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New owner - clutch and cold idle issues?

899 Views 3 Replies 3 Participants Last post by  Blackula
Hi all,

I recently purchased a 2013 ST3 (52k miles) and I'm having a few issues that I'd like to work out. I've done quite a bit of looking into these issues and haven't actually found a solid answer.

1st) My clutch is terrible when taking off. It's almost impossible for me to start from a dead stop without it jerking a bit. It seems to be worse now that it's cold out. I've tried feathering it slowly or dropping it more rapidly - it's a hit or miss regardless. It almost feels like it slips right at the end of engagement and causes a "clutch kick" effect, but it doesn't slip upon heavy acceleration. It's also perfect in between gears. I only struggle to start from a stop. I've driven manuals my whole life and never had a car give me any trouble. Is there a trick, mod, or something I can do to make for a smooth take-off? It's incredibly frustrating and it definitely isn't good on the car. I do not smell clutch burn, either. I've been told that dual-mass flywheels are notorious for this sort of behavior, but I have no baseline for comparison.

2nd) My car feels like it has a pretty bad misfire when it's at cold idle. It isn't throwing a code and doesn't have any issue once it warms up a bit. I've read this is something caused by a bad factory tune all the way to needing some repair. It doesn't affect drivability. I'd like to get it sorted - if possible.

I'm happy to provide any additional information and I appreciate any help from the community.

Thanks!
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I actually forgot about this post for a while - sorry for missing your reply. My clutch issue seems intermittent. I suspect the flywheel is going bad.

I am considering doing a single mass flywheel, but I'm told I will regret it. Not really sure where to go from here.
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