Talk:Clutch

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[edit] Clutch plate wear

Since I'm not a mechanic and don't truly understand how this works, I didn't change this, but the following sentence doesn't jive with what I do know about clutch operation:

When the right-most pedal (the accelerator/gas pedal) is pressed while the clutch pedal is being let out, the clutch plates wear out faster than normal, but this is often used for a hard launch.

Is it possible to shift into first gear without, at least for a short while, both pressing down clutch and accelerator? Simply releasing the clutch and THEN accelerating will stall the car. Trying to shift into gear and accelerate without pressing down on the clutch has the same result. So, this sentence seems wrong, but I'm allowing my stupid mind the benefit of the doubt. Can someone explain this? siafu 22:15, 16 May 2005 (UTC)

You are right, and I reworded the article to get this described better. —Morven 22:54, May 16, 2005 (UTC)
Phew. siafu 23:04, 16 May 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Clutch material

I'd like more information on what material clutches are made out of -- it just says "brake like material which used to be asbestos" but it doesn't say what it is now. The "Brake" article also fails in this regard, not discussing at all what modern friction brake materials are.


21/03/06 - Fixed a small grammar error.

August 1, 2006 - This may offend some baseball fans, but I removed David Ortiz's name from the article.

[edit] Diagram may be misleading.

Although I'm sure the first author understands the operation of a diaphragm spring, the diagram in the article may be misleading to readers unfamiliar with clutches. It seems to suggest that the throwout bearing is pushed to engage the clutch, when the opposite is actually true.

During assembly, the clutch disk is sandwiched between the flywheel and the pressure plate assembly. As the bolts that mount the pressure plate assembly to the flywheel are tightened, the diaphragm spring is put in compression as it firmly pushes the clutch plate against the flywheel.

The diaphragm spring is fixed to the pressure plate assembly cover at about 80% of its diameter, as because of this, works like a teeter totter. When the throwout bearing pushes the inside diameter of the diaphragm in towards the flywheel, it pulls the outside diameter out away from the flywheel, releasing the pressure on the clutch plate.

Perhaps I can make a cross-sectional diagram that would make this easier to understand.

One other small correction, in automotive and truck clutches, there are two type of torsional damping designs:

1. The most common, and the one the article mentions, is to have springs or rubber bushings between the clutch plate and it’s hub that allow a small amount of rotation between the two.

2. The other, not as common design, is to use a solid clutch disk / hub without springs against a two-piece flywheel, also called a dual-mass flywheel. The two flywheel masses have springs between them which perform the same function, damping torsional vibration. This design is more common in luxury cars and trucks.

John Thomas Pawlak 05:45, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

  • 17-Oct-2007: I've fixed the diagram description, adding, "At rest, all 3 rings connect, with no gaps" (diagram shows clutch lever pressed). -Wikid77 03:53, 17 October 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Very complicated

This article seems to have been written by a mechanic. Anyone able to clarify it and dumb it down a bit? The intro is also too short to provide any context that is useful. Lasdlt 02:21, 23 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Snoop Dog Teeth

"These cogs have matching teeth, called snoop dog teeth, which means that the rotation speeds of the two parts have to shizzle to the nizzle homie match for engagement." - I'm no mechanic but I'm sure this is a vandalising edit. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 82.46.47.9 (talk) 14:35, 4 May 2007 (UTC).

[edit] Slipping Clutch?

How does it occur? Professional Gamer 21:43, 17 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Clutch Slipping

I have a Toyota 4 Runner and recently if I press the ecelerator to hard it seems to slip. Does this meen its wearing out? (got it booked in to get a new one)

[edit] 3D Diagram

Is absolutely horrible. Like a person above said, it doesn't really illustrate how a clutch is assembled and functions. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.199.99.210 (talk) 02:52, August 28, 2007 (UTC)

Also, the text blends in with the background at the top. —[74.202.89.125] 17:18, 7 September 2007 (UTC)
  • 16-Oct-2007: I overlayed a bright label "Flywheel" at the blended-top, where text was too dark to read, using Template:Location_map to treat the clutch-diagram like a map with an overlayed label. -Wikid77 03:33, 17 October 2007 (UTC)
  • 16-Oct-2007: I have enlarged that 3D clutch-diagram, adding a long caption which explains the operation between components in the diagram. A picture might be "worth a thousand words", but it's a different thousand to each person who sees the picture: so, the caption adds a description of how the various components interact. -Wikid77 02:49, 17 October 2007 (UTC)