Smelly Socks!!!

[ck1]

When I am driving really slowly up a steep hill (less than 5mph) I get a really bad smell of old socks, is this a sign of a clutch burning out? My car is only 6 months old so it seems a bit premature if it is....?

[derekpara]

If you've got your left foot even resting on the clutch the answer is probably yes.

[Grunty]

I'm sure derekpara is right, but what are your socks made of?

[ck1]

Thanks for your help derekpara, and Grunty, as far as my socks are concerned there is nothing wrong with them at all, they are 1983 pure cotton (35% polyester) and have been washed at least monthly since so I don't see how they could have anything to do with my clutch......!!!???

[twiglet4frog]

sounds like something isnt right, but i know for a fact if i burn my clutch then it stinks for about 5 mins afterwards and its a revolting smell. do u use a higher gear than u should going up a hill? that can be why it is burning out, the other reason is that u are giving too many revs of the accelrator while not fully allowing the clutch out, this is where the gears and the engine are not fully engaged and spinning of each other!

[KebabMeister]

If your socks smell like a burnt/slipping clutch then I don't want to smell your socks!!!  Burnt clutch smell is simply rancid, a totally evil smell.  I would never describe it as a sock smell!

Only thing I can describe of smelling of socks in a car is when water has started to rot the carpet or the bulkhead insulation material under the bonnet.

[Tim Baxter]

Like others have said the only way that your clutch will start to smell is if you're 'riding' it (holding it around the 'biting point').  If the clutch pedal is fully up there is no slip and therefore no friction therefore no heat therefore no smell.  When my clutch gets hot it smells like rotten fish.

[alan47]

The smell you describe could also be from your exhaust. I take it your car has a catalytic converter with it only being 6 months old!

Because your going so slow the fumes could be getting into your car and they smell as though someone has pumped(farted) in your car. If its not that it could be your socks right enough!

[honkytonkman]

To test if the clutch is slipping, when going up a hill, choose a higher gear and accelerate. If the engine speeds up and the car doesn't then your clutch is worn, or if not worn then oil may have leaked onto it.

It's possible the clutch wasn't adjusted properly at the factory (if it can be adjused that is.. most clutches are self-adjusting these days).

Also, I had a car that made a rank smell on hills and it was simply coolant dribbling out of a breather hole on the radiator's expansion tank when the 'angle was right'.

[derekpara]

Come on ck 1, don't keep us all guessing.

Have you been driving with your foot on the clutch or has a change of socks cured the problem ?