Xantia Clutch cable clip done..clutch now insainly stiff!!

walruss · Post by **walruss** » 13 Nov 2009, 19:37

evening all, some of you may have seen my ad for my silver xantia..which has just suffered a broken clip!! arghhhhhh (will have to revise that ad) well i have managed to fit a new clip successfully (though painfully) and attached the cable and adjusted accordingly on the gearbox end BUT now its just not engaging the clutch AT ALL ..i can force the pedle down but i cant select any gears...i have no idea what i'm doing wrong! ive used up all the slack on the adjustable thread but still no joy..i think its highly unlikely that the clutch has been damaged but who know..any ideas??

handyman · Post by **handyman** » 13 Nov 2009, 23:19

The clutch clip is really a fail-safe,

so the chances are, after replacing the clip, if you cannot disengage the clutch, it may well be at the end of its useful life.

Have you made sure that the cable outer is seated in the spigot in the bulkhead? It can be a bit of a bu**er to get back in as it should be a very tight fit. Is the adjustment take-up similar to how it was pre-clip snapping? If not then the cable is not seating correctly or is snagged somewhere, assuming this is a manually adjusted cable.

When the clutch release plate or pressure plate is worn, the clutch operation becomes very heavy.

Was there any slipping prior to the clip failing? Was the pedal heavy? What mileage has the car done on this clutch?

Handyman

walruss · Post by **walruss** » 14 Nov 2009, 01:01

thanks for your reply handyman.

First of all the clutch was'nt particularly heavy to start off with...quite happy being used all day with only a hint of slippage on the bite in 1st and then only at low revs. A clutch change was at the back of my mind...but not for a while yet...i'm hoping i can get a bit more life out of it yet...if only i could adjust the cable properly!!! dam clip has foiled my plans!! Cars done 164 k and has no history of a new clutch...cable looks fairly new.

Right ive just googled "spigot" and "bulkhead" but i'm assuming you mean the block on which the cable adjuster is mounted underneath the airfilter?? A sort of steel hoop with the rubber retaining rings and the adjuster thread...the latter seems to have far too much play ( i can still pull it 1 cm or so with all the thread used up and still hear the thwack of the clutch peddle in the footwell) ...i agree that the cable is snagging somewhere (but where!) and am prepared to blame my lack of knowledge/experience before the clutch itself ....is it possible for the cable to come 'loose' from the clutch?? I cant see the cable "popping out" ..but it feels as though theres no clutch in the middle at all!!

citronut · Post by **citronut** » 14 Nov 2009, 08:50

as handyman (Richard) says it sounds like you aint got the outer cable in all its seats corectly,

richard is saying you might not have the outter cable at the pedel end in its seat on the bulkhead/fire wall fully, but this whould lengthen the outer cable and the adjustment would be the opposite of what you are getting,

if this is not a very early non TD car it will have the back to front pull type clutch,

if so the outter cable at the gear box end it fitted to the fork actuatting lever, then the inner cable goes on to a fixed bracket forward of the actuatting lever, i thinkmay be you have fitted some of the fittings at the gear box end to the wrong points/place's, or not mounted one of them in there corect point,

im sure there is a diagrham of the clutch opperatting mechanisum somewhere, i think it was Jim (citrojim) posted it

regards malcolm

handyman · Post by **handyman** » 14 Nov 2009, 09:42

Hullo Walruss, As Malcolm has said, the bulkhead is at the pedal end of the cable. It is the large piece of metal that fits between the two inner wings. You can't miss it.

I would suggest that you check the clutch operation by disconnecting the cable from the operating arm and activate the clutch by trying to push the clutch arm towards the back of the car. You may need to use an extra bar, etc to increase the fulcrum length, but the arm should move fairly smoothly with some resistance, thereby showing that the clutch is releasing. If you get no resistance or no movement, you have a problem.

That would probably mean the clutch has collapsed or the trust bearing has seized.

Was there any noises coming from the clutch prior to clip failure? The very mention of clutch slip means that you had a problem waiting to happen, and I think you are going to have to think about clutch replacement. 164k miles is acceptable for a component seen as a service item. Citroen reckonned on 70K miles for most Xantia clutches, so it has had a charmed life. Time to get dirty!

Handyman

citronut · Post by **citronut** » 14 Nov 2009, 16:42

Richard wrote
"trying to push the clutch arm towards the back of the car."

no no no Richard not if its a back to front crutch sorry clutch, as the outter cable pulls the clutch actuatting arm forward,

if it is this type and walruss puts some leverage towards the basck of the car he moght well disengadge the thrust bearing from the preshure plate, then he will have to drop the gear box down to fix it

regards malcolm

walruss · Post by **walruss** » 15 Nov 2009, 02:40

I reckon the cables been disengaged in the mechanism/gearbox...cable is atached to the clip and the clip tube engages nicely into the plastic cylinder which sits ontop of the the metal (spigot?) which leads to the engine bay...all the thread is used up on the adjuster yet the cable doesnt seem to operate the clucth mechanism at all ....anyhooo i gave up and just dropped it off to someone...and managed to "drive" it without a clutch...of sorts..the local roundabout was fun to say the least. I'm relieved to find out that geniune clutches are only £100 at GSF! but my god the quotes im getting for the job are astronomical 350-450 quid... yeowch!! But hey...once the jobs done i can amend the ad to "fabulous silver xantia estate with brand new clutch" that should certainly increase the value ...still a lot of people seem terrified of doing any work on xantias...when ive found them consistantly reliable! Price wise ive noticed the same vehicles are more highly regarded on the continent then back home fetching well over £1000, be lucky if i get 700 for it here!

citronut · Post by **citronut** » 15 Nov 2009, 10:41

the cable dose not enter the box at all, as you say the bulkhead/pedel end seems fitted corectly, have you re/checked the gear box end, as i think that end is not in its seat/s properly,

whaen these cleutch's get to the end of there life the pedel becomes very heavy, and that is the usual cause for the clip to fail,

walrus wrote
"quotes im getting for the job are astronomical 350-450 quid..."

that dose seem a bit steep, i offer FCF members this service for 180 quid pluss parts

regards malcolm

walruss · Post by **walruss** » 16 Nov 2009, 15:06

well problem solved at last...i had a chance to go over the seating of the cable on the gearbox end and now the clutch engages as it should...the surprising thing is thats its lighter than before..infact its lighter than i recall it ever being since i bought the car...thankfully clutch seems to have plenty of live in it yet...for now

regards and thanks to all...and if anyone is interested in a good silver xantia SX estate please spred the word...i'm moving to london so it can be delivered anywhere along the M6/M1

citronut · Post by **citronut** » 16 Nov 2009, 18:55

good to hear you have fixed it, so what did you find after all that,

and can you put some picys of the car on here and what sort of dosh are you looking for

regards malcolm