Clutch replacement

[TheOriginalMrP]

Yes claire, but only for 1 day. Can't make it all weekend, and i've got this expense now! I'm hoping to get it done before the 12th now. With a bit of luck, it will be done by the time the NEC comes around, I sure hope so! I'm just enquiring about some gearbox seals and that now.... Were Flopsy's oil seals shot in the gearbox, or were they ok? I'm only going on recommendation, but to be honest, its a case of buying them just incase cos it will be a a pain if they are and i aint got the parts there and then!
Keep you posted!

[Guinney1971]

Hi Ben,

Flopsy's gearbox and seals were fine, it was just the clutch that was shagged on mine. I bought a slave cylinder just in case, but never needed it, and sold it to a guy in Ireland who contacted me through Dave Howarth.

Seeya both in a couple of weeks

[Chris Williams]

Likewise as with Claire's mine were fine also, I only changed mine (clutch) as the engine and box were out anyway. I did change the crank end seal. But that was part of the engine overhaul. I have read somewhere that these boxes can be tricky to seal if messed with, so perhaps the old saying; if it aint broke.... :roll:
Chris

[TheOriginalMrP]

Mmmm, do you think I could get that mechanical bottom (Clutch) to slip today? Someone please tell me how things like this can happen, then just rectify itself! Tough chedder, its still being changed! LOL

[Chris Williams]

Perhaps as Nick has suggested check out the hydraulics a bit more first, Normally a clutch is either gone or it isn't hydraulic faults can come and go
Chris

[Chris Hawes]

Mine slipped and juddered here and there until it really started to fail and only doing the clutch cured the problem...

[Glen & Sam]

BEN

I TRY AND HELP YOU AFTER ALL I HAVE TAKEN THE BTTF CAR GEARBOX OUT ABOUT THREE TIMES KNOW BEFORE IT WORKED RIGHT THIS TIME THAT IF YOURS IS A AUTOMATIC THAT IS I CAN,T REMEBER YOUR CAR ONLY THE NOKIA BLUETHOOTH KIT AND HUNKY RADIO IN IT :lol:

[TheOriginalMrP]

Mine is a Manual Glen..... Hunky radio??? Where? LOL I'm quite convinced I got air in the hydraulic clutch system, but seeing as I've bought the clutch kit anyway, just as well fit it... otherwise one day it might let me down. Theres many a way that air could have got in the system, but the car behaved normally today which threw me a bit... I really tried hard to get it to slip (Not in an eratic manner, just full throttle in higher gears at lower speeds whilst the pedal was fully released..... state the obvious!)
Maybe the fluid loss is the slave leaking, until it's on the ramp tomorrow, I won't know. All I know is when I drove home in the dark tonight, I was more in love with the car than ever..... :oops: I best shut up!

[Rich H]

Lack of fluid or air in the clutch line wont cause the clutch to slip, but rather make it difficult to disengage the clutch or select gear.

The fact you have no slip today doesn't necessarily mean it's cured itself - in fact as a rule, if something 'fixes' itself, it usually means it's about to suffer total failure...

:roll:

[steve.s]

Hi

from experience with other cars, clutches slip sometimes and not others when they are on their way out.

the old test (at car auctions) was to put in 2nd with the handbrake on, and see if it stalls easy.

the hydraulics are easy to do, but a bugger to get to, i gather the line can 'balloon' making changes difficult (but would no makee it slip).

mine seems ok now.

[TheOriginalMrP]

What an absolute bum of a job! Not that I had much involvement, but i'm sure they won't be doing one of them again. Clutch plate was absolutely shot, flywheel was borderline, the ferrel shot off the throttle cable on the trial, then through lack of bleeding, it wasn't engaging into gear tidy Etc

Once it was pressure bled, it was a transformation, no slip, higher pedal, lighter pedal, etc, though I do find some variation in bite.

I'll try it tomorrow from cold, because even ages ago i'd be pulling up to a junction and sometimes i'd feel bite with a fully depressed pedal, and only doubling the clutch would work - the master and slave I believe are relatively new.

Will be interesting to see if it engages smoothly from cold, if so, I think its sorted!

Have to keep an eye on the fluid level too, may be a leak, but I can definately rule out the master cylinder!

So far so good, at least the box is back on and all is working ok in there!

Ben

[TheOriginalMrP]

Next episode. Went to the garage this morning, started the car, and engaged a gear.... Hey presto! The clutch it great, but the only bum is....... its leaking like a pig. Resevoir was full last night before I took it home, and when i checked today it had dropped a little. I had some rubber mat under the ass end, and there was a drip of fluid on there even after 10 minutes. I told my technician geezer this, and he told me when he took the slave cylinder off yesterday, there was traces of a fluid leak.(He didn't say this yesterday :evil That explains where it went when i topped it up back in may. Had to top it up a few weeks ago a few posts up this thread. He may have rushed connecting it back up too, introducing more possibilities of leaking.

I have decided to buy a new slave regardless, it comes with all the necessary seals etc, it can't possibly leak afterwards!

Had a chat with PJ Grady earlier, as their slave's were priced up at £46 compared to £87+VAT of my local Motaquip factors. But unfortunately, their website is so out of date, it seems like that's the going rate for them now.

So it's booked in to be done next thursday, new slave, and have the handbrake adjusted, hopefully it will be the end of my mechanical problems for this year, even though it flew the MOT test recently.

Cost was pretty good too, so far.....

£92.00 Clutch Kit
£21.00 Main Rear Seal (Not Needed)
£220 Labour.... Pretty good for a clutch I thought, even if it is leaking LOL
-----------------------------------------------------
£99 New Slave Cylinder
£ ??? Labour

Let you all know.

Looking forward to a nice long drive, but I'm not going far while theres brake fluid flying all over my chassis!

Ben

Notice how the diagonal lines are virtually gone compared to Claires out of Flopsy.



I think this would have failed totally at any time.

[Rich H]

Ouch, I can see that's down to the rivets.

Much more use out of that, and you'd have a knackered flywheel too...

[Guinney1971]

Ben,

I got the slave cylinder from German and Swedish, I'll dig the invoice out, but it was less then £50+VAT and Carriage - owed me about £65 all in.

It matches up to a Renault Trafic!

[TheOriginalMrP]

Thanks Claire, but I've already got it now! I'm bilwildered now, because theres so much fluid on the floor that I'm thinking its a loose union rather than the slave...... They claim to have removed the slave and refitted it without undoing any other pipework, but I vaguely recall the slave cylinder dripping fluid from where it was supported when the box was out. If the slave cylinder was leaking, surely it would just seep while the clutch is being worked back and forth, but the car has not turned a wheel since last wednesday, and last night there was a pool on the floor that would have filled the bottom of a bucket! The resevoir hadn't dropped that much though, in fact it didnt look like it had dropped any since thursday night.... And no, its not gearbox oil, defo clutch fluid.

Anyway, we'll find out Thursday, but I don't want to be buying things willy nilly, especially if its just a washer missing out of the union joint etc

Arrrgh!

Ben