Hi I'm new to this forum but I've been amazed at the info so far. About 2 years ago my best friend sold me an 81 4wd GL wagon I guess its a 1600 but I can never seem to remember that number. It had 81k and now has 85k! and was in amazing shape. I havent hurt it too bad kept up with the basics but the clutch is slipping especially if the engine is hot. The tach shoots up and you have to baby it to get it to fully engage. I tried a cable adjustment which made things better but just barely. If I was in flat country I could probably just live with it awhile longer but here in SFCA the hills are everywhere. How do I tell if I need a new clutch or not. I did some searching and heard about bushings in the linkage but it cant be that simple. Whatever you can suggest or point me to some other threads would be great.

PS Looking for mechanic recommendations in NOR CAL

do you think the clutch is going? if you floor it, and the rpms go up, and the car doesnt speed up, then the clutch is slipping. thats about the only way to tell. you can powershift, and floor it before you let the clutch all the way out, and that will tell you if its getting close.

seems like they usualy make it to at least 120k miles before they need a clutch, unless its a turbo =]

the only other thing that could make it slip, is a cable that is too tight, but thats not usualy it =/

If your clutch fork has got clearance then replace the clutch ,and as it has been slipping you probably need to look at the fly wheel surface for scouring and get it machined if possible but it depends on how fussy you are ,check your spigot bearing i.e. the bearing in the middle of the fly wheel and if it feels grindy at all replace it ,bearings are cheap, to get the bearing out use a stick of dry lube and fill up the cavity behind bearing and use a close fitting punch through the inside of the bearing ,give it a tap and the hydraulic pressure will push the bearing out.Fit a new bearing by hitting on the outer race. Replace the clutch plate and pressure plate and the clutch thrust bearing , dont muck around because if its been slipping everything has probably been overheated.There are a few tricks to lining up your clutch plate If you need to know.

Old wally is correct; if you'll do it yourself, do it right and replace all the pieces as well as getting the flywheel re-faced. This would also be a good time to go to the larger clutch. It would require replacing the flywheel, but the larger clutch will last much longer. Clutches came in two sizes: 200 mm and 225 mm (or 7-7/8" and 8-7/8" for the metrically challenged) for the 2WD and 4WD cars. A quick trip to the junkyard and you can get a cheap flywheel off of a 4WD vehicle and have it re-surfaced first and use it to replace your existing one. The best price I've found on clutch kits is theclutchplace@aol.com (ask for karleen). Last time I bought a kit it was $130 plus shipping. Good luck with it.

 

I just re-read your post, and you car is 4WD. However, I suspect you have the earlier, smaller clutch since 85K is a bit early for it to wear out. I'm also not positive that the 1600 engine would take the larger clutch flywheel but I'm sure someone on the Board will correct me on this.