverse, it seems to drag a bit too much than in 1st gear. I caught myself smelling clutch burn after backing into my usual spot at home couple times when I was in break in period. and just couple nights ago backing into my friend's steep driveway. ( the whole time I did't feel like there's any moment i dragged the clutch at all)
 
#40 ·
OP, did you notice loss of power before the clutch went out?

I was driving on very hilly roads, and was smelling a burning smell like clutch. My cars felt very weak ever since.
I'm at ~5500 miles now, and really hate the clutch feel in this car, even with the mtec clutch spring, it still feels vague.

Hoping I didn't burn the clutch out.
I've been driving manual for 15+ years, and never had any clutch go out or anything like that in the 5-10 cars I've owned.
 
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