I was driving on the highway last night going about 65 in sixth gear, and I wanted to pass a car so I put my foot all the way down on the gas (didn't down shift, still in 6th) and the car accelerated fine. Then, at around 84 mph the rev went up to 4500 really quickly. I was confused, and when I got off the highway, I smelled this BAD odor from the engine. The smell stayed on the car for a couple of hours, but its fine now.

Any idea what the problem is?

Any idea on if its a serious issue that should be checked out?

 

it could be your clutch slipping...if it smells like burning rubber or something like it, it might be...same thing is happening to me right now, but i got an aftermarket clutch and flywheel...."easy" fix...i would have it checked to be sure though...

 

I see. What is the science behind the clutch slipping? What causes it to slip?

 

well, the reason for mine going out is because of me raggin' on my car so much with a turbo, so it was only a matter of time for mine to go out. i dont know your mods, or how you drive your car, but it is a possibility. whenever i drive mine and push on the gas harder than normal, the clutch slips, my rpm's go up, but im not going anywhere. and i also get a funky smell when i drive my car. mine smells like burning rubber or burning plastic. you can smell it more from the front driver side wheel....the clutch is closer to that side, or so a nissan tech told me.....if you still smell it or if its doing that same problem, just have it checked out. it should be driveable, you just cant rag on your car...which sux...

hope it helps..

 

Clutch is slipping buddy. Have you done any of the following in the past ? Clutch popping/excessive burnouts/driving it hard excessively etc.

How many miles on the car? I'd look more towards my driving habits (after clutch replacement) if you don't want this to happen again

 

Any cats missing from the neighborhood?

 

Can you explain the revs jumping to 4500 a bit more clearly? Was it at like 3000 and then it popped up to 4500 without the car accelerating any faster? Or did it just gain momentum as you accelerated? Flooring it in 6th at 65mph is going to get you anywhere fast until the revs climb a bit.

As for the smell, I say it might be a problem with the clutch, you're burning oil, or you have a plastic bag or something stuck under the car and it's burnt in. I've experienced the melted plastic bag first-hand and a few of us all though it was my clutch going or me burning oil.

 

to tell you the truth, in my opinion....the factory clutch sux, i have had the transmission replaced twice and the cltuch and flywheel the same times. (all done under warranty) anyways, the transmission, clutch, and flywheel that i have on now was installed about 5k miles ago, and its already slippin'. i think ive learned my lesson.....im just gonna upgrade...if it is your clutch, try to get it done under warranty and then take it easy on the driving, if still under warranty. if not, upgrade, dont get an oem clutch and flywheel.

oh and just to let you know, you cant resurface the flywheel, so you might want to purchase the flywheel too....IF it is your clutch. if might be something simple, like a piece of plastic stuck to the exhaust like maxim said.

hope all goes well.

 

did your car, at any point, say "Pull my finger?"

 

^^^wtf?^^^

 

xluv2eatx - Dude, if you're going through a (replacement) clutch in 5k miles then it's you, not the car. They might not be top-of-the-line components but they're lasting people 50k miles with no problems.

 

i know what your talking about maxim...but like i said, thats me raggin' on my car with a turbo...i highly doubt that youll get 50k out of a clutch while on boost...like i said, its only a matter of time...it aint no big deal for me, its a never ending process...what dont blow the motor up, makes it stronger...lol

 

Oh, I didn't see that you had a turbo. I wouldn't expect the stock clutch to last more than a few days with that setup.

But on a stock car, the stock clutch should last.

 

oh yea, it should definitley last with a stock setup...if you plan of modding lightly, the stock lcuth and flywheel will do, but i wouldnt recommend it with f/i applications..