Audi A4 - Burning smell-Clutch?

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Tue 7 Jun 2011 21:48
Audi A4 - Burning smell-Clutch? - Vinay

I bought a second-hand A4 1.9 TDI and noticed a burning smell shortly after purchase which became worse. I had this checked by two garages and they said that the clutch was burnt. I had the clutch replaced and shortly thereafter noticed that the smell has returned though it is not as strong as before. The garage who replaced it says that it will take some time and driving before the smell goes. Is it true that the burnt clutch smell does not completely vanish even after replacing the clutch? Or could it be that there is some other problem with the car?

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Tue 7 Jun 2011 21:51
Audi A4 - Burning smell-Clutch? - track

Can you provoke the smell, does it happen certain circumstances etc?

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Tue 7 Jun 2011 22:43
Audi A4 - Burning smell-Clutch? - Peter.N.

It should be immediatly obvious if the clutch is still slipping, the rev counter reading will increase without the speed increasing. Burning clutch lining is a pretty pungent smell which will linger for a while.

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Tue 7 Jun 2011 22:58
Audi A4 - Burning smell-Clutch? - unthrottled

Not necessarily. The torque from the engine isn't constant and the clutch can 'partially' slip each time a piston passes TDC on the power stroke. If this is the case, the smell should only occur after heavy load. If it's the lingering smell from the old clutch it should be pretty much independant of load. When the rev counter doesn't tally withthe speedo, the clutch is almost completely destroyed!

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Wed 8 Jun 2011 08:03
Audi A4 - Burning smell-Clutch? - Collos25
For a microsecond or perhaps a picosecond.
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Wed 8 Jun 2011 12:25
Audi A4 - Burning smell-Clutch? - davmal
My clutch started to slip (as in the rev counter spinning off without a corresponding rise in speed), when provoked, at 95,000 miles. Finally got around to changing it at 115,000 miles. It wasn't the friction material gone, just insufficient force in engagement. I only changed it to prevent downstream damage to the flywheel, so slipping isn't always such a harbinger of doom as you suggest.
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Wed 8 Jun 2011 12:32
Audi A4 - Burning smell-Clutch? - madf

I bought a second-hand A4 1.9 TDI and noticed a burning smell shortly after purchase which became worse. I had this checked by two garages and they said that the clutch was burnt. I had the clutch replaced ?

Cluct replaced. Was that pressure plate plus clutch plate plus clutch bearing?

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Fri 10 Jun 2011 09:32
Audi A4 - Burning smell-Clutch? - Bedhead

Replacing a clutch is like making a sandwich, your pressure plate is one round of bread, the friction plate is the filling and the flywheel is the other round. Unless you replace the flywheel, you're only really replacing 2 worn components. I've seen many cases where a worn out flywheel has made a new clutch slip or judder in a short space of time, especially on a lot of far eastern cars.

Your car should have a dual mass flywheel, I know they are pricey, but if you fit a new clutch iwth an old DMF, the old DMF usually gives up the ghost within a few months.

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Fri 10 Jun 2011 18:38
Audi A4 - Burning smell-Clutch? - davmal

I thought replacing a clutch was more like making love to a beautiful woman.................

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Fri 10 Jun 2011 18:57
Audi A4 - Burning smell-Clutch? - Collos25

What ever floats your boat.

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