With the torrid weather we've had the last couple of days, there's been some small areas of flooding around here. Hence on Friday I had to drive the car through a slightly flooded area, and I'm only talking about 1/2 a foot or so.... nothing major. I got back home, let the car cool down as normal, then turned the engine off and left the car in gear.

 

Next day I went to go out in the car later on in the day, to find that I couldn't put the car in gear. Tried all gears and still no joy. The car would creep forward when I was trying to put it into gear. Basically the clutch was not disengaging when I put my foot on the pedal. The pedal felt perfectly normal and had the same feel to it as it always has.

 

I toyed for a while trying to get it in gear. I then turned the engine off, put the car in 1st gear, and turned it over. Obviously the car went juddering down the road a bit. Did the same in reverse also. Then popped it back into neutral, started the car up, then it was perfect and back to normal again! I've driven the car today after leaving it overnight again and have had no problems at all.

 

In all my years of driving cars, I've never experienced this before. Very strange....  Seems the clutch somehow got stuck, unless someone else has another explanation? I'm wondering whether driving through that bit of water has somehow done something. It's the only variable that I can think of really.

 

So is this something I should worry about or just one of those strange little things? I'm planning to get a Helix in the near future, but I can't really afford the outlay at the minute, so could do without something being wrong.

Edited 27 October, 201312 yr by alex_e3

Afternoon,

 

Sound like you got water in the clutch, then the plate temporarily siezed to the flywheel.  This can happen the same way that a handbrake can sieze if the car is parked for some time.

 

ATB

 

SN

Can and does happen. Happened on a friends cupra r.

Thank god for that then! Scared the life out of me at the time!!

This happened to me once, the next minute I ripped the face off the clutch :(

Was in a pervious car not my VRS though.

It got water in the clutch and rusted the plate to the flywheel like a brake disk does in the wet, .you could try getting the revs up for a while after going thru water again to spin the water back out and maybe just slip it lightly before parking up to heat it up and dry it out (only lightly tho don't burn it instead lol)

if it sticks again, start in 1st gear and hold the clutch down till it free's itself

Experienced this once with my Dad's Talbot Sunbeam Lotus. Unseized by cranking it over in gear.

Don't scare me Dan!!!! I haven't got a spare £1100 for a Helix at the minute, and I certainly will not get a CG fitted after all the goings on there....

 

It's been fine since to be honest. Hasn't stuck on again. It was only after having to drive through that flood. If I have to drive through any more (tomorrow maybe if the forecast comes true!) then I'll just slip the clutch afterwards to burn it off the plate.

Don't scare me Dan!!!! I haven't got a spare £1100 for a Helix at the minute, and I certainly will not get a CG fitted after all the goings on there....

It's been fine since to be honest. Hasn't stuck on again. It was only after having to drive through that flood. If I have to drive through any more (tomorrow maybe if the forecast comes true!) then I'll just slip the clutch afterwards to burn it off the plate.

I'm sure you will be fine mate. Mine was one of those techno clutches, not fitted by me I must note.

Was in a car I'd purchased a couple of hours earlier :(