(2002 Z/28 MT 51000 miles) So just 2 nights ago... I accelerated pretty fast from a red light... and my clutch slipped pretty bad. I knew it did when i didn't chirp the tires at all. Then when I got out at the store and could smell it really bad. About 45 min later after the store... I wanted to see if it would do it again so I tried to burn a little rubber donut style. And sure enough... no burning rubber... just burning clutch! Aw crap...

So my car only has 51000 miles so to me it seems like the clutch shouldn't be worn down already. I don't drive like a speed racer... but maybe twice a week I jump on the gas to get some of that grin factor And I'm also not an amateur at shifting. Perhaps the one previous owner treated the clutch bad...

So does it seem weird that my clutch is already bad? Or could it be something else?

Thanks

 

A clutch can last for a while, but dumping the clutch or powershifting a few times can burn it up, especially seeing as you burned it up twice within an hour so. I would have guessed a clutch on these types of cars would only last 50k miles or so any way.

 

Yea well it's the first time it's ever happened so that's why it's worrying me! (how do you spell worrying?)

 

Is there a way to test a clutch without actually looking at it?

 

Yes there is, try this:
accelerated pretty fast from a red light... If your clutch slipped pretty bad and your tires don't chirp, then get out of the car and if you smell clutch its shot.

 

You can sort of test if it is slipping by: getting the car up to 30 mph and putting it in 6th gear, then flooring the gas pedal. Supposedly, if the car bogs or if the RPM's jump up, the clutch is bad.

 

51k aint bad. Its also been 8 years.

 

IF you glazed the clutch it will slip more than normal untill the glaze is gone. Doing what Failed Devices suggested and if the car boggs the clutch is not slipping that is good. If the RPMs jump up then that is bad new clutch time. Even if you pounce on it hard every now and then you can kill the factory clutch, they are not made for that kind of abuse. I have had customers bring me "Warranty" clutches before and you can see broken fingers on the diaphram, the little anti-shock springs broken and the tell tale sign of abuse the blue pressure plate and glazed disk.

If you want to pounce on the car every now and then I would suggest finding a better than stock clutch like a centerforce or what have you that is designed to take the pouning and not die on you.

Massey

 

Thanks for all the info. I think I might have "glazed" the clutch at the red light. Because I drove on it pretty normal for a couple days after that... and then tried a little somethin' to see if it would happen again last night and it didn't.

And I've never even heard of those little anti-shock springs breaking, that musta been some serious abuse!

All this time I've been looking at some new clutches... I know that you said Centerforce but I've been researching on a SPEC stage 1 clutch because they claim good things and are the cheapest. Any feedback on them? And the most mods I'll have probably ever will be a lid, headers, high flow cats, catback, and tune. So that's what kind of power I'll have just FYI.