Severe Judder in traffic crawl conditions

[anupmathur]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Well well, who said that she can't go mountaineering. Its just a clutch

This is one hell of an Indica!
And does the most beautiful routes!

Tanveer, hope you'll be getting the engine mounts done too.
(And the timing belt?).

[Jaggu]

Its the pressure plate giving away before the clutch plate. But since you need to down the tranny, change clutch, pressure plate, carbon, bearing etc etc. Will give you another "clutch life time" of peace of mind.

Chances are with weaker pressure plate the plate also will soon wear out.

[tsk1979]

@anup, the engine mount (LHS) got changed, other RHS was perfectly fine.
The timing belt was changed at 90K kms, 10K before schedule as I did not want to push luck

@jaggu, well thats what I feared.
A factory fitted clutch always has the best life. With refitting I am guessing a life of another 40-50K kms max.
Any idea whats the part cost of the same for an indica. Of course, I am not going to TASS.

[Jaggu]

I dont have much idea about Tata parts, guess estimate 5k job. Ask around and find which "make" is the best replacement part for the car, even the newer turbo cars clutch can be considered if its a straight fit since they will be designed to take more load.

Also while doing the job, clean and lubricate the shafts and replace the cable if they are old. Doesnt cost much but will give you great results.

[anupmathur]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

With refitting I am guessing a life of another 40-50K kms max.
Any idea whats the part cost of the same for an indica. Of course, I am not going to TASS.

Should give more than the dismal figure you are fearing!
Any half decent w'shop would do this job well enough, as long as you buy the parts and 'supervise' the job! One of the big advantages of driving THE most popular taxicab in the country!

[tsk1979]

Ok, so that does it.
One question though. Can the problem be due to something else?
for example if I change pressure plate, clutch plate and release bearing, and the problem still persists?
I want to rule out all causes which can contribute to this behavior before opening the clutch.

[anupmathur]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Ok, so that does it.
One question though. Can the problem be due to something else?

I'll go down on record that this will cure my favourite Indica's problem! 95%.

[Jaggu]

If your engine is in tip top shape 99.99% its clutch. Check for all free play on the tranny when you open up, and flywheel, if its in shape, need phasing/replacement etc.

[n_aditya]

I have the same problem where there is a lot of shudder and judder at very low rev's in first gear. Once the car has gained momentum its fine.

I got the clutch replaced at around 30k Kms (at a local garage and it cost me around 4.5k) and the car has done 53K kms now. I know the clutch is taking a beating due to the race spec headers. The low end torque is highly compromised. Contemplated on switching to street spec headers but since I rarely drive in stop and go conditions I have dropped the idea. Mainly i'm attached to the power of the race spec headers.

My guess is adjusting the clutch could solve the issue to some extent. The problem is lesser when the a/c is off during stop and go conditions so managing it that way.

[Jaggu]

Too low rpm and hence car falling off power band, resulting in shudder. Solution do power launches

[n_aditya]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

Too low rpm and hence car falling off power band, resulting in shudder. Solution do power launches

I agree Jaggu. This should be done especially at night when the mogrels are all out to give a chase. Quite a sight.

But the cops wouldnt be too happy. Plus others get scared of the sound and glare menacingly.

[Deeps]

I paid 2300 for clutch plates, pressure plate and bearings. Labour should be another 500 or so.

[iraghava]

If you replace all the 3 components & your flywheel doesn't have a problem then the problems should go away for good.

[tsk1979]

Finally I took the plunge. After the gear lever linkage breakdown issue, I decided to go for the entire clutch change, and also some "local engineering" for gear lever instead of Tata "Pin".
Clutch plate kit cost me 2200. Clutch plate. Pressure Plate and Release bearing.
Clutch fork was bent, so the mechanic suggested indigo TDI fork as its a perfect fit and much thicker, so it won't get bent.
Other than that gear oil was changed(3 liters) and some welding was done(for a plate on the body).
My mechanic suggested that since even new plates on the housing start wobbling after a few kms and make noise, why not get for a small "taanka"
Apart from that he also suggested that since the gear lever linkage is supported by a narrow pin, its weak and play comes very soon.
So he got the hole widened by a machinist, and put a thick bolt there instead of narrow pin.
No more worries.
Anyways here are the pics
1. Gear box

2. Old plates. They were totally cooked. 100,000kms of torture shows. Click on images for full size




The End result is mind boggling. The clutch is ultra soft. Infact I had a hard time getting used to it. There is no judder. the pickup is better and she's a lot more comfortable to drive.
All parts used were TATA OEM, and I got castrol gear oil.

[jav]

can you upload more pics of the clutch change