Manual Clutch Smell

[Groves8]

I've had my Manual TRD Sport since April and I find I still randomly get a clutch smell. I drove a manual civic prior to this truck and literally never smelt my clutch, but I find if I even reverse up a small hit (My driveway) or sometimes from stop to start, I smell the I assume to be the clutch burning? What am I doing wrong, I feel like Im barely getting my RPM's up but maybe Im just noticing. Anyone suggestions if its me, the truck or if they have similar issues.

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[TacoFreak]

The first key is to spend as little time as possible with the clutch not fully engage - that is when it slips and you smell the clutch. In normal use you should never get any slip or clutch odor at all.

But on slopes at low speed that can be tough to do, and I have been driving sticks for years. You probably might need to add more throttle and more quickly release the clutch on hills. Reverse is geared lower than first, which makes your problem more likely to happen. Doing it right is a skill and makes your truck quicker. Learning to manage that stuff is what makes driving a manual worth the effort, and adds a dimension to driving that even a good automatic can't provide.

Driving a lightweight, agile Civic with a high strung engine is a pretty different thing, but it gives you the basics. Your truck is a lot heavier and has much more torque, which makes precise clutch engagement more critical. But being a truck it provides better feedback, making it easier to learn.

Play around with different ways to treat the clutch basically like an on/off switch with the shortest transition in between. It will run stronger and last longer. Take it out in the dirt and you will learn a whole lot faster. Hope that helps.

 

[Groves8]

The first key is to spend as little time as possible with the clutch not fully engage - that is when it slips and you smell the clutch. In normal use you should never get any slip or clutch odor at all.

But on slopes at low speed that can be tough to do, and I have been driving sticks for years. You probably might need to add more throttle and more quickly release the clutch on hills. Reverse is geared lower than first, which makes your problem more likely to happen. Doing it right is a skill and makes your truck quicker. Learning to manage that stuff is what makes driving a manual worth the effort, and adds a dimension to driving that even a good automatic can't provide.

Driving a lightweight, agile Civic with a high strung engine is a pretty different thing, but it gives you the basics. Your truck is a lot heavier and has much more torque, which makes precise clutch engagement more critical. But being a truck it provides better feedback, making it easier to learn.

Play around with different ways to treat the clutch basically like an on/off switch with the shortest transition in between. It will run stronger and last longer. Take it out in the dirt and you will learn a whole lot faster. Hope that helps.

Thanks for that! Yeah, I feel pretty confident with my ability, drove my civic for 7 years. Definitely something for me to improve on but I'm working on it. I'll try to get off the clutch faster on a hill. However, if you don't mind, my driveway is very short but slope backwards, so it's not really possible to fully let go of the clutch just due to the length and speed I'd be going at full release, should I just keep the RPM's low when going up it?

 

[TacoFreak]

Yeah - managing a clutch on a short slope is tough. It is natural to slip the clutch when your engine is at low rpm so it won't stall. Clutch slip makes it work like a torque converter, but burns clutch material. It keeps your engine running and truck speed slow but needs to be as short as possible. As I said that is tough to do, no matter how much we have driven manuals.

The trick is to keep the engine speed high enough to not stall but still not move your truck too fast in a tight spot on a hill! It is a delicate balance and takes a lot of practice. Try to keep engine speed low but not to where you stall.

Start with the best balance you can get while slipping the clutch as little as possible.

Every engine/transmission/clutch/vehicle combination is different and some are harder than others. I know that is easier said than done, but it possible and the more you practice the easier it gets. How did you handle that situation with your Civic?

I haven't driven a manual 4th gen, but people who own one should be able to give you some more specific advice.

 

[TacoFreak]

Oh - and thinking about it more, maybe it is the truck and not you at all. It seems like your 7 years with the Civic should have gotten you past the stuff I was mentioning.

It might be a good idea to have your dealer check out your truck to make sure the clutch is fine. I haven't heard about 4th gen clutch issues, but anything is possible. Good luck.

 

[24Canuck]

I took my 4th gen out into the wild this past week for it's first off road adventure. Was a learning curve for sure. I smelled clutch a couple of times until I (As TacoFreak mentions) started to abruptly engage the clutch keeping the rpm higher. I was rock crawling in most instances and found it a total baptism by fire routine!!
4 low in first gear with rear locker engaged ( I have an OR not a Sport) and it was an absolute mountain goat.

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