I have some questions about my 2011 Hyundai Accent
January 4, 2022 2:31 PM Subscribe
While changing gears on the Interstate on-ramp the other day, my clutch pedal sank to the floor, but I was able to pull it up again with my left foot and get home. I have another ride, but I'd like to decide if I should invest the money to keep this one. (Alert Mefites will notice that, yes, I did ask this question before).
This car has nearly 198,000 miles on it, and it has been wearing like iron. Other then brakes, batteries, and tires (and oil changes of course) bet I didn't spend $2000 on it over the life of the car (purchased in October 2010).
I've had an alternator replaced, as well as a couple coil packs, which seem to be a weak spot in that model/year. Of course I replaced the timing chain. My mech. put in a new clutch several years ago, and when I asked him what the warranty was, he said, "for the life of the car." Well, let's see if he even remembers saying that. He is a good guy and quite reasonable, has been my mechanic for 20 years. If I only had to pay for the parts that wouldn't be too bad.
Also, what's with a hydraulic clutch? Is it different than an old fashioned one? Can I keep on pulling the pedal up with my foot and make it to his place 3-5 miles away? Or is that a terrible idea? (He has no tow truck, I suppose to keep costs down, but I have AAA.)
It is beginning to burn a bit of oil.
How do I decide if I am at that point of diminishing returns (One Hyundai commercial quotes as one car having a million miles on it, but I am sure that is not typical.)
This car has nearly 198,000 miles on it, and it has been wearing like iron. Other then brakes, batteries, and tires (and oil changes of course) bet I didn't spend $2000 on it over the life of the car (purchased in October 2010).
I've had an alternator replaced, as well as a couple coil packs, which seem to be a weak spot in that model/year. Of course I replaced the timing chain. My mech. put in a new clutch several years ago, and when I asked him what the warranty was, he said, "for the life of the car." Well, let's see if he even remembers saying that. He is a good guy and quite reasonable, has been my mechanic for 20 years. If I only had to pay for the parts that wouldn't be too bad.
Also, what's with a hydraulic clutch? Is it different than an old fashioned one? Can I keep on pulling the pedal up with my foot and make it to his place 3-5 miles away? Or is that a terrible idea? (He has no tow truck, I suppose to keep costs down, but I have AAA.)
It is beginning to burn a bit of oil.
How do I decide if I am at that point of diminishing returns (One Hyundai commercial quotes as one car having a million miles on it, but I am sure that is not typical.)
Is the clutch still operational once you lift the pedal up? if so, it could be just a return spring broken if it's a hydraulic clutch. if it's a cable-operated clutch, it's probably just a broken cable. Get it to your mechanic - there's no reason you can't drive it a few miles if the car is drivable.
posted by dg at 2:40 PM on January 4, 2022
posted by dg at 2:40 PM on January 4, 2022
Sounds more like a slave or clutch master cylinder issue to me. The leaks past the seal have allowed the pedal position relative to the clutch to change - they usually don't have return springs other than the clutch springs itself. The seals are worn enough they are unable to maintain pressure in the system while activating the clutch - pulling the pedal back like you describe aligns with that perfectly.
Can I keep on pulling the pedal up with my foot and make it to his place 3-5 miles away?
Well.... yes. But you likely only have a small (and finite) amount of clutch pushes left before it stops working completely. If it were me, I'd drive there when traffic was light and not use the clutch for any of the shifts and it would likely be fine. But if you don't know how to shift without a clutch you can do MUCH more expensive damage that way. It is a risk, either way, and it may just..... fail. In which case the pedal will do nothing and you can only disconnect drive by putting it in neutral.
if it were me, and I *didn't* know how to shift without the clutch I'd do it also when traffic was light, drive with the minimal of gearshifts (ie skipping gears and only downshifting when absolutely necessary - slowing to walking pace in 4th, then knock into neutral. Engage clutch only to get back into first to pull away) and wing it. Calling AAA if it was an issue between your house and his. If time/drama is not a concern for you, do that. Otherwise tell AAA it broke on your way home and have them tow it from your house to your mechanic, which may be more convenient a solution.
Also, what's with a hydraulic clutch? Is it different than an old fashioned one?
