Clutch problem after fitting

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orinoco99
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Clutch problem after fitting

Post by orinoco99 »

Hi,My husband fitted a clutch to our Citroen Synergie 1.9TD ,1996,He now has a problem engaging 1st and reverse.
He did get a faulty release bearing with the kit so used the one he had but he didn't see a problem doing that as it looked in good condition.
The Clutch was done because of slipping.
Does anyone have any ideas why this should be?
He does work on cars for a living but has never done a clutch on one of these cars before.
Thanks in advance ,appriciate any help as we our towing our caravan tommorow.
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Post by jgra1 »

sorry to hear this Orinocco :(

I would be a tad hesitant to tow with it if your missing 1st .. that's an understatement..

the release bearing should not be relevant really.. unless it's slipped off the release arm and is spinning..., but you would hear and feel that in the pedal, and it would really affect all gears...

someone will come along soon..

I dont off the top of my head know if you can adjust the clutch, to take up slack in the cable... that would be the first thing to do..

I suppose if the clutch was not correct type for engine, it could cause bad gear engaging, most noticeable in the lower gears.. i.e. 1st reverse.. in fact most problems with clutch will be obvious in 1st and reverse...

sorrry can't think of anything really helpful

hope he doesnt have to take it out again, although it will be much quicker second time around !

John
orinoco99
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Post by orinoco99 »

Thanks for trying to help ,husband says it has improved with driving today so maybe a case of bedding in?
I did double check it was the right clutch although he did say the relese bearing was slightly different and the original looked better/stronger.
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Post by bigjl2 »

Have not done one of these myself , but it could be the selector mechanism needs adjusted as it may be slightly out after being distyrbed.
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Post by CitroJim »

Xac and I have just replaced a 1.9TD clutch today (in a Xantia but the principle holds good).

I'm mystified over the release bearing. Unless a Synergie is the exception to the rule, 1.9TDs usually have a "pull" clutch where the release bearing is part of, and firmly attached to the diaphragm spring. The release bearing cannot be replaced or swapped on its own.

It would therefore not be possible to change it for any other type and I'm wondering if the old clutch cover complete has been reused with just a new driven (friction) plate being installed.

It is not a good idea to mix and match using bits of old and new and herein may lie the problem. These clutches come as a kit and all components should be kept together.

The first thing to do is check the clutch is correctly adjusted. It is critical for good, smooth operation.

The other factor that may cause the symptom you have is if a bellhousing bolt or bolts have worked loose or were not adequately tightened (easy to forget them :oops: ) or one, often the one down at the back by the final drive, has been forgotten completely and thus allowing the gearbox to move relative to the engine.
Jim

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orinoco99
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Post by orinoco99 »

My husband said this clutch is not like yours but a normal clutch.
He dosn't think using the old bearing is a cause.
He has said its always been difficult to get reverse.
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Post by CitroJim »

orinoco99 wrote:My husband said this clutch is not like yours but a normal clutch. He dosn't think using the old bearing is a cause.
No, if it is a normal push clutch indeed it will not, providing it was in good condition and the little plastic tabs that clip it to the release fork were intact. I've found in the past that as soon as you try to remove a used bearing from the fork, these little tabs snap off and allow the bearing not to assume the correct position when reassembled.

What was wrong with the new release bearing that precluded its use?

Reverse gear on a BE3 (and indeed an ML5 for that matter) gearbox is often a bit difficult to get as its a sliding straight-cut gear without the benefit of any synchromesh.

Baulking into first though is only normally a problem if the clutch is dragging. Where is its bite point? Is it always fully disengaging?

One very important point is to ensure the 'box was refilled with the right grade of oil. Only 75W/80 should ever be used. Anything heavier will cause difficulty engaging gears when the oil is cold and may even damage the synchromesh cones.

Use either Total BV or the Comma 75W/80 gearbox oil that is specifically recommended for Citroen and Peugeot gearboxes. It really does make a difference.
Jim

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orinoco99
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Post by orinoco99 »

He did use 75/80,Morris??
Sometimes you put foot on clutch and you can here the gears stop spinning before you try to engage gear,othertimes it is reluctant to disengage.
The new bearing had a snapped plastic bit.The old one was in good condotion and the tabs were intact.
I'm off to bed now as had a bad night last night and with going away tommorow need some extra sleep.
Thanks for your help.At the moment my hubby seems OK with it but we will see how we go towing tommorow.
Cheers.
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Post by AndersDK »

NOTE : Citroens should in general have a clutch pedal height (lower edge) of 140mm above ANY carpet/mat level.
Thats the general factory setting to ensure all types will disengage fully in all gears.
The clutch pedal should then sit rather high to the other 2 pedals.
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Post by citronut »

have you checked/moved your matt from under the clutch pedel, this is quite often a cause of not enough clutch disengagement, as you say it varys from OK to not naybe your matt is slideing about under your feet
regards malcolm
orinoco99
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Post by orinoco99 »

Hi ,just got back,It does seem to be worse after a long Journey.Ok at first but when at the end of a hour and half journey ,played up.
It got us there and back though and towed well.
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