Clutch release arm and clutch plate was the wrong way.

[DeeTurbo]

Hi all,

Does any one know how to take the clutch release arm off the shaft?

It looked like the little pin that goes through is a m7? I tried using a stud extractor to turn it out but it wont budge.

I've also tried welding a nut to it but the weld just shears off.

I would really like to change the little white bushes before putting it all back together. Any tips welcome.

[Piggy]

soak in wd40 or similar...
then wack it.

its just a pin...it looks like a threaded bar but its just a pin.

wack it to break it lose then pull/wiggle it out.

dont wack it too far!! it only will come out one way!

[DeeTurbo]

Thanks, so the threaded bit is probably for some type of extractor the the dears use?

I stuck some plus gas on it when I started taking the drive shafts out so it could soak in and nothing and I've heated the shaft but that didn't help ether.

I'll try hitting it again.

Thanks for your reply.

[Piggy]

yeah try a good tap to get it moving...

I guess thats what the thread is for...have you tried 2 nuts locked against each other??

thats worked before for me

[DeeTurbo]

I couldn't use two nuts as it was m7 and that being a none standard size I didn't have any. I drilled the pin out in the end.

My next problem is one of the bolts that's under the gearbox won't go in. I don't understand why it wont as all the others, the three above the box and the other cap head bolt are all in and the one above drive shaft wont go in. It's a pain as the plastic pipe that goes to the inlet elbow gets in the way.

Does anyone know why that bolt wont go in or if anyone else has had that problem before?

I was surprised to find my original clutch was a LUK one, I thought Valeo were the ones originally fitted?

[Piggy]

oh dear.

done now though...should go in...is it going in but not threading??
as in could it be the wrong length...wrong bolt??

could try loosening the others

[DeeTurbo]

It's the one that came out that hole as I kept the bolts all in order.

It's in the whole but the thread wont catch. I've tried slacking the others and wiggling the box but it still wouldn't go.

I'm going to try and remove the plastic pipe to give me more room and see how that goes tomorrow. If that doesn't work I might have to try filing the corners of the bolt so it's feeds into the threads. I'll only do that as a last resort.

[Piggy]

dont go filing it down!!

yeah remove anything in the way...10min making more room can save an hour of fiddling and swearing!!!

[Toms306]

Why did you take the arm off? That's only necessary on xud boxes for a clutch change.

As for the bolt, I found they round threads pretty easily and kinda had to force one in to 'cut' the threads again. Typical French cheese bolts lol.

[DeeTurbo]

Why did you take the arm off? That's only necessary on xud boxes for a clutch change.

I would really like to change the little white bushes before putting it all back together.

The thread on the bolt is fine no damage. The only thing I can think is the hole is not aligned but I can't understand how that could be as there are locating pins on the bell housing.

There was quite a bit of damage from my clutch failing.

You can see here the damage to the casing and the bent forks.


There was nothing left of the release bearing.

[Piggy]

woh...thats gone big style!

[JamesG]

New gearbox?

[DeeTurbo]

Haha, I was thinking that when I saw the price of a new pivot fork £67!

[JamesG]

Got one here

[Toms306]

Ah ok, that's what I get for not reading properly lol.

Hmm, id keep loosening and wiggling tbh, its gotta go back in! Did you try loosening all the bolts or just the bottom ones?

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Also, if you're thinking of removing the plastic boost pipe....best not to if you don't have to, you'll more than likely end up with a boost leak if you do lol.

[DeeTurbo]

Got one here

I'll see how it goes, I've straighten the forks best I could.

Ah ok, that's what I get for not reading properly lol.

Hmm, id keep loosening and wiggling tbh, its gotta go back in! Did you try loosening all the bolts or just the bottom ones?

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Also, if you're thinking of removing the plastic boost pipe....best not to if you don't have to, you'll more than likely end up with a boost leak if you do lol.

Yeah, I know what you mean, the connection at the turbo end isn't the best but the elbow end isn't to bad.

I'll just try wiggling it some more.

I tried undoing all of them and the starter.

[Toms306]

Fair enough.

Yeah you might be ok, it just seems that every time I remove something that was sealed its never sealed again after lol. Just my luck probably though lol. I do seem to remember that bolt being a pain though, trying to get it back in straight with almost no access. Good luck I guess!

[DeeTurbo]

I think I've figured it out.

