Clutch replaced and now 9MPG?

My 99 Dakota had its clutch go out when I was 60 miles from home. Some
small Clutch shop replaced it for $600. As I'm driving home, I can
smell exhaust coming from under the truck when at a stop light. Also,
the truck is gutless going up hill. My digital display shows I'm
averaging 9MPG going 60 down the freeway while I usually get 19MPG.
When I let the foot of the gas and in neutral, the tachometer does not
drop like it used to. And to top it off, the clutch rattles like a tin
can with marbles.

Could the exhaust be on wrong or is the clutch to blame for change in
fuel economy? I just picked it up and the shop is now closed until
Monday.

I plan to prop it up tomorrow to see if I can find the leak.

TAKE IT BACK!!!

wrote:
>
> TAKE IT BACK!!!

Noooo!!!!

Take it somewhere else and then get your money back from the first shop.
They have already demonstrated their (in)competence.


--
Paul Hovnanian
------------------------------------------------------------------
"A doctor can bury his mistakes but an architect can only
advise his client to plant vines." -- Frank Lloyd Wright

wrote:
> My 99 Dakota had its clutch go out when I was 60 miles from home. Some
> small Clutch shop replaced it for $600. As I'm driving home, I can
> smell exhaust coming from under the truck when at a stop light. Also,
> the truck is gutless going up hill. My digital display shows I'm
> averaging 9MPG going 60 down the freeway while I usually get 19MPG.
> When I let the foot of the gas and in neutral, the tachometer does not
> drop like it used to. And to top it off, the clutch rattles like a tin
> can with marbles.
>
> Could the exhaust be on wrong or is the clutch to blame for change in
> fuel economy? I just picked it up and the shop is now closed until
> Monday.
>
> I plan to prop it up tomorrow to see if I can find the leak.
>

They make left something unplugged.... like the maf sensor or the pressure reg.

> wrote in message
...
> My 99 Dakota had its clutch go out when I was 60 miles from home. Some
> small Clutch shop replaced it for $600. As I'm driving home, I can
> smell exhaust coming from under the truck when at a stop light. Also,
> the truck is gutless going up hill. My digital display shows I'm
> averaging 9MPG going 60 down the freeway while I usually get 19MPG.
> When I let the foot of the gas and in neutral, the tachometer does not
> drop like it used to. And to top it off, the clutch rattles like a tin
> can with marbles.
************
Sounds like the repair was erroneously performed...Could be several things.
It wont heal itself, likely.


> Could the exhaust be on wrong or is the clutch to blame for change in
> fuel economy? I just picked it up and the shop is now closed until
> Monday.
***********
Exhaust leaks, rattles, are annoying and maybe even dangerous, but I do not
see this
alone as being the reason for the gutlessness and loss of power. That is,
unless the
catalytic convertor innards have broken to pieces and destroyed the exhaust
capability.

A slipping clutch could drop the economy and make the vehicle gutless.
Burning clutch
material could also give you a "hot" smell.


> I plan to prop it up tomorrow to see if I can find the leak.
*********
I hope you solve it quickly by yourself. Otherwise, you may have a fight
getting the
original shop to give you some of your money back.

HLS > wrote:
>Exhaust leaks, rattles, are annoying and maybe even dangerous, but I do not
>see this
>alone as being the reason for the gutlessness and loss of power. That is,
>unless the
>catalytic convertor innards have broken to pieces and destroyed the exhaust
>capability.

An exhaust leak before the O2 sensor can mean the O2 sensor is seeing
weird values, and that could cause the computer to be knocking the
mixture way off.

The OP should take the thing back on Monday and have them take a look
at the exhaust. It's easy to screw something like that up if you
aren't careful.

>A slipping clutch could drop the economy and make the vehicle gutless.
>Burning clutch
>material could also give you a "hot" smell.

That's a very distinctive smell, though. The OP might not recognize it
but his mechanic should be able to tell instantly when he smells it.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

I got under the truck and found that the O2 Sensor before the catlytic
converter was damaged. It was like they forgot to disconnect it and
just yanked on it causing it to crack. The put it back on but must
have came loose because there is no clip or tension for it to stay
on. I put on a new one and am back to normal.

Should the shop pay for the new O2 sensor since they broke this one?


On Oct 17, 6:20*pm, wrote:
> My 99 Dakota had itsclutchgo out when I was 60 miles from home. Some
> smallClutchshop replaced it for $600. As I'm driving home, I can
> smell exhaust coming from under the truck when at a stop light. Also,
> the truck is gutless going up hill. My digital display shows I'm
> averaging 9MPG going 60 down the freeway while I usually get 19MPG.
> When I let the foot of the gas and in neutral, the tachometer does not
> drop like it used to. And to top it off, theclutchrattles like a tin
> can with marbles.
>
> Could the exhaust be on wrong or is theclutchto blame for change in
> fuel economy? I just picked it up and the shop is now closed until
> Monday.
>
> I plan to prop it up tomorrow to see if I can find the leak.

The shop should pay.
cuhulin

wrote:
> I got under the truck and found that the O2 Sensor before the catlytic
> converter was damaged. It was like they forgot to disconnect it and
> just yanked on it causing it to crack. The put it back on but must
> have came loose because there is no clip or tension for it to stay
> on. I put on a new one and am back to normal.
>
> Should the shop pay for the new O2 sensor since they broke this one?
>
>

A ten year old cooked plastic clip broke and it's the shop's fault?
Maybe they should do the labor free.

The O2 Sensor is only six months old. I replaced all of them at
120,000 miles.


On Oct 19, 2:51*pm, Steve Austin > wrote:
> wrote:
> > I got under the truck and found that the O2 Sensor before the catlytic
> > converter was damaged. *It was like they forgot to disconnect it and
> > just yanked on it causing it to crack. *The put it back on but must
> > have came loose because there is no clip or tension for it to stay
> > on. *I put on a new one and am back to normal.
>
> > Should the shop pay for the new O2 sensor since they broke this one?
>
> A ten year old cooked plastic clip broke and it's the shop's fault?
> Maybe they should do the labor free.