What problems might cause car to temporarily mimic bad clutch type symptoms?

Question

I noticed my car(civic vti 99) would on a few occasions have poor acceleration but rev really high and when this was happening I thought my clutch was on the way out. However after a few intermittent occasions this symptom disappeared.

Though the worn clutch type symptoms has disappeared, the car doesn't feel as peppy or vibrant as before and the sound isn't crisp like it used to be. I havea feeling whatever caused the car to loose acceleration and rev high on those intermittent occasions may still be present but in a mild way hence I cannot notice the symptoms.

Garage recently compression tested car and checked ignition both of which came back fine

The clutch does seem to be ok. Can you think of any issues which might cause a car to have the above symptoms in an intermittent way?

Answer 1

A sticking, old or worn slave/master cylinder can sometimes give these symptoms. They cause the issue by not releasing properly sometimes holding the clutch partially depressed. The same can also happen with a worn/damaged or sticking cable.

Also, a cable that is badly adjusted or one that has too little free play can give these symptoms, as a clutch wears the cable needs releasing slightly or it will keep a load on the clutch mechanism as if the pedal were partially depressed.

If a relese bearing has become dislodged and its not traveling smoothly it can also give similar issues.

Answer 2

A worn out clutch could actually be the reason for such a behavior. While in most cases the clutch plate is worn out evenly until clutch loses altogether it's ability to engage properly, there might be a case where the wear is a bit uneven (some dirt caught between the clutch parts or due to slight temperature deformation) so it would feel strange just until it was removed or evened out.