C5 Clutch overheating

Faults and Technical chat for the Citroen Aircross
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Richc2005
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Joined: Mon Jun 24, 2019 12:21 pm

Post by Richc2005 »

Had a worrying incident last week on a west country road.

On a near-single track road, heading up a hill, a tractor was approaching towards me so I had to move into a passing place to let it pass.

I held the clutch on the bite whilst it passed but there were a few cars following the tractor so the bite lasted a little longer than expected.

The car then filled with a burning smell and I joked it was the clutch. Having never experienced a heated clutch I genuinely thought it was a joke and it was the passing tractor, or one of the following cars, that had an issue and caused the smell.

But then a warning message popped up on the digital instrument panel to state that it was indeed an over heating clutch and to limit its use! :o

Needless to say that I took the rest of that journey quite steady and there have been no problems since.

One to watch and I'd be interested if anyone else has a similar issue.
C5 Aircross 1.2 Flair Polar White

Handy Andy
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Post by Handy Andy »

It's a heavy old car to hold on the clutch. I'm sure I don't need to say that it's not a good idea. When I drove manuals in the past I always used the handbrake. This was after I burnt out my clutch on my P6 Rover V8 3500s by using the clutch as a brake on hills.
C5 Aircross Flair Plus 180 Petrol Auto, Platinum Grey with Red Accents and Black Wheels.
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Richc2005
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Post by Richc2005 »

Lol - yes probably time to think about my driving style!

BTW the P6 Rover V8 is a fine car - my Dad had that model but with the auto box - great to drive (on the rate occasion he'd let me!)
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jezparker
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Joined: Wed Jun 26, 2019 11:22 am

Post by jezparker »

I had the same warning recently. I was a hot day and driving to the coast along with half the country. On the exit from the motorway there was a very long queue. Trouble was it was on an uphill slope and the traffic was rarely stopping completely, just inching forward a car length, stop for several seconds, inch forwards some more. Because there were no lengthy stopping periods there was no time to put the car in neutral and used stop start mode, so I’d have to engage the clutch regularly, and being on an uphill slope hold on the clutch a bit and just inch forward. I didn’t get any burning smell, but got repeated warnings on the dash of overheating clutch. Was a bit stressful as I couldn’t really avoid using the clutch until I got off the exit. All been fine since.
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Handy Andy
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Post by Handy Andy »

I think this is one of the drawbacks of modern cars, they are so sophisticated these days with warnings they can be a bit over enthusiastic. In days of old none of these warnings existed so an overheating clutch was probably happening all the time, we just didn't know it.
C5 Aircross Flair Plus 180 Petrol Auto, Platinum Grey with Red Accents and Black Wheels.
srperry
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Joined: Fri Mar 01, 2019 10:32 am
Location: Wiltshire, UK

Post by srperry »

Handy Andy wrote: Sun Jul 28, 2019 4:54 am I think this is one of the drawbacks of modern cars, they are so sophisticated these days with warnings they can be a bit over enthusiastic. In days of old none of these warnings existed so an overheating clutch was probably happening all the time, we just didn't know it.
I was taught that holding the car on the clutch was both ill-advised to to premature failure from overheating and also dangerous because if your foot should slip you can easily cause a big accident - such as rear-ending the vehicle in front or suddenly moving out into traffic.

As a result, over the 50 years I have been driving, I have never required a replacement clutch on any manual car I have owned, and I'm not exactly light-footed...
Was C5 Aircross PureTech 130 S&S Flair, Tijuca Blue/Black Roof, Metropolitan Grey ambience
Now C5 Aircross Pureteh EAT8 S/S Shine+ Cumulus Grey/Black Roof, Metropolitan Grey ambience
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