stiff getting into gear

shaunthesheep · Post by **shaunthesheep** » 27 Nov 2002, 00:47

all,
i noticed tonight that i'm starting to have some trouble getting my xantia into gear,
but this does' not happen all the time, but if i press the clutch pedal down again it works fine <img src=icon_smile_blackeye.gif border=0 align=middle>
have looked at the clutch wear,by measuring the travel in between the cltuch pedal & the bottom of the stearing wheel & adjusted it the 150mm recomended.
have been tolded by another xantia driver that 'it's just a Citroen thing<img src=icon_smile_shock.gif border=0 align=middle>, gearboxes frezeing'
but i don't think so, has anybody else got any ideas?
dom
Edited by - shaunthesheep on 27 Nov 2002 08:38:57

Dave Burns · Post by **Dave Burns** » 28 Nov 2002, 02:36

Does it crunch when you stick it in reverse, if it does the clutch is dragging, not freeing properly and still rotating.
Are all forward gears difficult to engage or just 1st and 2nd, if it goes in to reverse ok and the prob in on 1 and 2 it could be weak syncros, or if its all forward gears it could just be linkages.
Dave

shaunthesheep · Post by **shaunthesheep** » 28 Nov 2002, 05:31

dave, thanks m8, will look into what you suggested, & post my findings on here.
thanks
dom

shaunthesheep · Post by **shaunthesheep** » 02 Dec 2002, 04:50

all,
i have had some trouble getting it into gear, seems like most gears, could this be related to have one of the gear linkages replaced?? & not being set up correcttly?, it does not sound to 'crunch' when engaging.
how would i get this problem sorted, before it cause's some searious damaged to my gearbox<img src=icon_smile_sad.gif border=0 align=middle>
dom

shaunthesheep · Post by **shaunthesheep** » 10 Jan 2003, 03:41

hi ya,<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>
well just to give you all an update, i've now noticed that i'm having trouble getting it to engage/disingage in ALL GEARS, one thing that i have noticed is that when the car is in neutral & with the clutch depressed the clutch goes quiet, but as soon as i take my foot off it i hear a rattle coming from the cltuch, which sounds like bearings going round!!, the cltuch has been adjusted to the recommend levels eg 150mm travel between steering wheel base & clutch pedal.
has anybody got any ideas what this rattle might be??, & how i might be able to fix it.
dom

frankie · Post by **frankie** » 10 Jan 2003, 03:53

Have you tried lubricating the linkage? Those joints can get a bit stiff and funny things then happen when you try to select/disengage gears. Spray-on grease did the trick for me without having to strip it down.
citron xantia td 95

arry_b · Post by **arry_b** » 10 Jan 2003, 16:00

Sounds like the clutch needs doing to me. I suspect the fingers on the diaphragm spring will be worn and notched at the ends.
Is the clutch heavier than it used to be (compare to another car - you may not have noticed it getting worse over time).
The noise you describe sounds *mostly* like a worn clutch release bearing, but could be something worse (input shaft bearing in gearbox?). Either way, the box will have to come off for a look. My money is on the clutch.
ZX D
XM V6 Sei
err... and a Vauxhall.

arry_b · Post by **arry_b** » 10 Jan 2003, 16:01

Sounds like the clutch needs doing to me. I suspect the fingers on the diaphragm spring will be worn and notched at the ends.
Is the clutch heavier than it used to be (compare to another car - you may not have noticed it getting worse over time).
The noise you describe sounds *mostly* like a worn clutch release bearing, but could be something worse (input shaft bearing in gearbox?). Either way, the box will have to come off for a look. My money is on the clutch.
ZX D
XM V6 Sei
err... and a Vauxhall.

FFX-DM · Post by **FFX-DM** » 10 Jan 2003, 18:28

A noise from a gearbox direction when you release the clutch as described sounds like gearbox bearings (layshaft end bearings) to me. I hope it's the clutch, but the above is what it was for me on my first car and also for my friend just recently on her Cit AX. I drove 1st car for three years with noisy box until it eventually failed (would not stay in 4th gear at all) at which point I stuck a replacement box on.
Don't know if it's related, but when I got a gearbox prob fixed on my AX (it's me, I am cursed!) they put the wrong grade of oil in and it was often very stiff putting it into 1st and 2nd from cold after that.
By the way, my ZX goes crunch about 75% of the time when I engage reverse. Dave suggests that this is the clutch dragging, is there an adjustment type cure for this or does it just signal impending future clutch replacement? <img src=icon_smile_question.gif border=0 align=middle> I was going to post a question on this topic until I found this handy spot to put my question. It would be nice to cure it because it makes everybody give me the "oh look it's another stupid female who doesn't know how to drive" look when I do it in public. <img src=icon_smile_angry.gif border=0 align=middle>

shaunthesheep · Post by **shaunthesheep** » 10 Jan 2003, 20:02

the clutch was replace in oct '00, since being replaced i have done about 20k miles,
how long should a clutch last??
dom

Dave Burns · Post by **Dave Burns** » 10 Jan 2003, 23:53

Clutch drag doesn't normaly mean the clutch is knackered, it means either the driven plate no longer slides along the splines of the input shaft and away from the flywheel for several possible reasons, rust being the most common, clutch dust also soaks up what little lubricant is on the shaft and can end being sticky, or in some cases the crankshaft continues to drive the input shaft via its spiggot, again because of rust.
A distorted diaphragm spring can also cause it but this is normaly acompanied by clutch judder.
A work round to engaging reverse without making a plonker of yourself is to engage a forward gear first, then quickly slap it in reverse before the clutch starts to spin again, but you have to be quick.
Dave

jeremy · Post by **jeremy** » 11 Jan 2003, 05:05

Does your clutch feel as though it is releasing in the right place or, even after your adjustment is it still freeing right on the floor? If it is freeing right at the end of its travel you could try adjusting it a little more to see if things improve.
Many years ago I had a Mk3 Cortina 2000 which became more or less impossible to get into reverse when cold unless I started it in that gear. This wasn't helped by the auto choke which made it rev like fury when cold and the whole thing was getting to be a bit of a problem until the cluth spring broke! (true!) nearly stranding me. When I took it apart I found that the cause of the drag was that the driven plate was slightly bigger than the presser plate and had worn a whisker round the edge of the driven plate which caused the drag.
New clutch - lovely - well at least that bit was!
Another possibility is the grade of gearbox oil - probably worth draining it and replacing with known correct grade. I expect it was refilled when the clutch was done as most would have leaked out - do you know what they used? - are they likely to have used the correct grade - or just 'gearbox oil'?
jeremy