7 Signs of a Faulty Flywheel

A mechanical element known as a flywheel is found in every vehicle with a manual gearbox. Flywheels are rotating energy storage devices made up of hefty, balanced metal discs.

Flywheels keep your engine operating smoothly even when torque delivery is irregular or varies abruptly, such as when changing, since large spinning objects have a high friction (that is, resistance to change in velocity).

You've probably never heard of flywheels if you've only driven automatic gearbox cars. Manual transmission cars are the only ones with flywheels.

Flywheels are mounted to the back of the engine, between the engine and the gearbox in vehicles. Flywheels have teeth that interact with the starter and create additional friction for the clutch. The starter motor rotates the flywheel, which spins the crankshaft and starts the engine, when you turn the key.

A MOT test failure may occur if you have major flywheel difficulties that affect a clutch's function. Check MOT status and make an appointment with a technician for a pre-MOT assessment of your vehicle. This way, you'll have plenty of time to fix any problems before the MOT test is due.

A flywheel is required for gear changes and clutch engagement in a manual vehicle. When you use the clutch to drive the car from a standstill without a flywheel, the vehicle will most likely stall. This is because without the angular momentum provided by the flywheel, the engine speed would drop too quickly.

Symptoms of a Faulty Flywheel

Flywheels, unfortunately, do not last eternally. As they are used often in the car, they gradually become worn. There may be certain visible signs that you won't be able to ignore if your flywheel becomes too worn out or broken. Look for car services near me and book your car in with a competent garage to repair any flywheel or related issues.

Allowing these symptoms to persist for too long will have an influence on the vehicle's general drivability. The following are some of the most prevalent symptoms of a failing flywheel:

1.      Slipping Gears - Gear slippage occurs when you change into a new gear and discover that the engine speed (RPM) climbs more quicker than your ground speed. Because the friction surfaces on the flywheel and the pressure plate are both meant to hold the clutch, a slipping flywheel may seem like a slipping clutch.If oil or grease gets on the flywheel's friction surface, it affects the clutch's ability to connect with it and grasp it without sliding, even when the clutch is supposed to be completely engaged (with your foot off of the clutch pedal). If the gear you're changing continues sliding, it'll have a negative influence on your driving skills and eventually ruin your clutch. Look for car garages in Reading and make an appointment with a car mechanic to completely assess the problem and repair or replace any essential parts.

2.      Can't Change Gears - Your gears may occasionally have the opposite problem. Instead of slipping gears, you won't be able to change them at all. For this symptom to appear, the flywheel would have to be in bad condition, and other transmission components may be affected as well. Obviously, if you can't change gears, you won't be able to operate your car. So, before this happens, search online for competent garages in Reading and schedule an appointment with a specialist to fix any gearbox, flywheel, or clutch issues.

3.      Burning Smell - A burning smell inside your car might be due to a variety of factors. Due to the quantity of heat created by the friction in the clutch, a faulty flywheel could be one of the causes. If you use the clutch when you shouldn't, the flywheel might be damaged.

4.      Clutch Vibrations - If your clutch pedal is vibrating a lot, your flywheel is probably broken. The vibrations will ultimately get so terrible that you will feel them on the floor rather than simply the clutch pedal. Over time, the flywheel in your car may develop excessive runout, causing the surface to feel deformed when you engage the clutch. It's extremely likely that you destroyed your flywheel due to excessive heat or metal on metal wear if you've ever overheated it or driven too long with a clutch that was on its last legs. The flywheel will be damaged by clutches that have been worn down to the rivets.Because the metal is heated well above its operating temperature, a damaged flywheel may have a blue appearance. Hairline cracks are also likely to appear on the surface. As the flywheel has heated and cooled, there may be streaks of metal on the surface. Some flywheels, such as dual mass flywheels, have springs. If your vehicle has one of them, the vibrations might be caused by the flywheel's springs. Because dual mass flywheels cannot be resurfaced like ordinary flywheels, they will very certainly need to be replaced.

5.      Inability to Start or Inconsistent Starts - If the flywheel's teeth are broken, the flywheel may have difficulty engaging with the starter motor. This might make starting the car difficult or impossible. If you're experiencing trouble starting your car, you should check your starter motor as well.

6.      Engine Stalling - An aftermarket flywheel that is too light for the vehicle (or the driver) can make stalling the car much simpler and may cause a choppy idle. On very light flywheels, just pressing the clutch in may cause the car to stall because the engine RPM reduces too quickly for the ECU to compensate with more air and fuel.

7.      Engine Vibrations with Clutch Engaged - An imbalanced flywheel can cause the entire engine to tremor, even if the clutch is engaged. If you recently changed the clutch, flywheel, or pressure plate, double-check that all bolts were torqued to spec and that you used thread locker if the factory service manual recommended it. Because there is a significant amount of energy stored in the flywheel, a loose or disintegrating flywheel while driving is quite dangerous. If everything isn't balanced and lined up properly, the flywheel might cause the car to shake a lot.