I didn't think this was possible, but my 5speed is slipping, just a short skip. I thought it was the clutch that was recently (earlier this year) installed. The mechanic (whom I trust) said that it would slip in all gears and under hard acceleration if it were the clutch. It only slips in 4th and 5th, maybe 3rd, not sure, and only under medium acceleration. It's hard to make it do it, it will just do from time to time. Sometimes not once on a trip, sometimes many times. I can just live with it till it dies, but what is the problem here. I don't think it's the clutch as I cannot make it slip under hard acceleration. Any ideas?

 

It's probably an engine miss.

A clutch that slips will slip in any gear at high throttle. A manual trans can't slip. Either the gears are engaged or they are not engaged. If not, you have neutral.

 

Definitely not an engine miss, from the sound and feel of it. The engine revs slightly when this happens, but not much at all. That's what I always though, that the gears are either engaged or not, and cannot slip, but the mechanic says the synchros wear out and slip. Is this true? Could it still be my clutch? I paid a ton for the new clutch and it should work correctly.

 

No, it isn't true.

It's either the clutch or an engine miss. The trans can't slip, it's impossible.

 

That's what I thought. This seemed like a reputable mechanic. The guy said if it was the clutch slipping, it would in all gears under load, which it does not in 1st and 2nd. I noticed it doing it in 3rd today. This makes sense, but of course the mechanic will just want to sell me a tranny. Any ideas on what I should do?

 

The clutch is more likely to slip in higher gears, there's more load there.

You might want to get a second opinion. Mine doesn't count, I haven't driven the truck.

 

Time for a new mechanic. There is nothing else that can slip. Driving at a steady say 40 mph pace in 3 rd, 4th and 5th mash the accelerator. Keep it floored till you hit about 60-70 mph and If the rpms climb suddenly but the MPH doesn't then the clutch is slipping. The clutch is the the only thing that can slip period. The reason for trying all 3 of these gears is to have the engine at different rpm levels so that a variety of torque levels could be tested. It could be that your clutch is just starting to slip and it will not slip in all gears becasue of insufficient engine torque being developed for it to slip.

JMC

 

I agree with this and this is what I always though about manual transmissions. I'll take it back to him one more time when it comes due for tranny service. I don't think he's dishonest, just typical brain farts of mechanics, most of whom are not very bright. I wish it was much worse so that is was clearly a problem. He was not able to replicate the problem. How often have we heard that one?!?! So the good news in this is that my tranny is fine. That's good, it shifts smoother than other 5 speed 150's I've driven. The clutch did not slip at all when first installed(along with the new engine). Is it a possibility that the rear main seal of the engine is leaking a little oil on the clutch? Otherwise, a clutch is pretty simple and I don't see how it can slip in this manner (lightly) and only intermittently. Is there any way to check this without dismounting the transmission?

 

I was going to suggest doing the "mash and hold" thing also, but only in 4th, better in 5th. RPM's will be lower and torque higher so if the clutch is going to slip, that will make it do it.

The idea of oil leaking onto the clutch could happen and would explain the intermittent "slip" but I kinda doubt that. Have you noticed it leaking oil at all?

Clutches can slip when they're worn out or not adjusted properly, I had to replace the one in my dune buggy, it got so bad I couldn't even spin the back wheels on grass(in any gear), which after I replaced it I could do in 3rd from a standstill. Unless inexperienced standard drivers drove it a lot(since they tend to "lean" on the clutch a lot") or you did lots of heavy duty towing it shouldn't be worn out.

If your trans was slipping it would mean it would be popping out of gear, and of course that would be accompanied by "that noise".

 

OK, I found the problem. I noticed I was a quart low and then added the oil and today looked under the truck. You can clearly see where a decent amount of MOTOR oil has come from the slot at the bottom where the tranny bell housing meets the motor. It is oil that is causing this intermittent minor slippage of the clutch. I am going to try to drop the truck off as soon as possible as the main seal can blow at anytime leaving me stranded or worse. Now this was my hunch from the beginning. WHY did I come up with this idea and not the mechanic. And it's not just this mechanic, it's all mechanics. I swear they have tunnel vision when it comes to diagnosis of problems. This is not the first time that I knew the problem before the mechanic did. I'm sure he'll make it right for me, but now I am worried about the clutch. Could there be any damage to the friction material on the clutch disc from the oil? Should it be replaced, or is a good cleaning all that is required? Hope I get it back before the weekend, I want to take it out of town! A rear main seal required disassembly of the engine, right? We'll see. Hopefully it's an easy fix. Should be covered, it's a new engine. I swear that butt ugly Ridgeline is starting to look better come replacement time.