"navaidstech" > wrote in message
...
snip
> I think this is the major factor in long clutch life but you should claim
> much of the credit for having and performing good and disciplined driving
> skills, I bet you keep your foot away from the clutch pedal unless you are
> using it.

Yes, this is something that my Dad told me a looong time ago - never
keep your foot on the clutch unless you have to. As such, my shifter
is always in neutral and my left foot is off the clutch pedal when I'm
stopped at the lights. I'm still not sure what he meant by it, but I
do remember him saying that when the clutch is depressed, there is
some component in the transaxle that is doing some work and wears out
over time. Unfortunately, my knowledge of manual transmissions is
extremely limited (I can fix just about anything else in that car BUT
the transmission) so I can't even picture as to what he was referring
to.
Bottom line is that his advice (whether right or wrong it might be)
stuck with me and quite possibly prolonged the life of the
clutch....maybe?

You are refering to the 'clutch release bearing' aka 'throwout bearing'.
This bearing bears on the release forks of the clutch pressure plate when
the clutch pedal is depressed. It is normally lifetime lubricated but that
lifetime is affected by total time in operation, which is greatly reduced by
placing trans in neutral (foot off the pedal) like you correctly do at stop
lights. This bearing is normally replaced whenever the cluch driven plate
is replaced.

When the clutch is released (pedal depressed), the driving surfaces
(flywheel and pressure plate) are rotating very close (probably touching on
one side) to the driven clutch plate surfaces, and while this will not
provide substantial torque transfer, IMHO there is still wear to the now
stationary driven plate as well as heat generation.

You indicate good driver disipline and training and IMHO this is a big
reason for your good service life.

Happy trails,
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