2008 Toyota matrix, 1.8L, 155,000 miles, 5 speed manual transmission. I bought the matrix in January, 5th gear seems a bit sluggish, would that be the clutch plates? How often should those be changed? Should I change the transmission fluid, and with 155,000, where should I pick up doing the routine/preventative maintenance? I like the car, even if I get another truck I don't think I'll let go of the matrix, it's so good on fuel.
The different gears are for different scenarios. When you're just starting from a stop, you need high torque, sacrificing speed. You can't maintain 1st gear when you're cruising, or your gas mileage would go into the toilet. As you accelerate, you upshift into higher gear ratios (less torque for more speed). 4th gear is usually 1:1; every full rotation of the engine drives the wheels once. 5th gear is overdrive (minimum geared torque, geared for speed for efficiency). Any time your car has a load put on it and you're going at highway speed, you must downshift a gear back to 4th, or the engine won't be able to move the car and maintain speed (more torque, less speed, when you downshift, causing the engine to spin faster).
My grandparents live on a really steep hill, and my mom had a 1991 Ford Escort station wagon at the time with a manual transmission. We'd climb that hill in 2nd gear (high torque, but not the highest torque; the force that pulls you back into your seat is torque) and we'd climb that hill. Once we were climbing, she'd shift gears as the terrain flattened out.
How often should those be changed?
That depends on how sloppy or efficiently you can drive a stickshift. My step dad still had the original clutch assembly when he wrecked his Chevy Cavalier with 250k miles on it. My old friend Bill, on the other hand, would tear up clutches because he'd be lazy and not put the pedal down enough. When I drive a stick, I press the clutch all the way down.
5th gear seems a bit sluggish
Of course the car will be "sluggish" in 5th gear (overdrive). You're just not going to get much acceleration in 5th gear especially with a small engine and you may need to downshift on hills to maintain speed. This is perfectly normal. Do you have any reason to believe that the clutch is slipping? Do engine RPMs increase without a corresponding increase in road speed? Does the engine feel like it is missing or bogging down in the lower gears?
would that be the clutch plates? How often should those be changed
There is only one clutch plate. It is changed when it wears out, or is contaminated with oil due to a rear main seal leak, and begins slipping and/or chattering. Normally at that point you would install a complete clutch kit (clutch disc, pressure plate, throwout bearing, and pilot bearing), resurface or replace the flywheel if needed, and replace the rear main seal if it is leaking.
where should I pick up doing the routine/preventative maintenance
If you don't know the service history change all fluids to establish a baseline and take it from there.
