Clutch or tranny?

[wills 51]

Trying to figure out if my problem is my clutch or my transmission, When I go to back out of my garage sometimes I'll let out the clutch and the car kinda lurches as I back or sometimes I'll let out the clutch and nothing, It only does this when I back out once I get out on the street it seems to work just fine, I've never adjusted the clutch so I thought maybe that's my problam

[bob westphal]

From your profile it appears that your car is possibly a fluid drive. This could easily be in the torque converter. Does it clunk when it kicks in?

[wills 51]

Doesn't seem to clunk as much as shudders also I had it up on ramps one time and it seemed to do it worse

[bob westphal]

You could be low on converter fluid? My Plymouth book says that cars with Hydrive supply the converter oil from the engine oil system so this couldn't happen on the Hydrive. I don't recall off hand how if your car is the same or not. I'm sure some of the D-24 guys will know.

[PatS....]

Sounds like it's just low on fluid to me.

I'd recommend changing it if it hasn't been done yet.

Makes a big difference.

[greg g]

When you say shudder, is it doing it as you release the clutch? If so you may have oil contamination of the friction material of the clutch disk which will cause a shudder or judder. But if it is fluid drive, what happens if you drive it clutchlessly????? Don't be alarmed, this is the way Fluid drive was designed to be driven as it was an intermediate deal between standards and automatics. Try this, start the car, with it at idle, use the clutch to engage reverse, or 3rd gear, depending which way your car is pointing, then with your foot on the brake, release the clutch. The fluid drive will allow the car to idle against the brake with a gear engaged. That is what it is supposed to do, now release the brake and drive away. Is the shudder still there??

Fluid drive was designed to allow a driver to use the clutch only once or twice in a driving session. Typically the car was left in third gear and driven with the gas and brake pedal similar to a single speed automatic, using the clutch only to start the car and change between reverse and forward. It is an easy albiet liesurely way to transport ones self along the boulavards.

Just keep in mind, like an automatic there is no engine braking with the engine off, so a good parking brake is a must, if your P brake isn't reliable, wheel chocks are recommended for parking where it isn't level.

All this assumes your car is the typical Dodge set up of three speed tranny with fluid drive coupler, and not a gyromatic.