Clutch and gearbox — signs the car should not be driven
Gears will not engage or the pedal drops — every extra kilometre raises the repair bill.
Symptoms
- The clutch pedal drops to the floor
- Gears will not engage or jump out
- A burnt smell when pulling away
- The engine revs but the car does not accelerate
The engine revs but the car does not accelerate — the clutch is slipping. Carrying on burns the disc completely and often damages the flywheel too.
The pedal drops with no resistance — usually the hydraulics: master or slave cylinder, leaked fluid.
Gears jump out on their own — worn synchros or bearings. This is dangerous: the car can lose drive mid-overtake.
On an automatic, jolts when shifting and a delay when pulling away are early warnings. Automatics must not be rope-towed — the internal pump does not run with the engine off and the gearbox is destroyed.
When you need a tow: with any of these signs. The car goes onto a flatbed — rope-towing a car with a damaged gearbox or clutch turns one repair into two.
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