Diagnosing Clutch Drag

Clutch drag occurs when the clutch will not fully disengage. It causes gear clashing and the vehicle to creep in gear. If severe enough, the engine may stall even with the clutch pedal depressed entirely to the floor.

Excess free pedal travel also causes clutch drag and gear clash. Loose linkage replacement or clutch pedal adjustment will typically fix the problem.

Air trapped in the fluid results in a spongy pedal and incomplete disengagement. Check the cylinders and lines for leakage and bleed the air from the system to restore clutch engagement.

A warped pressure plate, flywheel, or clutch disc causes drag as the friction disc spins.

A frozen or worn pilot bearing causes the input shaft to spin, resulting in a rumbling or whining sound. A faulty pilot bearing is loudest when the clutch pedal is completely pressed to the floor.