Team-BHP > 4x4 & Off-Roading > 4x4 Technical


Reply
  Search this Thread
2,726 views
Old 24th March 2010, 20:38   #1
BHPian
 
abheekg's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Nagpur
Posts: 690
Thanked: 187 Times
can a battery short circuit in Gypsy fry the Clutch ?

I recently had a situation during one of my jungle sorties in my gypsy when I had hooked up my spotlight to my battery terminals using crocodile clips and inadvertently failed to notice the absence of insulation on one of the clip terminals.

The result : 5 kms into the jungle , I noticed a bright red spot on my bonnet which was a result of the crocodile clip coming in contact with the bonnet after hitting a pothole. Immediately the headlights shut down. I had the presence of mind to switch off the engine immediately and raise the bonnet, but in hurry touched the red hot terminal with my bare hands which resulted in a small burn on my forefinger tip.

After sorting out the mess when I started my gypsy , I immediately noticed that the clutch had become very hard to engage and was engaging with a slight grinding feeling.
I had changed my clutch when I had done the initial work on my vehicle 8 months back and the new clutch has run for about 15000 kms till now.
It was all smooth and easily engaging till before this incidence .

My question is what happened to my clutch during the battery short circuit ?
Has anyone ever experienced something similar ?
What are the situations when the clutch can fry like this ?
What possible steps can I take without dismantling my clutch assembly to check the integrity of my clutch ?


Expecting inputs from the gurus as always .
Please let me know if you need any more information on the behaviour of the clutch for the diagnosis part.

regards,
Dr. Abheek Ghosh
abheekg is offline  
Old 24th March 2010, 21:09   #2
Newbie
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 19
Thanked: 4 Times

Check your clutch cable. Possibly shorted somehow and the liner melted.
Dont know how likely it is but worth a check before dismantling the clutch.

My bonnet release cable once had this problem as it had managed to continuously rub itself onto an open terminal. Eventually all the insulation wore off and the cable shorted.
Leop is offline  
Old 24th March 2010, 21:20   #3
Team-BHP Support
 
Jaggu's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 20,207
Thanked: 15,848 Times

Very weird issue, might worth checking the cable, pedal and springs first. Then the cable attachment which sits on the gear box. If all these are clear then you have no choice but to open the clutch assembly and inspect.
Jaggu is offline  
Old 24th March 2010, 23:07   #4
jav
BHPian
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 224
Thanked: 66 Times

I don't think the clutch has fried, even i feel its the cable which has been affected.

Without dismantling the clutch the sure way of knowing if clutch has worn/burnt is if the rpm rises without speed increase during acceleration and or excessive vibrations/judder during clutch release especially in first gear and reverse.
jav is offline  
Old 24th March 2010, 23:20   #5
BHPian
 
star_aqua's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: BLR
Posts: 608
Thanked: 90 Times

Here you will find some answer http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/4x4-te...-too-hard.html
star_aqua is offline  
Old 25th March 2010, 09:36   #6
BHPian
 
Gypsy-Boy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Bengaluru
Posts: 298
Thanked: 8 Times

Abheek
The clutch cable passes quite close to the battery in the Gypsy. In all probability, the heat got transferred to the cable and the inner has melted, making the "clutch" hard.
Try changing the cable first.
Cheers
GB
PS - please fix this before you use the gypsy for long drives as you will end up actually frying the clutch, due to the cable being unable to release the clutch fully.

Last edited by Gypsy-Boy : 25th March 2010 at 09:38.
Gypsy-Boy is offline  
Old 25th March 2010, 12:57   #7
BHPian
 
abheekg's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Nagpur
Posts: 690
Thanked: 187 Times

Thank you everybody. I will replace the clutch cable and get back to you with the result tomorrow.


regards,
Dr. Abheek Ghosh
abheekg is offline  
Old 25th March 2010, 14:03   #8
Team-BHP Support
 
Rehaan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Bombay
Posts: 24,019
Thanked: 33,985 Times

I cant think of a single reason why you would have to open up the actual clutch assembly.

As everyone else has said, its probably the cable.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gypsy-Boy View Post
PS - please fix this before you use the gypsy for long drives as you will end up actually frying the clutch, due to the cable being unable to release the clutch fully.
Goodpoint!

cya
R
Rehaan is offline  
Old 31st March 2010, 19:07   #9
BHPian
 
abheekg's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Nagpur
Posts: 690
Thanked: 187 Times

Thank you everyone for your inputs. The change of clutch cable solved this problem. the inner liner had been damaged because of the battery short circuit.

This problem was an eye opener for me. Ihad never imagined something of this sort to happen.
abheekg is offline  
Reply

Most Viewed
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Team-BHP.com
Proudly powered by E2E Networks