[Shotimes] PLEASE help me diagnose problem!

[Mark D. Mallory]

> Ricer that I work with and I were out dinking around, and doing burnouts.
> At one point, I dropped the clutch, and nothing happened, other than the
> revs hit the limiter, and the clutch got stinky.
>
> Car still seems to drive fine, and clutch still seems to work just fine,
> save for the stinky clutch smell.
>
> Any ideas?
>

You tried to fry the clutch... this is what people mean by "you burned out
the clutch."  Basically, you didn't let it out fast enough or it was
slipping (or starting to slip) to begin with.  Instead of the clutch disc
clamping to the fly wheel and making you go, the pressure plate kept the
clutch disc in contact with the fly wheel while the fly wheel spun like mad.
End result... well think of what happens to your brakes when you go from
70 - 0 in 5 seconds.... lots of heat, glazing of friction material (pads on
the brakes and clutch disc on clutch), as well as scorching of metal surface
(rotors on the brakes and fly wheel on the engine).  That'd be the smell
you're smelling.

As long as the clutch is working you should be ok... I would expect it to
slip a bit more than usual due to the glazing and scorching of the clutch
disc and fly wheel, respectively.  I don't recommend you do that anymore
either... probably the fastest way to wear out the clutch disc and fly
wheel.

Mark Mallory
Toledo, Ohio
'95 SHO MTX