[blackwasp]

Is it necessary to replace both the pressure plate and clutch plate? Asking as I don't have much knowledge about it, but 99% sure that my clutch is gone toast. And I literally mean toast - burnt to a crisp.

Last Saturday folks were heading out to Kolhapur when they encountered massive traffic on the old Mumbai Pune highway as well as the new E-way. Initially they tried to go via the old road, but the traffic combined with the steep grade was not friendly to the car. After no progress for a couple of hrs, they turned back and joined the E-way. 3-4 hrs were spent on an incline and half-clutching. Mom mentioned white smoke coming in and car overheating. The later I disagree as car was checked and no signs of overheating for sure. Totally, they took over 7 hrs for a 110km trip.

Drove the car for a couple of days and here are my observations -
1. Bite point has moved to the first 1-2 inches of the clutch travel, rather than the usual long travel in Fiats.
2. Only under hard acceleration, there seems to be a disconnect between the rpms rising and the speed of the car.

I'm particularly surprised after dad took the car to FASS and a guy there said that the car is normal!! Not my regular guy, but none the less this is totally opposite of what I expected him to say. Car has done 36.5k km so far. Next service due at 45k km.

Mostly due to the new year thing + Christmas holidays, the FASS was busy perhaps, but in early Jan, I will have to take a call on further action. For now, I have kept the car parked and I am not taking her out, but if anyone can share similar experience with their car, I'd be a bit less worried.

And I'm expecting it to be a costly affair as the engine makes a 145 horses with 212 Nm torque, more than the standard car. Any Tjet owners who have changed their clutch?

[Capt. Shyam]

A simple test for the clutch is-
with the engine running, engage 1st gear
Hold the brakes with right toe and depress the accelerator with right heel
And now when the engine is revving, release the clutch
If the clutch is worn, the car engine won’t stall immediately, as the clutch plates have lost the sticky ness

This needs a little practice but is a good way to judge the condition of the clutch.

[witwat]

Hello all! Going through a tough time analysing the problem. Hope to find some solution here.

I drive a Figo second gen diesel and off recently I have been witnessing a strange problem with my clutch. While driving, I sense a feeling of obstruction in the clutch lever play, somewhat close to the obstruction experience in the push dot ballpoint pen when the spring acts weird! The only difference here is the clutch pedal doesn't lock anywhere in between the play. However, this results in disengaging a gear while driving all of a sudden and is quite freaky when another vehicle is right behind in a city condition.

I reported the problem to Metro Ford service centre while dropping my vehicle for the 60k service. They did mention and convinced me to change the clutch master cylinder and bleed to rectify the problem. But unfortunately soon after collecting the vehicle from the service centre, the problem still persists

They couldn't notice the issue on their test drive as this occurs usually when the vehicle is driven for a long distance or within a bumper to bumper traffic conditions. I too could only notice the issue after driving about 7-8 kms away from the service centre and reached home with a frown face only to realize the problem still exists even after changing the master cylinder and bleeding both the clutch pipes and my pocket!

Just wondering if any had similar experiences or possible solutions here. I would be visiting the service centre again but need some clarity to explain or get the issue fixed. TIA

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by witwat

I reported the problem to Metro Ford service centre while dropping my vehicle for the 60k service. They did mention and convinced me to change the clutch master cylinder and bleed to rectify the problem. But unfortunately soon after collecting the vehicle from the service centre, the problem still persists

Jumping out of gear has rarely to do with the master clutch cylinder or air in the hydraulics. It nearly always means something inside the gearbox is worn ,or possible it requires some mechanical adjustment of fixing the gear linkage out side the box. (I.e. the mechanical connection between your gear shift handle and the gear box.)

Once a gear is selected and the clutch fully released, there is no pressure on the master/slave cylinder and or the hydraulic circuit. They allow you to select a gear, but have nothing to do with the box staying in gear, or in your case, jumping out of gear. The guys at Ford should know this!

I would start with a very thorough inspection of the various linkage outside the box. Check for play, worn bushes, that sort of thing. If nothing is obvious on the outside the problem is very likely to be inside the gear box. Something must be wornd. Means you have to remove the box and get it seen to by somebody who knows what they are doing.

Dont know about this particular car. But for instance on my Mercedes there are multiple linkage that need to adjusted to very specific measurement down to less then a millimeter.

Good luck..

