Expert Technicians

All technicians have classes and training through ATRA – Automatic Transmission Rebuilders Association and ATSG – Automatic Transmission Service Group.

100% Guaranteed

At Cottman we back up our work with a 100% guarantee. We treat your car like it was our own.

Fair, Honest Pricing

We take pride in correctly diagnosing the issue with your vehicle and doing so at reasonable prices.

Clutch Repair & Service

Driving a car with a manual transmission is almost more of a dance than simply putting the car in gear. You press the clutch, move the shift lever, and release the clutch slowly while increasing the throttle just to get the car to begin to move.

And every shift requires pressing the clutch and releasing the gas, while you hold the steering with one hand and shift the transmission with the other. Every limb must synchronize to drive the vehicle, a dance in multiple gear ranges. Part of the dance involves your left foot pressing and releasing the clutch pedal. But exactly what is a clutch?

What Is a Clutch?

A clutch is a friction device that connects your car’s engine to the transmission. Pressing the clutch pedal releases the clutch, which separates the engine and transmission. This is what allows you to come to a stop without stalling the engine. It also makes shifting gears a lot easier.

The clutch consists of several separate components:

• A clutch disk — the friction device that makes the connection between the engine and transmission
• A flywheel — what give the clutch disk a surface to hold onto
• A pressure plate — the part that holds the clutch disk to the flywheel
• A throwout bearing — which presses the levers on the pressure plate when you press the clutch pedal to release the clutch

Of course, every dance has to come to an end, and every clutch will eventually wear out, causing your car to slip as you try to accelerate. But that’s no problem as long as you remember the next step: to call your local Cottman center.

The technicians at your nearby Cottman are very experienced with clutch service and replacement. They can check your car’s clutch and see whether the slip can be fixed with a simple adjustment or if you need a new clutch. And whatever they determine, they’ll be able to fix it for you at a reasonable price.

Resources

For a description of the operation of a clutch click here. For a video overview of clutch operation click here. For a description of the operation of the master and slave cylinder operation click here.