- Engine or gearbox mounting is defective or mounting bolts are loose. This means that when the clutch is switched, vibrations of the power unit occur.
- The driven disc lining has burnt out or hardened, which means slipping occurs between the clutch and the flywheel. This can happen, for example, when towing another vehicle over a long distance.
- The drive disk is misaligned due to severe overheating, that is, the working surface is no longer smooth.
- To determine the cause of the problem, in all cases it is necessary to remove the clutch and driven disc. If the clutch fails on the road or it no longer engages or disengages, you can drive to the nearest service station. Perhaps even with some skill at shifting gears. If the clutch fails when the car is moving with the gear engaged, and you need to disengage the gear, release the gas and move the gearbox lever to neutral. If the gear gets stuck, you can add a little gas until the gear lever releases.
To drive off without a clutch, proceed as follows:
- Turn off the engine and engage first gear.
- Turn on the starter. The car begins to move jerkily until the speed of the engine and the drive are equalized. If the engine is cold, it should be preheated so that it does not immediately stall. If you manage to move off in second gear on a flat road, you can thus drive to the nearest service station.
- If you want to try to change to a higher gear, start as described in first gear and increase the engine speed to approximately 1000 rpm. Reduce the gas slightly and move the gear lever to neutral. Now fully release the gas pedal and move the gear lever to the second gear position. When the engine and gearbox speeds are equalized, the gear will engage. If the intermediate engagement time is too long, apply a little gas again to engage the gear. Shift to higher gears only at lower speeds, so approximately to second gear at 20 km/h, to third gear at 25 km/h and to fourth gear at approximately 35 km/h. It's hardly worth switching to fifth gear.
- When downshifting, increase the engine speed so that you can engage the next gear. Let off the gas a little, switch out the gear, then press the gas pedal hard. The next moment, move the gear lever towards the position of the next lower gear. At the correct engine speed, the gear should engage. Make downshifts also at lower speeds to keep the gear shifting process under control. If there are squeaks when shifting, check the gear shift again. Synchronization makes gear shifting easier.