mysterious clutch problem

[cornet]

So took my Celica T-Sport into local garage for MOT and it failed on some minor stuff: brake binding and front headlight out of alignment. Balls to stripping down the brakes in the snow so get them to do and while they are there I give them oil and fuel filter and ask them to do that as well.

Pick up car, set off driving home (2 miles away).. Notice that the clutch is now slipping, 25mph in 4th, put foot down and it slips quite badly. Can get it to slip in 1st/2nd if I put my foot down hard enough.

Ring garage to let them know, get stock response of "was fine for us" etc.. So order new clutch book car in at another garage and drive like an old grandma over the weekend. Clutch still slipping if I'm not careful.

Sunday I go to drop the car off at the garage, figure clutch is on it's way out anyway so lets see how much its slipping now.... oh it's not. No matter what I do it won't slip! So drove car home, all still fine.

I've got 2 theories:

1.) Weather related
2.) Garage split oil and somehow made it's way to the clutch (though I can't see any evidence of this - though did find all the plastic clips which I replaced a few months ago are missing and have been replaced by zip ties ).

Never had this before, car has 80k on the clock and still on original clutch. Probably gonna keep the one I've ordered (£96 for Aisin clutch from japarts, which is apparently what toyota use anyway).


Any other theories ?

[Mafioso]

My work's LDV Maxus (crap thing) started slipping on the way back from a delivery once after I'd made quite a difficult delivery to a building site up a muddy bank in reverse. Tried my best to not burn the clutch while doing so but not enough obviously. Cue a little bit of slipping on hard(ish) throttle.

Get back and have lunch. Go out in it again in the afternoon and it never slipped again. I put it down to being hot or something. I'm no clutch expert. Were they moving your car around the garage like plebs on the clutch?

[lost in espace]

Its your legal right to return the clutch within 7 days you might never need it. If you do need one buy it then.

[cornet]

Mafioso said:

My work's LDV Maxus (crap thing) started slipping on the way back from a delivery once after I'd made quite a difficult delivery to a building site up a muddy bank in reverse. Tried my best to not burn the clutch while doing so but not enough obviously. Cue a little bit of slipping on hard(ish) throttle.

Get back and have lunch. Go out in it again in the afternoon and it never slipped again. I put it down to being hot or something. I'm no clutch expert. Were they moving your car around the garage like plebs on the clutch?

Picked car up Fri afternoon, was still slipping Sat afternoon so don't think it was that.

[cornet]

lost in espace said:

Its your legal right to return the clutch within 7 days you might never need it. If you do need one buy it then.

Indeed, however japarts said they were stopping stocking the clutch which is why it was so cheap. Most quotes I had were for around double what I paid.

[MarkP1973]

If you're hanging on to the car, just keep the clutch as a spare ready for when it's needed?

[BFG TERRANO]

Keep the clutch. If you don't need it now you got it when you do. Drive as normal when it gives up get recovered to a garage of your choice.

Years ago I had an XR3i that did exactly this. I thought it may be damp getting in. Carried on with it fine and sold it on the same.

[cornet]

BFG TERRANO said:

Keep the clutch. If you don't need it now you got it when you do. Drive as normal when it gives up get recovered to a garage of your choice.

Years ago I had an XR3i that did exactly this. I thought it may be damp getting in. Carried on with it fine and sold it on the same.

Yer figure I might as well keep it no doubt it'll need doing at some point. Going to keep a close eye on it. Suppose I probably ought to get some breakdown cover now just in case