Clutch question?

[aclucas]

The clutch in my K-series has gone without me being there (a friend who is looking after it in Hampshire). Setup is a 1.8 VVC K-series - dry sump with dry sump caterham bell housing and the ford 5 speed so beloved (hated) for its crap ratios. The problem is that it will not disengage, and the cable doesn't appear to be faulty. I guess this means part of the release lever/mechanism has gone? The clutch lever (at bellhousing) is partially movable by hand (through the rear 2/3rds of its movement range...

 

The question is really who can fix it for him (no mechanical knowledge) - is this doable by a local garage (can anyone recommend somewhere near Whitely/Fareham) or does it have to go to a specialist?

 

Is there anything else I need to know before we can work out what needs to be done?

 

What other parts should be changed whilst it is apart?

 

Thanks,

Alan

 

N7CTR 1.8VVC

 

[magnusfeuer]

The clutch may just have stuck, which may happen sometimes while a car is in storage.

 

Try to driver around the block with the clutch down while braking and throttling at the same time. Unless you are very well equipped, some to and heal action may be the right thing to do here.

 

The idea is to induce as much torque as possible into the clutch pack to encourage it to let go.

 

If five minutes of this doesn't help, you have a mechanical problem.

 

/Magnus F.

 

 

 

[Bare]

A stuck clutch plate is most easliy 'unstuck' by jacking the Cars drive wheels up off the Ground (safely!) Starting the Engine , spoinning up the rear wheels to approx 30 mph then when holding the clutch pedal to the floor. stomp the brake pedal.

The intent being to break the rust grip of the clutch plate onna Flywheel surfaceusing the mass of the drivetrain components as an aid.

This does work.. but sometimes requires a few tries. Good Luck.

[aclucas]

It isn't stuck - it stopped working whilst it was being driven and the slackness in the lever at the bellhousing I'm sure shouldn't be there...

 

N7CTR 1.8VVC

 

[Subaru Blue SV]

☹️

If there is no resistance in the clutch pedal, then it sounds like there is a release bearing related problem (which i think is not unheard of in K's). indeed my VVC release bearing makes some very odd noises and vibrations through the pedal after being ranted.

 

If its not the cable guess its inside. From memory of watching Millwoods mechanic, on mine (an SV) you can pull back a grommet on the top of the bell housing and look down to see whats happening inside.

 

Best of luck

[Paul McKenzie]

Remove the bellhousing gaitor and have a look inside (torch and mirror if necessary). The base of the clutch fork may well have jumped off the pivot. If it has, I'm afraid it's engine out

 

Paul

[aclucas]

Unfortunatly I'm too far from the car to do that - I'm in Kent and the car is in Hampshire (the friend part of the story is real, not just me pretending that it isn't me. I'm moving to France this week so too busy to go and get it fixed - we were hoping to drive it down there in a week or two once we were settled - so I'm going to have to get someone else to look at it.

 

If it is engine-out (which I suspect that it is whatever the cause) then I'm not sure a local place is the right thing?

 

Alan

 

N7CTR 1.8VVC

 

[F355GTS]

Alan

 

If you can get the car to me (via trailer etc) I can look at it for you

 

Mark

[Beej]

If the car is in Whiteley, then you could do worse than see Lance or Roy at AMV 3000 (the classic MG/Ferrari garage in Park Gate). They are pretty good and it can't be more than 1 mile away.

 

If the release arm has jumped of the pivot at the bottom of the bellhousing, its not actually an engine out job.. more of an "engine shunted forward enough to get your hand in the gap" job

[John Howe]

Having read all the postings, I then re-read the original question... "The clutch lever (at bellhousing) is partially movable by hand (through the rear 2/3rds of its movement range"

 

Are you sure it is no the clutch cable almost gone?

 

Assuming you have (as we all have) a spare clutch cable, take 5 minutes out to fit it, take up the spare slack and try again. If that does not solve the problem, then it has to be related some part of the release mechanism!

 

If the trust bearing was on the way out, you should have heard warning sounds. Therefore, without such warning sounds, it is most likely the pivot point end of the release arm has become detached from its location pin in the bell housing.

 

It is only held in place with a 5mm length on polythene tubing. If the tubing has been reused, lost its elasticity or not pushed far enough onto the pin, then it could have crept off.

 

If this is the case, then it is exhaust off, undo the six cap head bolts that hold the bell housing to the engine and move the engine far enough forward to squeeze a hand inside to make the repair.

 

If you are lucky, then your pipe lengths will allow you to do all of this, with out having to drain the engine of oil or the radiator of coolant - are you feeling lucky?

 

 

 

JH

Deliveries by Saffron, the yellow 222bhp Sausage delivery machine

[Mike Bees]

It could the that the release arm bent. I had this happen - the dry sump version of the release arm was beefed up after a number of them had bent. When you've removed it, get hold of a new one to compare it against (it'll be obvious if it's bent). If it's bent, replace it with the latest version.

 

Mike

[Stuart Faulds]

With the Caterham DS bellhousing there is no-where for the fork to 'jump off' to. 3 possibilities to my mind - stretched (fraying, knackered or whatever) cable, bent arm as Mike suggests or a plate spring has escaped and is jammed between the cover and plate. Unless it's the cable, realistically it's an engine out job.

[aclucas]

Thanks for the offer of looking at it Mark - I can't get it up to you right now but if we do need to move it I'll think of you.

 

The cable looks intact at both ends - I have left a spare in the boot - but they don't usually go in the middle. Using the cable for the last 1/3 and fingers for the other 2/3rds it it possible to move the lever through it's full movement range so I think the cable is OK.

 

I haven't driven it for some time (but my friend has been taking it out quite a bit) so I can't tell you if there have been any funny noises - he's not mechanically minded but he didn't mention anything being unusual before hand.

 

I think I'll have to try and get down there and have a look or get it over to AMV3000 as Beej suggested - I've always loved looking in their window!

 

Alan

 

N7CTR 1.8VVC

 

[Wingnonut]

My drysumped SLs release arm bent causing this problem. It was an engine out job.

 

I guess you will have to take the engine out just to confirm what the problem is unless it is just the cable

 

W.Nut .

 

Rosso Superlight no.087

[normalbloke.29]

I am in Whiteley.

I have a Cossie YB in mine with the T5 Borg Warner box in it.Mine has had exactly the same symptoms as yours.It has proven to be the rubbishy plastic pivot clip on the opposite side of the bellhousing that has failed.

Unforunately due to the crowded nature of my engine bay i have had to remove engine and box and split the 2.And of course Ford no longer make the bit, so have made something a little more substantial to do the job.

Good luck and if there is anything i can do to help just shout.