[witwat]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

Jumping out of gear has rarely to do with the master clutch cylinder or air in the hydraulics. It nearly always means something inside the gearbox is worn, or possible it requires some mechanical adjustment of fixing the gear linkage outside the box. (I.e. the mechanical connection between your gear shift handle and the gearbox.)

Jeroen, thank you for your swift reply. Got to know a bit more about the clutch system that keeps me well informed

However, my issue was not with gear jumps but with the feeling of obstruction with the clutch lever during its play i.e; press - release, that leads to engagement of gear from neutral during standstill or disengagement from a particular gear while driving. Though as mentioned this problem isn't persistent but I could notice only when being stuck in bumper to bumper traffic or after driving for long distance.

I am planning to visit the service centre again as I just collected the vehicle yesterday but worried about commissioning the "ford specialists" to randomly change parts in order to enable them to arrive at the problem statement!

[Traveler]

These are classic clutch worn out symptoms. You will need to get the clutch disc, pressure plate and clutch release bearing changed. Please get the main oil seal also changed as a precaution against future failure. As your vehicle is high on mileage I would also suggest that you get the flywheel inspected while changing the clutch.

[racer_ash]

Guys. Need your advise on the issue I am facing.

My 2011 i20 Sportz (P), done 60k KMS and in its stock clutch has a strange issue. I usually drive 120kms one way on weekends to my hometown. Barring a couple of KMS, the roads are smooth all through (60 odd KMS on the Hyderabad ORR and the rest on the awesome VJA highway). However, last time I noticed something different in the way the car (or rather the clutch pedal) behaved.

For the first 100kms or so, there is absolutely no issues. However, after that, whenever I need to change gears, I find the pedal action to be different. It almost feels that I cannot feel the bite of the clutch on the pedal and the resistance too feels little lesser (like it has lost all feedback). Usually, I drive around the 80-90 kph speeds and gear changes are rare due to the quality of the roads.

There is no slippage (RPM vs Speed mismatch), nor is there judder when starting off, but its just the weird feel in the pedal after driving for couple of hours at street legal top speeds mostly in 5th gear. I face absolutely no problems even when revving hard in lower gear (just to check if anything is amiss) or my everyday home-office drives in the city full of traffic.

Any insights into what the problem could be. Also could someone let me know if I am staring at a possible future clutch problem. If so, I would like to remediate it at the earliest before I am left stranded.

As an addition, can someone let me know the cost of individual clutch components for the first gen i20 Petrol?

[delhi2009]

Hi All,

So I decided to take my Endevour on a long trip, This time to the holy City of Ujjain. The route was all good except few streches and we completed both ways nice & easy except that on way back, our AC Belt broke down on high speeds.

Anyways, So ever since Im back in town, i could feel the clutch when i press it all the way as if some bearing or something . I went to get it checked to the nearest ford dealership and they said the clutch had gone (The truck still has fantastic pickup and average & has done 151000km BTW). So I decided to take a 2nd opinion and brought it back. As Luck may have it, the car, as soon as it was parked, the gears could not be engaged ! As soon as the engine was stopped, the gear would engage but otherwise they wouldnt.

One of my other trusted mechanic of Years suggested that it could be the case of slave/master cylinders going bad and hence, we changed first the lower one which did'ny yield any results but after changing the master one, the truck started moving fine but yet, the clutch pedal is Jerky.

I know it has done a lot on ODO but does this all really sound like a clutch going bad ? i dont have any smell from clutch or lack in pickup etc.

The only thing that did happen is that the clutch pedal used to get stuck halfway when i would engage gears earlier and still feels a little the same way.

Kindly share your expert opinions on this issue.

Thank you all !

[Traveler]

Sure looks like the clutch is at its end of life. One test that you could do is to slot into 3rd gear and try to start from a standstill. Don't slip the clutch and see if the engine shudders and stops or if the engine rpm increases while the vehicle does not really move as much as expected. If the engine shudders and stops then your clutch is likely okay, but if the engine rpm increases without corresponding increase in speed then your clutch is fried.

I would also recommend that you should get it inspected professionally soon. Running on a worn out clutch can damage the flywheel and that is usually very expensive to replace. There is usually a rubber cap in the bell housing of the transmission that can be removed to see the clutch condition.

