Wingsforwheels Posted December 21, 2017 Report Share Posted December 21, 2017 Hi guys, I've developed a sudden issue that has me stumped... After driving to a mates place today without issue, I got back in the car and we drove off--It was fine with the clutch in, felt a bit funny in first, and then into second the car felt like the clutch was slipping A LOT. i.e. If I put my foot down it revs freely rather than actually accelerating, and only accelerates if I am very gentle with the throttle. It was behaving like this through every gear, but got worse the higher the gear. I've checked the clutch cable at both ends to make sure the clutch is engaging (as far as the cable is responsible, anyway) Is it possible the clutch is shot even if it was fine one second and undriveable the next? Or is there something else at play? Any help much appreciated, since I'm in Canberra for the week, and was hoping to drive back next week! Jasper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SloRolla Posted December 21, 2017 Report Share Posted December 21, 2017 has it been recently replaced? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Banjo Posted December 21, 2017 Report Share Posted December 21, 2017 Was there any noise associated with it slipping ? Where abouts in Canberra are you, Jasper. I happen to be in Bruce ATM. Cheers Banjo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wingsforwheels Posted December 21, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2017 (edited) 1 hour ago, SloRolla said: has it been recently replaced? No it hasn't been changed for a little while I believe--don't know when the previous owner changed it, but I have done a couple of thousand of KMs since I got it. 48 minutes ago, Banjo said: Was there any noise associated with it slipping ? Where abouts in Canberra are you, Jasper. I happen to be in Bruce ATM. There was no noise except the engine revving, but what sort of noise could I be looking for? I am in Fyshwick, but the car is in Yarralumla, but it is still (somewhat) driveable! Thanks guys! Edited December 21, 2017 by Wingsforwheels Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Banjo Posted December 21, 2017 Report Share Posted December 21, 2017 Hi Jasper, If there is no severe noise, & it is still slightly driveable, then the centre of the friction/driven plate has not torn out, or something horrific like that. It sounds like the metal diaphram on the pressure plate might have let go. Strange that it happened so swiftly. My suggestion is get it on some ramps or a hoist, & and see what you can see from underneath. Remove spring & clutch cable from the clutch arm, & then remove the rubber boot. Reinstall cable & return spring, & with someone pushing the clutch in & out, someone underneath with a torch can see whether clutch cable & arm & throw-out bearing are all working OK, and there is some resistance when the clutch pedal is pushed right to the floor, and the throw-out bearing presses against the pressure plate fingers. If this checks out OK, then I'm afraid the gearbox, will have to come out, as nothing externally can solve this issue. P.S. Is there any oil leak underneath the gearbox. A rear engine seal going could cover the clutch plate, & make it slip, but It would have to be a lot of oil. Cheers Banjo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wingsforwheels Posted December 21, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2017 9 minutes ago, Banjo said: My suggestion is get it on some ramps or a hoist, & and see what you can see from underneath. Remove spring & clutch cable from the clutch arm, & then remove the rubber boot. Reinstall cable & return spring, & with someone pushing the clutch in & out, someone underneath with a torch can see whether clutch cable & arm & throw-out bearing are all working OK, and there is some resistance when the clutch pedal is pushed right to the floor, and the throw-out bearing presses against the pressure plate fingers. I will give this a go tomorrow and post the results, thanks! 10 minutes ago, Banjo said: A rear engine seal going could cover the clutch plate, & make it slip, but It would have to be a lot of oil. I did wonder about this, since rear main seal is leaking pretty badly. If it is this, I guess I'll be looking at a clutch and seal change, unless there is some way to "degrease" the clutch? Thanks a lot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Banjo Posted December 21, 2017 Report Share Posted December 21, 2017 Hi Jasper, If it is an oil seal which has finally broken up, then that could well put a lot of oil into the clutch area. The flywheel will fling it around everywhere. With the rubber boot off, and a torch, you will see that clearly. Don't think you can degease it, but even if you could, it would oil up quickly, and you could get stuck half way home. Cheers Banjo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big G Posted December 21, 2017 Report Share Posted December 21, 2017 This exact problem happened to me many years ago but it happened when I planted my foot to do an overtake of an old bus up a long hill. I got past it just, then limped it home. It ended up being the pressure plate losing tension in the fingers. It literally happened in the blink of an eye. