[USNGTO]

I was out goofing off in the goat today. Me and a friend (2002 or so impreza WRX) were racing from light to light on the way out of work since there were no cars around. I am not sure what happened but my clutch got really hot. I could definetely smell it burning. :bomb: I think I accidently tried launching in 3rd or else something else was wrong because when i released the clutch and gave it gas, not much happened. ie: no great slingshot launch like I am used to. I quickly released the throttle and shifted to neutral and then to first. It took off fine after that. Like I said I think I just had it in third (90% sure) I continued racing and did a few more launches after that. Well after a while the smell went away and the car is still driving fine My only worry is: how much abuse like that can this thing take? is there any way to know if I did any real damage? I don't know enough about clutches and I am a little worried I may have hurt my car. Can anyone offer some advice? I know there are a lot of knowledgeable folks on this board, let me hear your $.02

 

[OrangeCrushM6]

I've smelled my clutch on a couple of occasions, but I'm not sure if it's really a problem. The more miles I put on the car the smoother the shifts get. This will bump
you to the top. Hopefully some gearheads willl see it and help you out.

 

[WickedGoat]

It should be fine, as long as you don't make a habit of that..... The burning smell is just the result of the huge amount of pressure being put on the disc against the plate and flywheel. As long as you took it out of 3rd quickly like you said, you should be fine. Don't worry, I've seen people do way worse than that. Have you had the clutch problems others have had with rough engagement and hard shifts? There is, I believe, a TSB floating around about insufficient torque on the pressure plate bolts which will cause those symptoms.

 

[GTOdriver7]

a friend of mine tried to do a brake torque in his M6 2000 SS. he wound up puttin to much pressure on the brake and burning up his clutch. he let the car run at idle for about 20 minutes to let it cool off "gently" instead of suddenly. ( sort of like stickying a hot pan in cold water). he said after this his clutch grabbed harder than before. that was about 3 years ago and i think he still on the original clutch. so i wouldn't worry too much. even if you do fry up your clutch that is all the more reason to get a SPEC 3

 

[USNGTO]

Thanks everyone so far. I feel a little better about my clutch now. By the way so everyone knows: despite what is said about the WRX all wheel drive and great launches I did out launch my friend 3 out of four times (with the fourth being the "clutch burner") afterward he said it looks like the GTO is getting fired out of a slingshot.

 

[OrangeCrushM6]

afterward he said it looks like the GTO is getting fired out of a slingshot.

A couple of months back my buddy and I went golfing. He was in a F-150,
me in my Yellow Jacket. On the way to the course he got on it while we were
next to each other. I slammed second gear and tore him a new ahole(of course), but the best part is he said he heard the car downshift and as I passed him he said it sounded like a nascar. Man did I ever get that SEG.
He's like that car is bad ass sounding stock. I said I know. :bubbrub

 

[USNGTO]

I like to roll my windows down and pull up next to other cars at about 3-4000 and just work the throttle up and down, listening to the exhaust note reflect off the other car whats even better is when the other driver looks over and either :eek2: or gives me a thumbs up. Even better than that is when they want to race.....

 

[wheelburns]

""a friend of mine tried to do a brake torque in his M6 2000 SS.""

Can someone give me the meaning or a brake torque??????????

 

[GMH GTO]

when you step on the brake and the gas at the same time, in an automatic car it will go to the stall speed of the converter until the tires start spinning. In a manual car little more tricky you have to let off the clutch and hit the brake simultaniusly while depressing the gas.

 

[mistermike]

...In a manual car little more tricky you have to let off the clutch and hit the brake simultaniusly while depressing the gas.

That's what the middle leg is for

 

[FLORIT]

That's what the middle leg is for

hahahahahahahaha

See numerous other threads for embarrassing confessions of shoddy shifting.

I would not worry about that "burning" smell. (It smells similar to a resistor that has been cooked beyond its power rating.) DISCLAIMER FOR MY SERVICE MANAGER: I can neither confirm nor deny any vehicle abuse... BUT... I have beat the ever livin' crap out of my clutch and shifter and the car is still running strong. Whatever changes I have noticed in the clutch and shifter are probably all in my head. The moral of this story is, don't sweat it. You still have some warranty left.

 

[radkon]

I was concerned about clutch burnout as well. After 5 runs at the strip last week I could detect a "flinty" smell from under the hood. I let it "cool down" and all seems fine. Thanks for the reassurance guys.

 

[CMNTMXR57]

These clutches do not like heat. As such, at the track, you can only "hotlap" the car 2-3 times anyway. Once you let it cool a half hour or so, it's fine again. But this repeated cycling will shorten it's life regardless.

In order to be more user friendly to the driver, GM cut the spring rates for clamping force down on the pressure plate. As such, under load, there is a greater chance for "float" or slippage of the clutch disc between the flywheel and pressure plate. This is where the heat is generated.

On the early F-Body, the Hydraulics were also at issue, but our cars don't really suffer from this.