Hello Everyone

[doctle]

Hi Guys
New member from Ireland I joined the forum for some advice
I have spent a full day trying to remove the pin from the release bearing lever on a 2003 1.4 Xsara with no joy. Can I remove the gearbox with the pin still inserted? The release bearing is gone. Any help or suggestions most welcome. Thanks

[CitroJim]

Welcome

I'm moving this to the Citroen forum.

I'm sure you'll get the answer there. I've had the same problem on a BE3 gearbox and I'm not sure if the MA will benefit from the same solution so I'll await to see what those who know better than I say before offering what works on a BE..

[doctle]

Thank you

[citronut]

hi and welcome

and you do not need to remove the actuating arm securing pin on a petrol/small engined petrol Xsara,
as it is not fitted with a back to front pull type clutch, but a conventional push type,

[doctle]

Hi Malcolm,
thanks for the quick reply. I bought a Haynes manual however it's for the old model Xsara up to year 2000 it' mentions driving out the pin. I will try to remove the box in the morning.
Just out of interest the clutch kit I got in the motor factors was AC Delco. Are they any good? Guy in the motor factors said it will last years
Regards
Paul

[doctle]

Welcome

I'm moving this to the Citroen forum.

I'm sure you'll get the answer there. I've had the same problem on a BE3 gearbox and I'm not sure if the MA will benefit from the same solution so I'll await to see what those who know better than I say before offering what works on a BE..

Out of interest what was your solution?

[CitroJim]

Welcome

I'm moving this to the Citroen forum.

I'm sure you'll get the answer there. I've had the same problem on a BE3 gearbox and I'm not sure if the MA will benefit from the same solution so I'll await to see what those who know better than I say before offering what works on a BE..

Out of interest what was your solution?

For the BE3 used in diesels with a "Pull" clutch the pin mus be removed so the arm can be removed.

My method is to clamp a pair of Mole Grips to the end of the pin and then use a hammer on the side of the Mole Grips to drive the pin out.

Occasionally I've needed to heat the pin and shaft with oxyacetylene to release the pin. That melts the plastic bush below it but it's cheap and trivial to replace it and they should be as a matter of course anyway.

Thankfully, having a conventional "Push" clutch you're spared all that...

[doctle]

Thanks for the info, I don't have and oxy/acetylene kit I'd have been in real trouble

[addo]

There's a common and cheap kit of operating arm, combined fork/cross-shaft and upper/lower plastic bushes. You can trim it off with a grinder then replace if necessary.

[CitroJim]

Thanks for the info, I don't have and oxy/acetylene kit I'd have been in real trouble

A propane torch with a fine tip will do too.. Oxy is a bit more controllable and localised. A standard DIY blowtorch tends to be a bit of a scattergun and gets things nearby too hot whilst not putting quite enough heat exactly where it's needed...

[citronut]

Hi Malcolm,
thanks for the quick reply. I bought a Haynes manual however it's for the old model Xsara up to year 2000 it' mentions driving out the pin. I will try to remove the box in the morning.
Just out of interest the clutch kit I got in the motor factors was AC Delco. Are they any good? Guy in the motor factors said it will last years
Regards
Paul

you might find the operation of the Delco clutch a bit heavy,

the preferred ans equivalent to OE equipment are Valeo and LUK, i go out of my way to not fit anything else,


you do not need to remove that pin unless you intend fitting new nylon bush's whilst your in there

[doctle]

Took 4 hours to get the gearbox out. Everything seized or very tight, the carrier bearing behind the engine wont slide off can I unbolt it and tap the carrier off the shaft? Thanks again

[dnsey]

Jim's method is useful for extracting all sort of more-or-less inaccessible bits; I use it myself all the time and have the battered Molegrips to prove it (actually years-old Chinese grips, still going strong despite all sorts of abuse).

[citronut]

Took 4 hours to get the gearbox out. Everything seized or very tight, the carrier bearing behind the engine wont slide off can I unbolt it and tap the carrier off the shaft? Thanks again

if you have removed the gear box without removing the O/S drive shaft before hand, you will almost certainly have bent the gear box end/half of the shaft,

to remove the drive shaft from the intermediate bearing mounting, undo the two 11mm nuts from the hockey stick bearing retaining bolt, then after disconnecting the CV joint from the hub drift the shaft out of the bearing carrier/mounting, with a suitable drift placed at the collar that faces the gear box and showing through the bearing mounting, place a container under the diff to collect the gear oil once the shaft comes out

[doctle]

This is why it took 4 hours to get the gearbox out. I ended up unbolting the bearing carrier from the engine so when I went to remove the gearbox it slid out a little then i was able to remove it from the gearbox so I don't think its bent. The bearing is totally jammed solid and I cant see any way to remove the shaft and bearing holder together. Can this be done? Hitting it doesn't seem to work