what's wrong with my clutch?

[Crazy-Horse]

Hello,

I own a 2001 Toyota Corolla CE 5 speed manual. I have owned this car slightly over a year and have put about 14,000km on it in that time. When I bought the car from Toyota, they put a new clutch in it before they sold it to me @ 72,000km.

Since the day I took it home I have had a hard time with the clutch, it is very sensitive. As an example on level ground, if I do a fairly quick start, say 2,000rpm you will get a slight smell of a burning clutch. 1,000-1,500rpm seems to be the sweet spot where you will not smell the clutch on level ground. Now hills are a different story.

Where I am from we have tons of hills that are very steep, to get the car going on many you have to rev it up to around 2,000rpm which makes the horrible smell.

I have driven manuals before with NO issue, when I drive with people, I see them rev it way up to get started with no smells...

Also, I had the motor replaced under warranty 5,000km ago. I asked them to check the clutch to see it's condition since they had to drop it all anyways. They told me it looks fine with slight wear.

Why the smell so easily then? It's embarrassing when people drive with me because either I will have to bog the engine down on big hills, or smell the clutch!

I don't think it's my driving either. My father who buys nothing but 5 speeds hates my car and says he has never seen one with such a weak clutch.

bahhh! This may be my last Toyota, I don't feel the quality is there anymore.

[falnfenix]

was this a dealer purchase? what's the warranty on it? sounds like the clutch was pretty well gone when you got it...in which case, don't blame the car. blame the previous owner.

[Crazy-Horse]

Thanks for the reply, but like I said..

Toyota put a new OEM clutch in the car before I bought it from them. There is only aprox. 15,000km on this clutch.

Also like I said the clutch isn't warn bad at all, they checked it when they replaced the engine only like 5,000km ago.

It doesn't slip or anything, just smells really really easily.

[falnfenix]

could just be a bad part...

[ghost_ryder35]

why'd the engine have to get replaced? i'd have a mechanic you know and trust tear it down and take a look. if your smelling clutch something is wrong down there. did they resurface the flywheel when they installed the new clutch?

[Crazy-Horse]

The engine was replaced because it was consuming oil badly (at only 72,000km) 2 of the cylinders were out quite a bit, oval shaped causing the oil to get into the combustion chamber.

$4,500 job that cost me nothing! Man dealer work is expensive.

I am pretty sure I remember reading that they put in a new flywheel when then did the clutch right before I bought the car. I'll check next time I'm at the dealer.

Who else here drives a manual 98-02?