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Colorado clutch slipping

franz_esser

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Jan 30, 2014
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great_britain
Hi all


First post on the forum...great site!


I bought a '98 Colorado recently with 190k miles on the clock, not in the best shape and sorely needing some TLC. Have done my best to fix 'er up - new alternator (well a used one that works anyway), new batteries, full service (fluids and filters). In case it's relevant, I recently got stuck in a swamp and gave the clutch more of a hard time than it would have got on a normal day...


Today I noticed that my clutch was slipping while driving on the motorway...quite badly. This problem definitely went from zero to significant in a day, which I find surprising. Can a clutch fail that quickly, or could it be something else that I should check before getting a new clutch fitted (which extends beyond even my DIY ambitions and hence will cost £££)?


If I really do need to replace the clutch, what should I look out for in terms of parts? Would these do (bearing in mind the age of the vehicle and that I don't intent to keep it forever....).


1. Eurocarparts - Sachs kit £190
2. E-bay - QH kit £190
3. E-bay - Borg & Beck £158


Any other advice/thoughts welcome please!
 
Provided its genuine, you could do worse than that Borg & Beck.
 
Provided its genuine, you could do worse than that Borg & Beck.
Thank you. I've decided to take it to a local clutch specialist and they seem to indicate a price of £150 - 200 for the kit. I don't know how much markup they would put on this, but they claimed they will use good quality parts...I'll give them a buzz to ask what kind of part they intend to fit.The are charging £400 for labour plus parts. It's a lot but not unreasonable from the sounds of the size of job it is (and general advice I've picked up here not to try this at home without the right lifts and pulleys!)
 
Those prices sound reasonable, last clutch I bought was for a Clio, it cost me about £100 and that's trade. £400 labour isn't too bad either considering It'll probably stretch to a day's work and not something to really attempt at home.
 
I would be very concerned exactly which parts they plan to fit.

They will naturally want to maximise their prifit, so that inevitebly means fitting the cheapest 3 pack they can lay there hands on providing it lasts the 1 years warranty.

Why don't you buy the parts, and get them to fit them while you watch, they are not substituted for cheapies at the last minute they see daylight.

I am not at all suspicious, , , , , ,

Gra
 
:text-yeahthat: Where are you based? If we knew, maybe someone could suggest a known local(ish) decent/honest garage which could help you.
 
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I had a clutch fitted 4000 miles ago that started to slip - it is now having a genuine toyota part fitted !!!!
 
When I bought my 80, the PO gave me the last service receipt, but it was very vague. Amongst a long list of oils, filters and stuff it included clutch kit and an overall price for parts and labour.

So, other than knowing it had a "new clutch" fitted 130k km ago, I have no knowledge of the make or even whether it was just the clutch plate, or a full cover & bearing change, which is obviously recommended at the minimum.

Now mine is showing signs of slipping under extreme duress, like now ploughing through deep snow and trying to park in/on uncleared spaces. :icon-cry:

My my advice is watch them like a hawk if you don't know the garage, 1 yr guarantee is nothing for a clutch kit. If they are trusted, then go with them if you wish.

Gra's advice is good, even though he's not suspicious:icon-wink: take care, clutches are an easy rip-off for a rip-off merchant!

Good luck!
 
Couldn't agree more ! Most garages will try to wriggle out of the warranty anyway saying you have ridden the clutch, my audi has done 180,000 on the same clutch - I don't ride the clutch. !!!
A few quid more on the kit is better than paying for it twice !!
 
To answer the question about clutches - can they fail that quickly? Well, yes, but do they? Not generally. But there is no black and white here. If you had a clutch that started to slip under normal wear and tear you might go 10 000 miles before one day you had no drive. If you took a new car and did burn outs all day like a Top Gear imbecile, you might get to dinner time if you were lucky.

If you have been in a swamp and prior to that it was fine, chances are it's just full of crap..

Changing clutch on a 95 is not a technically difficult job. But it's very heavy and fiddly too. Much easier when you have a body lift by the way. But for a garage with a hoist and proper jacks and stands, it's very straight forward. I have done one on the drive, completely by myself. £400 would look to be very good value to me.

I'd agree with Gra, get the clutch yourself perhaps and get them to fit it. Anything with Aisin or LUK on it would be fine too.
 
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