Finally if you do change the clutch make sure to replace the clutch disc, clutch pressure plate, release bearing, crankshaft rear oil seal and the flywheel bearing. Get the clutch oil changed as well and get the flywheel either sanded or skimmed on a lathe depending on its condition.

[spiritofmars]

Background - I own a Honda Civic, which has run approximately 58k kms. It has been with me since January 2017, and has generally been a reliable, fuss-free machine. I maintain it meticulously, and any niggles are promptly checked and corrected. The Civic is a pleasure to drive on highways, and I often make Chennai - Bangalore runs as part of my work.

12th February, Monday - I left from Bangalore at 7 AM, aiming to reach Chennai before lunch. Traffic was light, and I was making good time. Around 9.30AM, I approached Vellore and was at a speed of ~120 kmph, when the clutch failed with no warning at all. I found I was unable to shift gears - was in 5th gear at that time. Thankfully, there was no traffic around me - I took my foot off the accelerator, braked and steered the car on to the side of the road. I switched off the engine, activated my hazard lights and opened the bonnet. There was no obvious fault visible - all fluids were near the Maximum mark, there was no abnormal smoke or smell. I checked the underside of the car to confirm there was no fluid leakage.

Despite letting the car cool down, I was still unable to engage gears. At that point, I abandoned any further attempts to start the car and called for a flatbed truck to transport the car. I called Honda Roadside Assistance, who were prompt to respond (Thanks Honda!).

I had replaced the clutch some months back at Ignite garage, Chennai, and the clutch had run around 1000kms after that. I have never had any complaints with Raghav, who owns Ignite - he's always been helpful and knowledgeable. I called him, explained the problem and arranged for the car to be transported to Ignite.

He was extremely quick to respond - he contacted Exedy, the clutch manufacturer, who arranged a replacement at no charge. I have to say they were responsive and proactive. The car was back on the road in a week's time, at no additional charge.

Mechanical failures are unpredictable and can happen anywhere, but this was certainly an eye opener - never expected a clutch failure in such dramatic fashion. Had the clutch failed during an overtaking maneuver, it might have resulted in a crash at high speed.Touchwood!

[anandpadhye]

Why didn't you get the clutch replacement done at Honda service center? And why did you need clutch replacement in just 58k of running?

[Jeroen]

Not being able to engage a gear is rarely a problem with the clutch, but nearly always a problem with the clutch engagement mechanism. E.g. the cable, the linkages, the hydraulics etc.

It would be interesting to hear what actually broke and was mended? I doubt the clutch plate.

Jeroen

[spiritofmars]

Originally Posted by anandpadhye

Why didn't you get the clutch replacement done at Honda service center? And why did you need clutch replacement in just 58k of running?

I had bought the car second hand; the previous gentleman had ridden the clutch for 40k in Mumbai traffic, and wore it out prematurely. Honda had quoted some absurd amount for the clutch replacement, and since it's a 5 year old car, it was much more cost effective to get it done from an independent garage. Ignite is a pretty good place; highly recommended in Tbhp directory.

Originally Posted by Jeroen

Not being able to engage a gear is rarely a problem with the clutch, but nearly always a problem with the clutch engagement mechanism. E.g. the cable, the linkages, the hydraulics etc.

It would be interesting to hear what actually broke and was mended? I doubt the clutch plate.

Jeroen

I'll check with the service advisor and share more details here. Apparently, all the replaced parts have been shipped to Exedy to figure out what precisely went wrong. More details awaited

[dhanushs]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

Not being able to engage a gear is rarely a problem with the clutch, but nearly always a problem with the clutch engagement mechanism. E.g. the cable, the linkages, the hydraulics etc.

It would be interesting to hear what actually broke and was mended? I doubt the clutch plate.

That's true. I had a similar experience recently with my Jeep and my Fiat. Both cases air in clutch lines. Bleeding sorted out the issue. Even the Manza had a similar problem where the clutch slave cylinder just broke. Scary indeed.

@OP, even I would like to know what exactly went wrong. Civic owners can take a note.

[rohan_iitr]

My i10 1.1 irde is 9 years old now and currently at 45k kms.

The clutch has become hard to press.

The car judders when starting in 1st gear (without accelerator input). With accelerator input, there is no juddering.

Is it time to replace the clutch ?

Please note that I have learnt driving on this car and may have abused the clutch in my learning days. Also, traffic in Bangalore city is very bad.

Rohan