How can I tell if my car's clutch is going bad?

It is not your clutch going out. Many will say it is, but if the clutch is going out your car will slip when trying to accelerate. Meaning the engine will kind of go without the wheels.

I would have suggested the slave/master, but that must not be it.

What you need to do is get someone to help you, and either you or the other person get under your car and watch the slave to see if it is engaging the clutch fully. If so then the problem might be inside the clutch housing. If not it might need to be bleed again or extended to the lever there.

Other thing could cause problems if none of these are the problem then you can email me directly via my profile with more descriptive questions

Hope this helps.

If the engine turns the transmission while you try to change gears, you get gear grinding. It is worse at a stop when selecting first or reverse. It would be just as bad selecting another gear, you just don't pick the wrong gear at a stop (try it just to be sure).

If the clutch pedal pushes the master, pushes the slave, pushes the throwout bearing portion is working, then the springs on the pressure plate have lost all stiffness. The clutch is actually working too well - it will not de-clutch. If they replaced the master and slave and didn't bleed the fluid properly it would be the same deal. Are you sure the clutch pedal is on the floor when you try 1st and reverse? Is there a thick floormat in the way?

What happens if you try to start the car in gear with the clutch depressed? If it is hard, go back to bleeding or find a way to check the throwout bearing.

This isn't rocket science. Take it to a local garage and ask if a mechanic can take it for a test drive.

If they just replaced the master and slave cylinder there should be no reason for the clutch to keep it from going into gear. The stuff they just replaced should guarantee that the engine and tranny are no longer in contact with eachother when you push in the clutch, which means that should not affect your putting it in gear. I suppose there is a chance it has to do with the clutch, but the most common clutch problem is due to wear, and is a slipping clutch when you try to accelerate (rpms go up, speed does not match). Otherwise I would say push in the clutch, if it doesn't want to go in, make sure you are in neutral, push in the clutch and try it again. My husband has a car that can be a real pain to put in first and reverse, and in that instance we know the tranny is kinda worn, but at this time we don't have money to do anything about it. I'm sorry I can't be much help in this instance. I guess the best thing to do would be get a few oppinions like the person who wrote before me said.

Is it slipping? That is usually the sign of a clutch going bad. Hard to get it into gear does not necessarily mean it is going bad. Is this your first stick car? If it is then you might have not drove it perfectly and it might indeed be the clutch.

My suggestion would be take it to 2 auto repair shops and get more opinions.

My first car was a truck. I had to replace the clutch after 5 years. I didn't know how to drive a stick and I rode the gears too much at the beginning. My 2nd gear would slip and that is when I knew the clutch was going bad. It is easy to screw up a clutch especially if it is your first stick car.

When clutches start to slip, shifting becomes easier. If the clutch disk is not moving(in and out) on the input shaft, shifting will become harder. Your problem might be a lack of lubricant in the transmission itself.