shift sooner
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New User
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 2
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From: Simpsonville, SC
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What is currently happening is that I used to be able to shift from 1st to 2nd around 8 mph, now by 5 mph, 2nd to 3rd around 22 to 25 mph, now 15 mph, 3rd to 4th around 35 to 40 mph, now 30 mph, and I used to be able to drive in 4th up to 60 mph, now I have to shift to 5th by 50 mph. In 5th gear I can't go above 65 mph without getting rpm's way up there. The RPM's are building a lot quicker during the shifting range than they used to. Any thoughts?
Senior User
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 301
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From: Saskatoon
Another way to check the clutch is to drive at a constant speed (60 mph) and then punch the truck while applying the brake. Keep it going until the brakes slow the truck right down. You should be able to tell if it is slipping.
Senior User
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 279
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From: Kansas City, MO
No drive train expert, but don't rule out things like a torque converter, if it ends up not being the clutch.
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Post Fiend
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 14,947
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From: Topsfield, MA
There is no torque converter in a manual transmission.
All of the ways listed are inaccurate ways of judging a clutch's condition.
Go 25-30 mph...push the clutch to the floor, put it in 5th gear, and with the clutch still in, hold the engine at 2k rpm. Then literally dump the clutch and floor it at the same time. The engine should shoot from 2k down to about 800-900, and you should feel the truck jerk. If there is any slippage, the clutch might be your issue. It might feel a little weird, but it does not cause damage.
All of the ways listed are inaccurate ways of judging a clutch's condition.
Go 25-30 mph...push the clutch to the floor, put it in 5th gear, and with the clutch still in, hold the engine at 2k rpm. Then literally dump the clutch and floor it at the same time. The engine should shoot from 2k down to about 800-900, and you should feel the truck jerk. If there is any slippage, the clutch might be your issue. It might feel a little weird, but it does not cause damage.
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Elder User
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 553
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From: North Bend Washington
[QUOTE=MustangGT221]There is no torque converter in a manual transmission.
wana bet?
ok i'll tell you then.
it was VW's, i forgot what they called it, it was in the beatle early 70's, instead of the 4 spd was a 3spd with a vacuum operated clutch coupled with a torque converter. there was no cluth pedal instead clutch would be disengaged when the driver started to move the stick shift. that's the only time the clutch would operate, come to a stop and the torque converter did it's thing as well as provide torque multiplying. you could actually start out in 3rd gear. just had to put in that bit of trivia.
wana bet?
ok i'll tell you then.
it was VW's, i forgot what they called it, it was in the beatle early 70's, instead of the 4 spd was a 3spd with a vacuum operated clutch coupled with a torque converter. there was no cluth pedal instead clutch would be disengaged when the driver started to move the stick shift. that's the only time the clutch would operate, come to a stop and the torque converter did it's thing as well as provide torque multiplying. you could actually start out in 3rd gear. just had to put in that bit of trivia.
Postmaster
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 3,959
Likes: 9
From: USA
For purposes of FORD vehicles, there is no torque converter in a manual tranny-equipped pick-up truck.
I'm not familiar with the VW tranny you describe, but I do have some experience with auto-clutch trannys in motorcycles and there is no torque converter in those. The transmissions in both of my VW bugs were straight-up 4-speed manual gear boxes with a clutch. I have heard of the VW 'automatic' trans and do understand that VW was thinking 'outside the box' when they made that tranny....
For Dougbowling; It does appear, from your description, that the clutch may be be slipping.
I'm not familiar with the VW tranny you describe, but I do have some experience with auto-clutch trannys in motorcycles and there is no torque converter in those. The transmissions in both of my VW bugs were straight-up 4-speed manual gear boxes with a clutch. I have heard of the VW 'automatic' trans and do understand that VW was thinking 'outside the box' when they made that tranny....
For Dougbowling; It does appear, from your description, that the clutch may be be slipping.
Last edited by SoCalDesertRider; Aug 4, 2004 at 09:40 PM.