1997 1.9TD Estate - A Tyre-ing question about handling

[beko1987]

Yes, I'm eer-ing towards clip replacement too Jim, because it snapped on me this morning!

Luckily I was mere yards from my mums where I park for work as it's just around the corner. This time there was no click, just a crunch as the pedal hit the floor as I went for 1st on a junction. This time I turned the car off, put it in first and turned it over until it fired. I tried for second but that didnt work so back on in 1st and just crawled to my mums. Reversing onto the drive was fun...

Swear words were uttered. The plan is:

Hope and pray that these guys get http://www.eurocarcare.net/clutch-contr ... using.html out today so it arrives tomorrow
Book thursday off work
Get Amy to bring me some clothes and tools over and I'll sleep at my mums for a few nights
Fit the clip on thursday. Having been done before, hopefully the bolt is the right way round, if not then it'll have to be a struggle, I've read the various how to guides on here and it doesn't look terrible.
Whilst I'm there I'll fill the clutch cable with oil incase that helps.

The clutch is quite heavy, but it might be normal, I have nothing to compare it to, this is the first Xantia I have. The clip may have just gone, the cable popped out friday due to stress, then snapped today. Hope mum has something nice for tea...

[ekjdm14]

In my experience, clutches on 1.9TD's (although not Xantiae) have always been lighter & smoother in action than a lot of other cars so if yours feels generally heavy then I'd suggest it's getting towards it's last legs.

[beko1987]

Joy! It was changed a few years ago, although the cable wasn't.

I hope it's not the clutch, that sounds expensive and tbh the way I feel about the car at the moment, added to the amount of work it needs it'll be borderline wether I keep it or not...

Hopefully a new clip will last a few months at least, to give me time to assess. Is the clutch cable being stiff a thing or is that me trying to make excuses?

Is a clutch expensive and/or difficult?

[CitroJim]

Is a clutch expensive and/or difficult?

It's not too bad by FWD Transverse engine standards, there's a complete guide, written by me years ago, on how to so it Sam...

[CitroJim]

Sam, here's how to swap the clutch...

https://www.frenchcarforum.co.uk/forum/ ... hp?t=23322

A new TD clutch is an absolute delight; as light as a feather...

[beko1987]

My clutch certainly isnt as light as a feather... But it was changed on the 20th November 2014 http://autoshite.com/topic/16607-le-bus ... se/page-11

Dunno what the mileage was though, but probably not 30k ago. I hope it's not gone again, it drives fine.

Either way, I cannot do a clutch change tomorrow, all I can do is fit a new clip and hope it at least gets me home so I'm stranded there and not here. I made a start just now at lunchtime and got the airbox off, and had a reccee. I think the bolt is fitted the 'easier' way round



The nut is the centre console side

and the bolt is brake pedal side



Into the engine bay, and is this the bit the cable pulls on to release the clutch? Should I be able to move it with my hand? Because I can't...



This is where the adjustment is on the cable



The cable does push and pull freely tbh, I did dribble some plusgas into the end but I dont think it did much

With all the pushing and pulling though, the metal clip fell out and buggar me it looks broken, is it?





If it is then thats game over as I cant find one on the internet anywhere, and the only physical place I can find is a place in Uxbridge that has it in stock but doesn't take card over the phone nor post stuff out...

Feeling very disheartened. With the clutch, new tyres all round, sphere replacements, fluid change, height correctors and copious rear arch rust, coupled with the fact it cost me £250 in the first place I'm rapidly descending towards 'run it until I get my bonus in march and buy something else for less than the work will cost me to do to this', which is a shame as I do like the old bus...

[CitroJim]

If the clutch is that young Sam it should be fine... The metal part of the clip only needs to deform a little and it's no good.

Fingers crossed a new clip will resolve the issue nicely

[beko1987]

I do hope your years of experience is right Jim!

Either way, once I've done the clip and it holds, and I know how to do the job I'll buy the other two and keep them in the car...

But what explains the pedal travel? I'll try and badly explain it...

Say the hypothetical length of pedal pivot is 10 inches. 10 at the top, 1 mashed to the carpet. Inch 10 to 8 is free movement. One can just drop the pedal from being held up at inch 10, and it falls to inch 8. Inch 8 to 7 is the top of the pedal travel. Inch 6 is the bite point. Inch 5 to 1 is the other side of the pedal movement.

How could I adjust that? Could that be the cause?

[CitroJim]

Sam, the cable should be adjusted so that the pedal sits about 6 inches of the carpet.. Bite should then be roughly in the middle and toward the lower..

Yes, a seriously maladjusted cable will strain the clip as you push the pedal beyond the available travel of the clutch release mechanism...

[beko1987]

Good to know, should the top part be floppy then? Is that just the mechanism not being needed?

Do I just turn the locking nut in then until the bite point moves? Trial and error job?

[CitroJim]

Top should not be too floppy Sam... Turn the adjuster in until the pedal rubber sits at the right distance from the carpet - about 6 inches - and trim from there slightly to get a nice middleish bite...

[beko1987]

I'll do that, thanks Jim!

[RichardW]

I don't think that clip is broken, but it probably is a bit tired. It might be OK for a short while if you carefully squeeze it back together, but I would plan on replacing it.

Sadly that bolt is in the wrong way round - suggesting the clip has never been changed, so it has done well! You also have a manual adjust cable, so getting the spring back on the pedal, is, er, interesting.... Here's some info on doing it, looks like I was doing it just about 10 years ago! viewtopic.php?t=21201

[chinkostu]

Sam, my clutch has been heavy since I got the car. I ended up dribbling lhm into the sheath and working the pedal a few times. It got a touch lighter and I adjusted the pedal so it wasn't so horrible. Gives me grim thoughts as to the life left in the clutch though, I don't think its ever been changed (nothing in the history to note it!)

[CitroJim]

Stu, My Gabriel's clutch was really heavy when I first had her but with use it's got a little lighter - unless it's my imagination!

I know how heavy as my Activa is feather-light in comparison!