Topic: Clutch Life Span

[nedjinski]

I know this is a difficult question to answer accurately - but generally, once a clutch starts to feel "soft" meaning soft launches and the feeling that the clutch doesn't bite as hard as it used to when new - how much time is left before it goes into slipping land for good?
I have an unnamed partner who drives my truck half the time and has the habit of over revving while slipping the clutch - and in the past few thousand miles it has lost it's new hard grabbing feeling.

2003 Tacoma 4WD RegCab

[H8PVMNT]

In my experience they just stay flabby feeling for a really long time until you try to do something crazy, like say massive mud wheeling with too big of tires for your gearing or pulling a trailer that's too big, yarding rocks or logs, etc.  Then you will smoke it and it will get worse or just refuse to hook up all together.

I had put a used stock clutch on my latest setup last year.  It hooked up pretty good but I ended up finishing it off all at once on very cold day due to thick, cold gear oil on startup.

If it sucks I would probably replace it and teach her how to use the clutch better.