clutch gone?

[elflamo]

Hi all, I picked up my Williams today, great drive

I noticed that only when I push in the clutchpedal really firmly, I get a squeek free gearchange. Is this a sympthom of a worn out clutch or something else?

[16v_paddy]

Possible worn out clutch ratchet mechanism of even a worn clutch fork pivot bush
Get some help so you can measure how far the clutch fork moves when the pedal is pressed, it should move between 17 & 21mm, 17 is the bare minimum

[elflamo]

Thx. So these sympthoms don't point to a worn friction plate?

[fabulicious]

Can be any of a number of things.

If the cable has been changed recently they may have not routed/fitted it correctly. The mechanism on the pedal does allow for a little stretch on the cable but if it's worn then you will get a long pedal as such.
Try removing the cable from the ratchet and refitting. You should hear some clicks when you press the clutch down for the first time.

There is a rubber on the engine side of the cable which runs through an eye on the gearbox. It can be missing or have perished.

The clutch pressure plate may be old and not springing back into position correctly.

That's all I can think of right now. I'd start with the cable and the pedal mechanism and work your way from there.

any pics of the car?

[16v_paddy]

Snapping the cable when the ratchet mechanism worn is a pretty good indication that the clutch is dead

Trying to rule out the things mentioned saves the hassle of ripping the box off to diagnose the problem

[elflamo]

Hi, thanks for your help! I've measured the movement of the clutch fork and it's just over 17mm, so I think that is ok? I've also checked the ratchet mechanism: form zero engagement it gives 11 clicks. Anything remarkable on that?

Furthermore, I noticed that, even though the ratchet mech didn't want to go any click further, I was able to pull the cable end at the clutch fork about 4 mm off of the clutch fork (understand?). So I've put a few washers in between to take up the slack. Probably not how it's supposed to be done, but it seems the clutch is disengaging a little better now.

How does all this compute?

Is there a way I can see if the friction or pressure plate is worn other than seperating the box from the engine? How much of a hassle is that anyway, i've checked the Haynes manual and seems quite a job. But I've also noticed that Haynes sometimes overcomplicates things a little. What are your thoughts?

About the pictures: didn't get the chance to wash/polish/wax etc. Will take pics afterwards!

Cheers

Dennis

[diditno]

It may just be as simple as a stretch clutch cable. May be worth trying that beore ripping gearbox apart. I little hint ho, get a proper renault one as aftermarket ones ive used before are too short.

[fabulicious]

Hi, thanks for your help! I've measured the movement of the clutch fork and it's just over 17mm, so I think that is ok? I've also checked the ratchet mechanism: form zero engagement it gives 11 clicks. Anything remarkable on that?

Furthermore, I noticed that, even though the ratchet mech didn't want to go any click further, I was able to pull the cable end at the clutch fork about 4 mm off of the clutch fork (understand?). So I've put a few washers in between to take up the slack. Probably not how it's supposed to be done, but it seems the clutch is disengaging a little better now.

How does all this compute?

Is there a way I can see if the friction or pressure plate is worn other than seperating the box from the engine? How much of a hassle is that anyway, i've checked the Haynes manual and seems quite a job. But I've also noticed that Haynes sometimes overcomplicates things a little. What are your thoughts?

About the pictures: didn't get the chance to wash/polish/wax etc. Will take pics afterwards!

Cheers

Dennis

Still paranoid about that clutch plate :P

Don't worry i've had similar symptoms with a brand new clutch. It's quite hard for the pressure plate NOT to spring back into position, even if it's worn. Generally the disc will wear out first and you will get a burning smell or it will be slipping which in your case it is not.
Not saying your clutch is behaving as it should but if you have no history of it being done then you may have to go down that route at some stage.
Doing the clutch for the 1st time is daunting. Theres a pikie way or the take it all out and do other jobs while your at it way.

Whatever you decide the cable and ratchet is important to have setup correctly. Splash out on a new OE cable and a ratchet and clear your mind of that being an issue going forward.

[fabulicious]

and here's a pic of a brand new cable giving my clutch hassle cause the rubber bit perished after 30 miles!
cause? very likely ratchet.

[16v_paddy]

At just over 17mm travel, the ratchet mechanism is almost at the end of it's life so will most certainly need replacing sooner rather than later. It sounds more likely that the clutch isn't quite fully disengaging, not a worn clutch friction plate.

It's certainly possible the cable could be stretched so I'd suggest replacing that 1st as it's the cheapest & easiest thing to replace but that will only be a temporary solution because of the ratchet mechanism being worn.

Since the fork moves just over what's minimum to disengage the clutch fully, if a new cable doesn't cure it I'm afraid to say it's more likely that the pivot bush has worn out completely, it's only a 99p part but requires box removal, it's often overlooked but needs to be replaced at the same time as the clutch