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Topic: Smells Fishy

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SmellySocks

31/8/2015 at 6:33pm
Location: None Entered
Outfit: Adria Altea 502

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Hi, I've just been away for the first time in my caravan, towed by a 2015 Mazda 6. The caravan is light and its an 80% match for the car. When manoeuvring the caravan (which I did badly and it took ages) there was a funny smell coming from the car. On returning home and trying to get it reversed on the drive (which I did badly and it took ages) the car started to smell of fish.

As its practically a new car I do not think the clutch is going, and I wasn't over revving and apart from the smell all seemed fine (apart from the damn caravan kept going the wrong way) It was a distinctly Fishy smell, any ideas ? Whilst driving normally(no caravan) there are no smells.

billyboggins

31/8/2015 at 7:02pm
Location: norfolk
Outfit: Bailey Pageant Burgundy 6 volvo V70

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clutch burn defo

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billyboggins

janus

31/8/2015 at 7:15pm
Location: Rochdale
Outfit: Hymer Nova 470 Mondeo titanium 140tdc

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Clutch burn caused by too many revs a clutch slipping. Generally it causes no lasting damage to the car. Reversing gently with a caravan on the back is a learnt art but even after many years it still happens very occasionally.

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Bill

For a licence dated 1997 or later you must add together the plated max weight of the caravan and trailer, if the total is 3500 or less you can tow it. You may even tow a caravan with a MAM greater than the cars unladen mass the restriction was removed in 2013

Mondeo Titanium 140 tdci

alpiner

31/8/2015 at 7:38pm
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Clutch, caused by slipping the clutch when reversing slowley, not a fault with the car.

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alpiner

GCMS2012

31/8/2015 at 8:39pm
Location: Northumberland
Outfit: Knaus Sudwind 550 TK

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And that's why I got a torque converter (fluid) type auto....

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Damned if I do...

Damned if I don't!!!!

SmellySocks

31/8/2015 at 10:27pm
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Thanks for the replies, glad it's just my terrible reversing then. Go on a cc towing course next week (1 week too late) hopefully they can steer me right.

Grampian91

31/8/2015 at 11:50pm
Location: Midlands
Outfit: Mondeo Avondale Gram

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Or buy a motor mover? Cheaper than a clutch change on some cars.

I bought a car with a high clutch and sold it with the clutch exactly the same, never slipped despite towing lots of miles.
I put it down to getting the mover so no slipping reversing onto pitches or the tight manouvre into the storage spot.

I think that if I had not fitted the mover I would have had to replace the clutch.

ENOCH

01/9/2015 at 7:11am
Location: TEESSIDE
Outfit: SWIFT FAIRWAY 530

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Never had to reverse onto a pitch, always use the mover as it's easier and less work for the car/clutch. I've owned boats, trailers and now caravans so am quite competent at reversing should the need arise on the road, just don't think I need to on site or at storage when the mover is more than capable.

Taylor56

01/9/2015 at 8:43am
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Flat open space and some bollards to keep practicing or you will kill the clutch.

Hacksaw Bob

01/9/2015 at 9:21am
Location: West Midlands
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Meanwhile, just to get the hang of the counter-intuitive reversing principle, have a play on here!

retiredjohn

01/9/2015 at 12:48pm
Location: blyth northumberland
Outfit: xplore 422 se 2018 Vauxhall Grandland

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I'm not good at reversing,so I had a mover fitted.Could be cheaper than a cluch

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Its like driving with with the hand brake on and a hole in the fuel tank

checkley1973

01/9/2015 at 7:43pm
Location: Sheffield
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Am I the only one chucking at a post about a car smelling of fish from a member named smellysocks ??

Baileyjake

01/9/2015 at 7:56pm
Location: West Midlands
Outfit: Coachman Amara 570 6 + Shogun SG4

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I had a smoking clutch once when trying to reverse up on to a pitch higher than the road. I observed several folks struggling to do the same recently. What I now know and recently observed was the caravan brakes being applied whilst trying to reverse the vans up slopes. I elected to pitch on a flat pitch. In fact my neighbour used his Tuareg to reverse a caravan for another guy with a Mazda 6 sport. The Mazda just literally couldn't push the van up the slope with the brakes on.

BTW my outlander clutch smells if I reverse slipping the clutch too much. Although not of fish.

SmellySocks

01/9/2015 at 10:47pm
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So what is slipping the clutch exactly? I thought it was where the cogs were worn so they slipped, mines not worn so is it just the weight making the clutch miss a tooth? What's the solution, is it be gentle on the clutch changes ? A £800 motor mover on a £6000 caravan doesn't seem like a good investment to me. But will I wear out my clutch eventually ? I go on a manovering course next week maybe that will help?

billyboggins

01/9/2015 at 11:01pm
Location: norfolk
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take it easy, slow with every manuoevre

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billyboggins

Baileyjake

01/9/2015 at 11:28pm
Location: West Midlands
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Quote: Originally posted by SmellySocks on 01/9/2015
So what is slipping the clutch exactly? I thought it was where the cogs were worn so they slipped, mines not worn so is it just the weight making the clutch miss a tooth? What's the solution, is it be gentle on the clutch changes ? A £800 motor mover on a £6000 caravan doesn't seem like a good investment to me. But will I wear out my clutch eventually ? I go on a manovering course next week maybe that will help?

Noooo when you pull away you lift your foot off the clutch and push the gas pedal to compensate for the fall in revs as the engine begins to stall at this point the clutch is slipping until you take your foot of The clutch pedal. The clutch is a friction component similar to the brake pads. On the engines flywheel is one steel ring and on the gear box drive spline is a disk with a friction lining on it's faces. When your foot is on the clutch the springs on the flywheel ring are opened and the flywheel ring forced away from the flywheel. When you take your foot off the clutch pedal the springs clamp the friction disc between the flywheel ring and the flywheel. In between foot on clutch and foot off the clutch is slipping. What you can smell is the friction lining burning. And it can smoke. In the old days they used asbestos and it didn't smell so bad but these days whatever the material is it stinks when it gets hot. I don't believe it does any lasting damage. How often do you reverse your caravan compared to normal driving? The last car I did a high mileage in was 109k miles, it eventually started falling apart so I fixed it and traded it in quick (Renault) but the clutch was not the part that failed. 109k miles on one clutch similarly the exhaust lasted 9 years and was never replaced.

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