Clutch Troubleshooting: Common Issues and Causes

clutch /

July 2025

4 minute read

Clutch troubleshooting isn't actually that difficult. If your vehicle has a clutch problem, working out what the issue is and deciding how to repair it is pretty easy â you just need to be patient and logical.

Once you understand the parts of a clutch, and how they interact, finding and fixing any problem should be easy. There are two basic ways a clutch fails â it either fails to disengage, or fails to engage fully.

1 Is the clutch pedal stuck down or fails to disengage when pressed?

In normal, modern stop-and-go driving, you probably press the clutch pedal in every few seconds. And on that one time when you press it and the car still creeps forward, you know you have a problem. Sometimes a part fails and the clutch goes from working normally, to not working in an instant. Other times it is a gradual deterioration. Each of these failure modes has different causes, and how it failed can be a big help in figuring out how to fix it.

Sudden failure could be caused by:

Broken/loose clutch cable
Broken/loose linkage
Failed hydraulic master/slave cylinder
Leaking hydraulic line
Improper fit of throwout bearing with pressure plate
Disc contaminated with foreign material

Gradual/intermittent failure can be caused by:

Stretched cable
Bent linkage
Failing master/slave cylinder
Low hydraulic fluid
Broken motor/transmission mount
Overheating (clutch works normally from cold)

2 Does the clutch fail to engage properly?

A clutch that doesn't engage fully, or slips under heavy load, is the normal symptom of a worn-out friction disc or pressure plate that has lost its tension. When you press the clutch pedal to disengage drive and change gear, the resistance you feel is the diaphragm spring that presses the friction disc to the flywheel.

If the spring pressure is not great enough, or the clearance between all the parts is too great, there won't be enough friction to transmit the power from the motor to the transmission. Friction discs wear and get thinner, and springs get weaker with time and use, which is why all clutches eventually start to slip. The sudden onset of a slipping clutch usually indicates that an oil leak, or something else has contaminated the friction surfaces.

If the clutch doesnât seem to be working at all, the issue could be:

Binding in linkage or cable due to corrosion
Bent linkage
Seized slave cylinder
Seized throw out bearing
Failed pressure plate diaphragm
Failed friction plate

If the clutch slips under load (such as when going up a hill), the following may be to blame:

Poorly adjusted cable/linkage
âNormal friction plate wear from use
Glazed friction surfaces from slipping
Worn flywheel friction surface
Weak pressure plate diaphragm springs
Leaking engine rear main seal
Leaking transmission input shaft seal
Warped/overheated pressure plate or flywheel.

flywheel, clutch, pressure plate and throwout bearing

Other clutch issues

Beside not engaging or disengaging, there can be other clutch problems, such as noisy operation, or chattering on engagement.

On older mechanical linkages, lack of periodic lubrication can lead to high effort or binding in pivots or cables, or a pedal that does not return smoothly. A bad throwout bearing can be a major headache in stop-and-go traffic, making horrible noises every time the clutch pedal is depressed. These are often annoyances more than anything else, especially since fixing them often involves removing the transmission/transaxle to get to the parts.

Clutch chattering