My clutch went out after eleven years. I bought my truck new in 1998, and had the clutch replaced in 2009. That replacement clutch lasted a little less than a year. The mechanic replaced that clutch for free (after he thouroughly questioned me about riding the clutch–to which I answered why would I begin to ride the clutch after eleven years of not riding the clutch) as he thought it might have been the salvaged flywheel that, even though it was within the standard, may have caused the clutch to burn out so soon. My second clutch put in by these mechanics has now failed. They had trouble putting the clutch in and getting it to engage with the brand new flywheel at the right height. I think he said it was hitting too high, but that may not be accurate.
The mechanics are reputable. We have used them to fix our cars for years and my husband uses them to fix his company truck. But for some reason, they can’t seem to get the clutch in my truck to last for more than a year. My question is what else could be causing my clutch to fail? I do not ride the clutch, so let’s make sure that is not on the table. My speedodometer did quit working accurately just before my clutch begain to fail this last times, and I smell a burning/electrical odor from the driver’s side rear wheel. The other issue my old truck has is that it does not like heavy rainstorms, and it will idle rough and run rough and all but stall for a good fifteen to twenty minutes after it has been sitting overnight or for several hours in a heavy rainstorm (a common occurance in southern Louisiana). I don’t know if the speedomoter or the rain issue will cause issues with the clutch. My husband wants me to take it back to the same mechanics and have them put in a Nissan clutch instead of an aftermarket clutch, but I am wondering if I need to take it to the dealer. As I said, the mechanics we have been using for years are reputable, nice, and honest. They have the highest ratings in the city for rpeair work and for being honest. Please help, hurricane season is coming and our other car is a 91 Miata.