Clutch slipping?
 

Good morning,

Questions for all you mechanically inclined Outdoorsmen and women out there. :)

We have a 2003 Ford Focus 5 speed manual transmission. Sometimes when I am starting out in 1st gear, the car goes slow and then finally seems to kick into gear. And even when I switch gears there seems to be a hesitation. The engine never stalls.

I tried testing the clutch by putting the emergency break on and slowly letting out the the clutch in 1st gear and then again in 2nd. Both times the gear did engage causing the engine to stall.

The other thing is the engine light came on a while ago. I brought it into Autoparts to just have them read the issue. Problems came up with oxygen sensors. So like a fool, I replaced both oxygen sensors without checking other possibilites. However, the engine light stayed on and it still indicates the oxygen sensors have a problem.

So my questions are:

1) Can bad oxygen sensors cause the car to hesitate when starting off in 1st gear and also when switching gears?

2) If the engine does stall doing the emergency break test with the clutch, does that mean the clutch is ok, or could the clutch be on it's way out with the symptoms described?

I have never replaced a clutch so all feedback is welcome.

It is a perfect little car for booting around town, so if I can fix it, it is a win. If not, the car owes us nothing at this point. :)

Thanks

if you let the clutch out when driving, and the engine is revving up but the car isnt going faster then its slipping.

most clutches wont slip much, but youll notice it.

as far as the o2 sensors, could be a bad catalytic converter causing them to go off.

You should be able to feel the clutch engage as you let out the clutch pedal, and it should fully engage when the pedal is still a ways from being fully released. And you should feel if it is chattering or slipping. If the vehicle has a tach, you should also see where the clutch starts to engage, and if the clutch is slipping by watching the rpm. If you are not capable of feeling/hearing/seeing when the clutch engages, or if it is slipping/chattering, seek out someone more mechanically inclined to drive the vehicle, as there is no way for us to tell you if the clutch is slipping or chattering from your post.

Is this your first manual? When I ride with the daughter, I suggest she operate at a higher rpm, as she ‘lugs’ the engine with low rpm. The results are sluggish pull away, until the engine gets closer to its power band.

What rpm are you clutching at? Clutched vehicles like to pull away briskly. Practice squawking your tires, then back off a bit.

Clutch
 

Thanks for the feedback.

I have owned and driven manual transmission vehicles for over 30 years. Just never once had an issue with a clutch. So never had the need to change one myself. Just lucky I guess. hahah.

I will just bring it in somewhere and see what they think. Might as well know for sure.

Thanks again.

Nice thing about standard transmission and clutch is you never have to replace auto transmission at very high cost every few years. Most important is never ride your clutch, get your foot off the pedal.

A lot of things could be giving you the o2 sensor fault.

You changed the sensors- now change the pigtails in the wiring.

Try driving an hour or so with the fuel cap off (Honda thing)

Catalytic converter may be bad.

Fault may be in the ecu rather than the o2 sensors, or at any point along the wiring harness.

As for the sluggishness I would suggest starting simple. Check your air filter and spark plugs. When I met my wife she had a manual civic. She had the same complain As you, almost word for word, but it also idled a bit rough. Turned out her air filter had never been changed.

Colin

Did you erase the codes after changing the o2 sensors. Other wise the light stays on.

The throw out bearing slave cylinder could be low on fluid or have air in it. Thre clutch will often act like its slipping if either of the above is not right

My son's Mazda 3 went from good to slipping in a couple weeks. I drove it 2 weeks prior and said I think your going to need a clutch soon. He could not tell it was starting to go, his first car, never drove a stick before.

Engine revving but not moving at same rate is your first clue. Where the pedal is engaging off the floor is another. If it is the clutch, you will know soon enough. If it is slipping, you should feel it in every gear.


Buy a code reader at Princess Auto next time their on sale. Great tool to have.

So had the clutch replaced in the Ford Focus and runs like a charm. Thanks for all the feedback.