How do know when your clutch is going bad in a chevy s10?

Question

c1987 chevy s10 blazer manual trans

Answer 1

Aside from feeling the loss of traction there is also often the aroma of burl metel

Answer 2

When the clutch slips.  When the tachometer is rising rapidly and the vehicle is not matching up.

Answer 3

Depends on what you mean by "going bad", as there are several symptoms that could indicate a clutch, or clutch assembly is going. The first, and most noticeable sign is the engine RPM's increasing but the vehicle accelerates slowly. The second sign would be a burning smell which would also indicate a slipping clutch disc (many times you will notice the RPMs and burning smell at the same time). A squealing noise with the clutch engaged could indicate a bad throw-out bearing, sometimes they squeal all the time when they are really bad. Some vehicles have a hydraulic slave cylinder that helps engage and dis-engage the clutch, and they can go from time to time (hydraulic fluid leaking from the transmission area is an indication of this) making it difficult or impossible to shift gears. Another problem can be a stretched, or out of adjustment clutch cable, which would also cause shifting to become difficult and could lead to glazing the clutch disc (a glazed disc means it has become ground smooth, losing it's ability to bite which causes the disc to slip more and more). Glazing can occur from shifting too slowly while over-revving the engine and by  "riding" the clutch pedal when you drive as well, it is best to remove your foot from the clutch pedal when you are not shifting.