I dorve my Gal to work as usual parked up all fine. I went out at lunchtime to take a drive and the cluch pedal hits the floor like it is spring loaded. I can bring it up again with my foot but as soon as you touch it it goes straight back down again. I am waiting for the breakdown guy to arrive but in the meant time any ideas? I am assuming fluid loss but have no idea what has happened. I replaced the Master cylinder about 60k miles ago with the rest of the clutch. Ay ideas???
Hi BJ have you lost any fluid from the reservoir?
I think so - I topped up the resovoir - but so far from what I can see I havewn't got any fluid around the bell housing - but I will take the tray off tonight and look properly. I am drading the signs of a knackered slave cylinder!!
Don't forget the master cylinder, could be leaking back into the car soaking into the carpet etc.
I have taken the tray off and lo it's got a shedload of fluid in it and not in the cylinder where it should be. Looks like the gearbox will have to come off. Bugger!!!!
Meh, that's not what you want to find :(
If you're taking the box off yourself, any chance of some photo's along the way? :)
Yep I'll be doing it ove this weekend. I'm hoping only to replace the concetric slave cylinder as it appeared to lose all the fluid in one hit - Plus I replaced the entire clutch including DMF only 60k miles ago. As the car has now 199K it can't last for too much longer without some serious work so I 'll just get it back on the road with a view to replacing it later this year.
It is so galling to have to remove the gearbox for a Ã,£40 part. But such is life.
I'll ty to remember to take pics and let you know how I get on. My one real worry is the sheer weight of the gearbox and that I will have to do this in the drive because the Gal won't fit in my garage!
years back i had to change a clutch on my renault 18 turbo on the drive,goog god the box was heavy,in the end we used 2 trolley jacks.
I have removed the gearbox and the slave is buggered. Easy so far. However I forgot to remove one connector and now I have some broken wires that need repairing - I don't think I can get to them with the box in position so I will have to wait until they are fixed. ( Its a speed sensor that sits on top of the box with a flexible heat protector. I can't work out how to get the pins out so that I can solder it together. any ideas? It has 3 wires two of which have broken at the root of the plug so I can't join them. Talk about frustrating!
To remove the pins you need to prise out the rubber bits where the wires go and then use a micro driver (or the special tool) to depress the latch's on the pin itself - it'll slide out then however I'd probably go and chop the plug of a scrappy car, then solder into the wiring loom of your own as it's much easier, especially when working in confined spaces!
Thanks Mirez but a soldering iron and some shrink wrap did the trick. I now need to re fit the ge3arbox - I just can't lift it on my own and it's too awkward to balance it on a jack - so I'll enlist my sons and some rope and see what I can do. It's a few years since I did it last and I just don't have the strength anymore - plus I now have a pacemaker so have to be a little careful!
Well I have at last installed my gearbox with a replacement slave cylinder. It works!! However, just like the last time I find that there is not much movement before the drive takes up. I think this is because I can't bleed the clutch properly. I don't understand the design of this - The bleed nipple is behind the slave in effect so how does it get rid of the air in the slave? I have tried a pressure bleeder and I have a pedal but I am not totally happy with it. I think it needs a vacuum bleeder rather than a pressure one. Any ideas?
Have you tried it this way!!
You will need someone in the car while your under the bonnet.
Connect bleed tube with some fluid in a bottle with bleed screw still closed.
Pump the clutch pedal quickly about five times, on the last press keep the pedal down hard, now open bleed valve observe fluid/air flowing into bottle, close valve and repeat several times keeping reservoir topped up.