Clutch resistance

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liakos
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Clutch resistance

Post by liakos »

Hello again,
How many km can a clutch stand in a xantia 1600??
In my xantia i changed it when i had 140.000km.
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AndersDK
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Post by AndersDK »

Hi Liakos -
The clutch lifetime is much dependant on drive style.
If you're the type of car driver that loves to do perfect gearchanges with moderate accelerations - then the clutch will more than likely outlast the car.
If you have a habit of resting your foot on the clutch pedal - then the clutch would probably last even shorter than your 140Kkm.
The common clutch killer is the crankshaft oilseal behind the flywheel.
This oilseal would start to leak at some 250-350Kkm and then the clutch starts to slip and judder.
Because you need to remove gearbox & clutch to replace this oilseal - you then always replace this seal when doing the clutch.
But this type of fault does not cause heavy clutch pedal.
The clutch cable itself can cause heavy clutch pedal - as it wears - or dries out in the grease.
Another common problem is the clutch release bearing grooving into the clutch release finger springs. This problem clearly feels like the pedal has a certain heavy point to overcome. This problem is often seen if a new clutch is fitted - with the old release bearing re-used.
Exactly for this reason the release bearing is replaced together with the new clutch. A new clutch is ALWAYS a complete kit containing the new friction disc - the new driven plate with finger springs - and a new release bearing.
Replacing individual parts when doing the clutch is false economy - as you have to do the complete job all over to replace the other parts later.
Can you describe in details how you feel the clutch fails ?
liakos
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Post by liakos »

I don't know exaclty... After 30.000km with the new set of clutch, in some accelarations i can feel tha the engine is running but the car isn't accelerating as usual....
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AndersDK
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Post by AndersDK »

Hmmm...
This indicates a slipping clutch -
Either the crankshaft oilseal behind flywheel is leaking oil out the clutch.
- or the clutch cable is adjusted too tight with a too high clutch pedal. This causes the clutch never to fully release.
In engine bay at clutch cable attachment - loosen the locknut - then back off the adjuster nut a bit.
Try if the clutch pedal then have a free slack (lift) of at least 60 mm. Adjust the cable nut untill the pedal can lift at least 60mm from rest position. Then lock the adjuster nut with locknut again.
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