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Banjo Posted December 21, 2017 Report Share Posted December 21, 2017 I had an aftermarket pressure plate (out of India) do a similar thing, several years ago. The spring steel material wasn't up to scratch, & lost tension, but not as quickly as what you just described. Cheers Banjo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebuilder86 Posted December 22, 2017 Report Share Posted December 22, 2017 yeh blink of an eye sounds like oil just suddenly made its way to it, or if ur lucky, the cable, throw out bearing slideing surfaces or pedal has become snagged perhaps? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wingsforwheels Posted December 22, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 22, 2017 15 hours ago, Banjo said: Remove spring & clutch cable from the clutch arm, & then remove the rubber boot. Reinstall cable & return spring, & with someone pushing the clutch in & out, someone underneath with a torch can see whether clutch cable & arm & throw-out bearing are all working OK, and there is some resistance when the clutch pedal is pushed right to the floor, and the throw-out bearing presses against the pressure plate fingers. Just a quick update: having had a look as Banjo suggested, it looks (to my untrained eye) like everything is moving as it should. It also looks like nothing is oil saturated, so hopefully that rules out a catastrophic main seal failure. I think Graeme's suggestion that a finger has broken off the pressure plate or something similar seems likely. I've got a clutch kit coming overnight to Repco in Fyshwick, so I should be able to grab it in the morning. A mate and I will spend the day trying to change it tomorrow, and see how we go. I've read a few posts on here and the service manual re: changing a clutch, hoping I can do it without a transmission jack. If anyone has any extra tips any advice is appreciated since I've never done a clutch job before! Thanks heaps!! Jasper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taz_Rx Posted December 22, 2017 Report Share Posted December 22, 2017 You shouldn't really be putting a new clutch in without getting the flywheel refaced Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wingsforwheels Posted December 22, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 22, 2017 1 hour ago, Taz_Rx said: You shouldn't really be putting a new clutch in without getting the flywheel refaced It's just bad timing--I have to drive home to Melbourne on Christmas day and I have a 5k at home ready to swap in. Was going to change the clutch at the same time, so after the trip home on the new clutch, I'll have the flywheel machined and put the clutch back in. Is it going to be terrible for the new clutch to be broken in on the old flywheel before have it machined? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebuilder86 Posted December 22, 2017 Report Share Posted December 22, 2017 no offence, and i really don't mean any offence, you are with the million others who are just following procedure,, but i recon the flywheel resurfacing thing is rarely needed. Its best practice, but most of the time, noting is going to go pear shaped (literally) because of an old flywheel. I've had 3 cars for long periods of time (over 5 years each, no lie no exaggeration), all of which I did the clutch replacements fairly early on, without touching the flywheel, and never had an issue. I understand there is a risk of some conical deformity, adn that making a new clutch have minimal contact surface, but i haven't seen it in any car ive ever touched haha. However, just to put my view into perspective, I'm not a clutch man and i don't do them all day for a career, at a guess i think ive done maybe 8 clutches all of them single mass flywheels, and all of them, ABSOLUTELY IMPOSSIBLE WITHOUT A TRANSMISSION JACK!!! I got close on my Subaru, but there was no way i was going to let it hang from the clutch, so i backed out and took someone elses car n went n borrowed one. hah don't do it man, go get a jack. beg hire, or steal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taz_Rx Posted December 22, 2017 Report Share Posted December 22, 2017 ∆ on a flywheel that has had a slipping clutch it can get glazed up and not give the best surface for a new clutch plate. With an aggressive clutch ie button you will also get wear similar to a brake rotor so machining becomes essential. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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