What is a clutch & maintenance tips

A clutch is a device for transmitting motion between two moving parts. It can be engaged and disengaged, and from a motoring point of view is either manual or automatic. A manual clutch is one where the motorist decides when to engage it and depresses a pedal, whilst an automatic depends upon the car itself ‘deciding’ when to activate it. The clutch in a car is used to engage the gearbox with the drive shaft, which transmits momentum from the engine.

What does a clutch do?

A clutch is a device that engages two moving parts but in the context of a motoring it has a simple function. A clutch:

• Engages the gearbox with the drive shaft
• The drive shaft transmits momentum from the engine to the wheels, via the gearbox
• A gearbox contains a range of cogs of different sizes
• If you think about riding a bike with gears it gives you an idea of how they work
• The smaller gear cogs allow you to pedal more easily, but once moving you have to pedal too fast to keep up
• Once moving a bigger cog allows you to maintain movement with less ‘work’
• These bigger cogs are however very difficult to move if you are stationary
• A car’s clutch enables you to engage the right gear in relation to how fast the car is moving, so as to minimise the amount of ‘work’ the engine does
• It can strain an engine if the wrong gear is being used
• Automatic gears now account for around 90% of sales
• In an automatic an electronic device allows the car to ‘decide’ which is the best gear to use
• The driver in an automatic only uses an accelerator pedal or a brake

The clutch plays an important part in making sure the gears are engaged with the drivetrain.

Clutch maintenance

If you own an automatic, your clutch and automatic gearbox will be checked by the mechanic when you get your car serviced. It is important to get regular servicing, so that the wellbeing of the automatic system can be maintained. If however you own a manual, there are some things you can do to ensure the long life of your clutch. The main one is to ensure you don’t ‘ride’ it. This means do not partly activate it, and leave the pedal partly depressed.  This can radically shorten the life of your clutch ‘plate’ which is the disc shaped part of the clutch assembly that actually contacts the gears and the driveshaft. Also make sure you know when to change gears. If you are in doubt make sure you get some lessons or expert advice. Generally you should try to stay within the 3000 RPM range for most cars, but you also learn to ‘feel’ when the engine is struggling or revving too high. Being taught how to drive a manual will impart this knowledge. And like with an automatic, regular servicing is extremely important. Your clutch does wear out through use and periodically needs to be replaced.  There may not be a lot of warning in terms of how it operates which is why you need to ensure a properly qualified mechanic takes a look at scheduled servicing times.