Er. A hydraulic clutch IS the old fashioned one. The pedal pushes a master cylinder which pushes fluid down a pipe to near the gearbox, where a second cylinder is pushed by this hydraulic fluid and activates the clutch. The clutch itself is not hydraulic, the means to squeeze the clutch is - this path of force transmittal from pedal to gearbox actuator was later replaced by a cable on more modern cars.
200K, needs clutch, burns oil, only spent 2K in 10 years ?... time to move on
Honestly this sounds like exactly the opposite, to me. This may be a relatively minor fix if it is external to the gearbox (which is may well be) and not all that expensive even if the box needs to come off. This is just a wear and tear thing and I'd definitely fix this and keep using the car. Only if engine or gearbox failure itself (or chassis damage) would be enough to switch to a newer car, frankly.
posted by Brockles at 3:00 PM on January 4, 2022 [6 favorites]
Can I keep on pulling the pedal up with my foot and make it to his place 3-5 miles away?
Well.... yes. But you likely only have a small (and finite) amount of clutch pushes left before it stops working completely. If it were me, I'd drive there when traffic was light and not use the clutch for any of the shifts and it would likely be fine. But if you don't know how to shift without a clutch you can do MUCH more expensive damage that way. It is a risk, either way, and it may just..... fail. In which case the pedal will do nothing and you can only disconnect drive by putting it in neutral.
if it were me, and I *didn't* know how to shift without the clutch I'd do it also when traffic was light, drive with the minimal of gearshifts (ie skipping gears and only downshifting when absolutely necessary - slowing to walking pace in 4th, then knock into neutral. Engage clutch only to get back into first to pull away) and wing it. Calling AAA if it was an issue between your house and his. If time/drama is not a concern for you, do that. Otherwise tell AAA it broke on your way home and have them tow it from your house to your mechanic, which may be more convenient a solution.
Also, what's with a hydraulic clutch? Is it different than an old fashioned one?
Er. A hydraulic clutch IS the old fashioned one. The pedal pushes a master cylinder which pushes fluid down a pipe to near the gearbox, where a second cylinder is pushed by this hydraulic fluid and activates the clutch. The clutch itself is not hydraulic, the means to squeeze the clutch is - this path of force transmittal from pedal to gearbox actuator was later replaced by a cable on more modern cars.
200K, needs clutch, burns oil, only spent 2K in 10 years ?... time to move on
Honestly this sounds like exactly the opposite, to me. This may be a relatively minor fix if it is external to the gearbox (which is may well be) and not all that expensive even if the box needs to come off. This is just a wear and tear thing and I'd definitely fix this and keep using the car. Only if engine or gearbox failure itself (or chassis damage) would be enough to switch to a newer car, frankly.
posted by Brockles at 3:00 PM on January 4, 2022 [6 favorites]
I did a tiny bit of research and this looks like very cheap job (on the order of $2-$300) assuming it's not something less obvious. I would fix it without a second thought, especially given where used car prices are.
posted by wotsac at 4:20 PM on January 4, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by wotsac at 4:20 PM on January 4, 2022 [1 favorite]
If it's cable clutch, the cable's broken. But I am pretty sure you have a hydraulic clutch, which means either low fluid level... or either the master or slave cylinder has failed. Replacing it is a couple hundred bucks, and the part itself is less than 100. I'd say this is a fix item.
To make it to your mechanic... Can you stay in 2nd gear and go local streets with hazards on and limp there?
posted by kschang at 5:24 PM on January 4, 2022
To make it to your mechanic... Can you stay in 2nd gear and go local streets with hazards on and limp there?
posted by kschang at 5:24 PM on January 4, 2022
Agreed with Brockles on many points (ok, so all their points), and as for the value of the car -how is the body, is that in good shape, little rust or damage, no issues there? Good body, get the repair.
posted by kellyblah at 8:54 PM on January 4, 2022
posted by kellyblah at 8:54 PM on January 4, 2022
Response by poster: Thank you for all the input. It's a good thing I know about this site because the internet would tell me the opposite.
And, life is too short for more drama -- the ride to the mechanics sounds terrifying, and that's what I pay AAA for -- to use their services..
posted by intrepid_simpleton at 7:51 AM on January 7, 2022
And, life is too short for more drama -- the ride to the mechanics sounds terrifying, and that's what I pay AAA for -- to use their services..
posted by intrepid_simpleton at 7:51 AM on January 7, 2022
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by lobstah at 2:39 PM on January 4, 2022 [2 favorites]