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I have a 2009 toyota matrix with 150k on it. I bought it used but I believe the clutch is the original

Yesterday it felt very soft. I could slip it in 5th with full throttle, and it wasn't grabbing when shifting. I figured it's time for a new clutch and these are the signs.

This morning, it feels completely different. It grabs harder at starts and in shifts, and I couldn't slip it on the highway ramp in 5th.

Being a 2009 I assume it's a hydraulic self adjusting clutch - is this correct? If so, what could be going on here - can a cold morning put that much life back into a clutch?

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I've personally got a clutch hot enough to start to slip and found it to be perfectly serviceable the following day and for many months thereafter. It's also possible to "glaze" a clutch friction plate which will then cause to to slip until the glaze has been bust off it. Racing, I've done this by pouring cola across the friction plate (not diet).

All that said, you should probably take it as an early sign that the clutch may be approaching the end of it's life.

It's unlikely (although not impossible) that this relates to the hydraulic actuator jamming. I've seen it in a Dodge Viper competition car before where the slave cylinder wasn't releasing cleanly causing the clutch to remain slightly disengaged. It therefore could conceivably be worth bleeding the system although this may not have any affect.

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  • It looks like it may have been a glazing. The clutch has been fine for a few drives now. Can you explain how heat would cause the clutch to slip? All I can think of is a softened flywheel (from heat) would grip better
    – Brydon Gibson
    Commented Oct 31, 2018 at 11:48

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