HELP ME PLEASE !!!! Xsara 1.4 sticking clutch cable

[carlm1977]

Hi ive just bought a 99 1.4 xsara west coast when i got the car the owner said the clutch cable was sticking and might need adjusting ( only later would i find out there self adjusting )
ive changed the clutch cable but it still has the same problem .... when i let the clutch out its fine until about half way , then it makes a big bang and stalls ! , i know the clutch isnt slipping but besides that i have no idea ? can anyone please give me a clue

[Peter.N.]

It certainly sounds as though something is sticking but as I have no idea what a 1.4 west coast is I can't help much further.

Peter

[bxzx16v]

Is it a Xsara west coast maybe or a saxo ?

Mark

[Peter.N.]

Niether of which I am familier with

Peter

[CitroJim]

They have a pretty standard sort of clutch..

I'd very much suspect the release bearing or the diaphragm spring fingers are damaged. Only remedy is to have the gearbox off and pop in a new clutch...

Luckily, being a 1.4 TU this is not a tremendously difficult job.

[citroenxm]

Difficult once apart NO.. but getting the Damm box OFF the engine is a right PITA!! The alloy housed bell house corrodes onto the box locators and though it feels like theres a bolt still in there - there isn't.

I did a Xsara 1.4 clutch and had to resort to a Gemmy bar to get the bloody box off the engine it was that tight. Other wise is was not a bad job.

Ive done a 106 1.1 clutch in a morning though. But for some reason that box was not fully welded to the engine. It was a bit sticky though..

[oneday]

i had the same problem with my 2.0 hdi xsara but when it had to be removed again to replace a faulty release bearing only done 10000 miles it just about fell off

[CitroJim]

it had to be removed again to replace a faulty release bearing only done 10000 miles it just about fell off

Caveat Emptor - it pays dividends to use a good OEM clutch kit like a Valeo or LUK and steer well clear of cheapies. Not saying yours was a cheapie ondeay but they don't seem to have a long life... An OEM kit will be dearer initially but might be cheaper in the long-run...

[oneday]

was a luk kit claimed the new bearing on warranty but wouldnot pay for the day it took to change it. just goes to show that even good kits can fail and if its going to fail it will be me it fails on

[spider]

Good to know its fixed, I had visions of a slightly bent input shaft causing that for some reason.

[flying clutchman]

back to the original queation......... It sounds like the gearbox jamming up as soon as you move a little. Broken planet gear maybe? The gearbox does come out of these very easily. Posts about the bellhousing sticking to the engine are quite true, but very easily solved. The sticking point is the front bottom dowel. A large screwdriver hammered into the slight gap at the top of the bellhousing will open up a big enough gap to get a chisel in which you then hammer in as a wedge. You repeat the process moving down towards the dowel. It will easily pop out when you're next to it. Simples!