Time for clutch adjustment?
 

I've noticed as of late a mild lurching when I'm getting out of 1st gear.

At first I attributed it to my new footwear (dress shoes, as opposed to my normal sneakers), but I figured that I'd be acclimated by now. Truth is, I am a little better in sneakers, but 1st still lurches sometimes, not always.

I'm thinking to see if it's time to have the clutch adjusted. It's only at 40k, but I did learn stick on this truck two years ago, and the first few weeks included a lot of stalling, clutch slip, and a few accidental wheel chirps. Maybe I wore the clutch more during that period.

Does this sound like a reasonable assessment? And if so, would this be too challenging task to undertake for someone without much mechanical experience?

...clutch adjustment is no big deal.

...clutch replacement, however, is.

I would think that it should have a self adjustment mechanism, however if the clutch has worn unevenly the automatic adjustment may be insufficient. Having it looked at wouldn't hurt, but having to have it replaced so soon might.

Went for a drive today with one of the mechanics. He assured me that the clutch is not the problem. The slight hesitation is not atypical for a 4cyl engine he said.

When I told him that most of the mileage is low rpm around town he said that carbon buildup may be playing a role here. I already had a can of BG 44k in it (added it about 2 weeks ago), but since I'm at 3/4 tank, not much of the cleaner has made its way through the injectors.

I'm planning on doing some harder acceleration this tank, running in down to ~1/8 to go through the cleaner, and doing some highway miles at the end of July.

Is there anything else I should do to really clean out the built up carbon? My buddy said I should have used sea foam (instead of BG), but I had heard good things and wanted to try it.

Update: I cleaned out the throttle body (it was pretty dirty) with CRC throttle body cleaner. Upon start up, the revs jumped about 500 rpm higher than normal, then settled down. I suspect that the airflow has been improved.

I also gave the MAF sensor a once over with CRC MAF cleaner (it appeared clean, but figured I'd do it anyway).

My plan is to run down the tank and let the 44k work some of the carbon out. The lead mechanic at the dealership seems to have a lot of faith in this product. I'll post back with my observations.

Of course he has a lot of faith in BG44K...he gets paid to sell it to people :D.
I use Sea Foam and do a 3-part cleaning, 1 can in the tank, clean the throttle body with TB cleaner, and clean the intake manifold/injectors/passages with it running by metering another 1/2 can slowly through a vacuum line. Works really really well. Basically, a fuel injection system cleaning replaces rebuilding a carburetor on older cars.

Did cleaning the throttle body fix your problem? You never said. These drive-by-wire systems in the small pickups and TrailBlazers are very common for getting excessive carbon on the throttle bodies and messing things up.

Your clutch is hydraulic and does not have any way to adjust it. You could try bleeding it (usually only needs this if the clutch engages too close to the floor/has excessive free travel at the top).

Do you have a check engine light on?

Hey Hatch. It's definitely running more smoothly after the cleaning, although the hesitation is still there a bit. It's not much, and if I really baby the clutch it's even better. Maybe I've been lazy with the clutch and 1st (having a lot of torque) is where I felt it most.

But the cleaning made it feel better overall. You're right, the throttle body was pretty dirty despite the low mileage of less just under 40,000, probably due to the in town driving environment. Funny thing is that it looked really clean from the side I could see when it was mounted. However, after taking it off I discovered quite the little carbon build-up. I was bored, so I got pretty picky and gave it a very thorough cleaning.

Would you consider injector cleaning a hard job for a beginner? I'd probably give it a shot.

Oh, an no, the check engine light was not on. For that reason, I did not suspect a misfire or anything more serious. Thanks for your question.