Quick clutch question

[Prof]

Hummmm .. ok .. sounds like fun ( NOT )
 
Next question .. does the flywheel need to come off to do the bearing ( im just thinking the rather large 54mm nut )
 
I can see me having 2 FC\'s at this rate and neither of them being drivable

definitely not - that can stay - the pilot bearing is in the end of the eshaft - so clearly visible with the flywheel on

[grinder]

at least there is some good news eh !! LOL

[Brett]

Bank holiday tomorrow Stu, no excuse not to get it sorted before lunch!

[grinder]

yeah thanks pal !! you coming up to help !! LOL

[grinder]

Dragging this thread up from the depths ...

Took the car out yesterday and had the exact same issues , wouldnt engage first at all and was setting off from traffic lights in 2nd

Today , i decide to have a nosey , so took off the TMIC so that i can see the slave moving , it seems to be moving just fine , so im ruling that out for the mo ( although not sure how far is far enough ! )

So bled the clutch to the best of my abilities , but the pedal felt no different

So onto the next plan , i did some googling and stumbled accross a thread on here that Mitch posted about his new clutch biting at the bottom and Clive suggested adjust the master cylinder push rod on top of the clutch pedal

So got upside down ,loosen the lock nut and i move the rod closer to the pedal ( im assuming that more of the rod closer to the pedal - the more fluid i could push thru ) - this completly locked the gear box out - and i mean , NO gears when running

so im a bit baffled at this point .. so stopped the car , and have a think

So i adjusted the push rod the other way ( pushing more of it into the cylinder )

Spoke the next door and he suggested starting it in gear with the clutch in to see if it was dragging

Tried that and it was fine .. no issues at all

So whilst it was running , i could get every gear with the clutch down

Took her out for a 10 mile spin and she acted perfectly , i could get every gear etc..

So no idea if i have fixed it , or what ??

Keeping my fingers crossed for now though and will see what happens over the next month or so

[Prof]

I\'d say eiher a worn clutch or possibly the clutch fork is a little bent meaning you\'re just on the edge of being able to disengage the clutch.
 
If it\'s not dragging then sounds like the pilot bearing is ok, but you may as well change that if you take the gear box off, which you\'ll have to do eventually for a worn clutch or bent clutch fork.

[grinder]

Hummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Getting more than :censored::censored::censored::censored:ed off with these cars at the mo ...

If its not a auto box going , it could be a clutch

If what i have done doesnt fix it , they are both being scrapped

[Brett]

Steady on old boy!

The clutch can be changed on the driveway - its not that hard nor expensive.

It will be fine - get out there and put some miles on it - otherwise you won\'t know for sure.

[TiddlesRX7]

Has anyone got a beginers guide for changing the clutch? I\'ve got to do mine asap.

Ade

[Prof]

I\'ve done this job about 3 times now:
 
In short:
 
0) Disconnect the battery!!!
 
1) Remove exhaust, or at least some of it.
 
2) Remove heatshields
 
3) Undo Prop shaft from diff end - mark the bolts and make sure you keep any balancing washers with each nut/bolt pair
 
4) Slide prop shaft out of gearbox and cap / bag the end off the gearbox.
 
5) Remove the gear knob, gater and rubber cover to expose the 3 bolts holding the gear selector in place - once it\'s free, pull it up gently and pop it in a bag, it will be dripping with gearbox lube.
 
6) Remove as much as you need to off the top of the engine (for T2 it\'s usually intercooler and pipework for that.
 
7) Locate the 6 bolts holding the gearbox to the engine - there are 3 at the top, and 3 along the bottom - one of the bottom ones is a pass through bolt holding a bracket and the starter motor - a bit fiddly but can be reached underneath - losen then off, but don\'t undo them yet
 
 Remove electrical connectors from the gearbox - these are a large earth strap near the brake master cylinder, a small 2 way connector for the 1st gear switch and 4 separate connectors for the reverse / 5th switch.  Make sure the wires are free from the clips too.
 
9)  Now locate and undo the 2 bolts holding the slave cylinder on top of the gearbox, and using an elastic band and / or bag tie it up out of the way.  Don\'t press the clutch pedal now - you\'ll push the piston out of the end !
 
10)  Now remove the electrical connectors from the starter motor and remove the motor (2 bolts, 1 is also holding the gearbox)
 
11) Remove the remaining bolts holding the gearbox to engine.
 
12) Prop the engine with a bit of wood or something to stop it swinging forward when the gearbox is removed off the back - if you don\'t do this it will be a real pita to get the gearbox back on.
 
13) under the car - locate the prop shaft safety bracket and remove that (boomerang shaped thing)
 
14) Get a gearbox jack or trolley under the gearbox and remove the gearbox mounting bracket bolts from the chassis (4 bolts)
 
15)  Now wiggle the box backwards and down off the engine - there are 2 dowelled holes that will need to be released which tend to keep the gearbox stuck to the engine until they are released.
 
16) Once the gearbox is free - move it back to expose the clutch
 
17) The clutch bolts are torqued - so when you put the new one back, you\'ll need to read the service manual and get the torque settings.
 
refitting is reverse of removal

[grinder]

You make it sound sooo easy

If you need a hand Ade

[Prof]

You make it sound sooo easy
 
If you need a hand Ade

It really isn\'t that hard - it\'s just a long job - local specialists quote 3-4 hours for the job - so you are saving yourself a good £250 right off the bat, but the job normally takes me most of a whole day to do.  With a gearbox trolley jack it can be a one man job.
 
The only critical bit as far as I can see is making sure the engine doesn\'t tip forward once the weight of the gearbox comes off the back - which it will do unless you prop it some how.  It then becomes very difficult to get the gearbox aligned and back on the engine propelly, and if you try and push it on at an angle you risk mashing the pilot bearing
 
It\'s not a bad idea to check the rear seal on the engine when the clutch is off and also check the clutch fork for wear.  I also check the rear seal on the gearbox - as it\'s also easy to change when the prop shaft is off.
 
I\'d offer to help but I am miles from you guys !  :cheers

[Brett]

Last time I did it I used another trolley jack to support the front of the engine