I think the problem is the heat reflective cover for the speed module is trapped between the bell housing and the block.

We shall see.

[Piggy]

ahhhh....now you can see you see what you need to see and see the problem

[DeeTurbo]

Guess what, It was that!

When I got in to bed last night I went over in my head what could stop the bolt and I remembered that cover is kind of flat.

Just done the clutch cable today, my god it's pain to do. I've got a feeling the firewall bung hasn't seated right.

[DeeTurbo]

Bugger,

First the car wouldn't start,

Now it starts but I can't get any gear, it's like the clutch isn't releasing enough.

Any ideas?

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I'm starting it question if I put the friction plate in the right way round.

[Niall]

Stamped on the pedal a few times?

[Toms306]

You must have put it on right, I put mine in backwards first time but the clutch cover wouldn't fit so it will only go one way!

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Can you get all the gears with the engine off? If not possibly missed a linkage.

[DeeTurbo]

Stamped on the pedal a few times?

Tired it loads and then I put a spacer between the arm and the cable so the cables pulled out a bit more but no joy.

I spoke with my dad about it and he thinks I have put the plate in the wrong way, biggest school boy error ever!

Basically he said to try putting it in gear with a piece of wood pushing down on the clutch pedal then push the car, if it rolls without the engine stopping it try starting the car with it in gear and have your foot on the clutch. If it starts and you can hear the clutch dragging then it's the plate in the wrong way.

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You must have put it on right, I put mine in backwards first time but the clutch cover wouldn't fit so it will only go one way!

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Can you get all the gears with the engine off? If not possibly missed a linkage.

Really?

I can get all gears fine with the engine off. When I got the box on and went to check if the release bearing was ok I tried the gears and I found the the bit that locates on that large ball had fallen of it.

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Can anyone tell from the pic's if the plate is in wrong?

Tom, what clutch did you fit?

[Toms306]

Can't see the pics from my phone unfortunately.

But if you can get into gear while the engines off then it just be a clutch issue. And yeah I couldn't get the clutch cover to sit flush so checked all was well and noticed I'd put the plate the vwrong way after specifically making sure I didn't do that lol. It was a luk clutch on a HDi.

I'm just wondering, did you clip the release bearing in or leave it 'floating' on the shaft?

[DeeTurbo]

The release bearing was clipped to the fork and I cable tied the arm to stop it flapping about when fitting the box.

I'm thinking it could be one of three things now,
1) It could be ether the bearing coming away from the fork when fitting the box.
2) The fork wasn't straightened enough and the bearing might be being pushed at an angle because of the mangled fork.
3) The plates in the wrong way but I'm starting to doubt this.

I also kept say to myself I must remember to fit it the right way but now I can't remember if I checked when fitting because I was trying to get everything nicely aligned.

Oh and Tom notice in the the first pic of the new clutch fitted the silver square on the right side of the fly wheel. It was that what was caught between the box and the block that stopped the bolt going in.

[Toms306]

Can't see the pics mate, but yeah I saw earlier that was the issue, glad that was easy to sort! Shame the box has probably gotta come off for your new issue though.

[DeeTurbo]

My dad told me a good trick for when I spit the box again. He said to get a couple of long M10 threaded bars, screw them in to the top bolt holes and then slide the box over enough to undo the cover plate. Thought that would be pretty good to keep very thing in alignment, just hope it's as easy as it sounds. I might even get away having to pull the N/S drive shaft out this way.

Really pissed off I didn't start the car to check it worked ok with the engine turning , I only checked the pedal feel when I got the box on, in case the release bearing moved off the fork and before I put the oil in.

[Piggy]

tbh...I wouldnt do much else to check I could get all gears etc...

if clutch feels good and all gears can be selected I would have been happy...

I am amazed you can fit it wrong way round though...

are you sure the clutch cable aint snagged or caught somewhere

[Toms306]

My dad told me a good trick for when I spit the box again. He said to get a couple of long M10 threaded bars, screw them in to the top bolt holes and then slide the box over enough to undo the cover plate. Thought that would be pretty good to keep very thing in alignment, just hope it's as easy as it sounds. I might even get away having to pull the N/S drive shaft out this way.

That sounds like a good idea!!

As for checks, I wouldn't have been starting it without any shafts/oil tbh so you can't really have done anything extra.