86 ESPRIT TURBO CLUTCH PROBLEM-HELP
Discussion
SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME !I have an 86 Turbo which I have finally got back together after it broke its cwp.New Box ,clutch master cylinder s/s hose etc etc.Starts up fine ,wont go in gear .The clutch cylinder has been bled and I have checked its travel which is loads .I have adjusted the clutch arm mor than the recommended 22mm to no avail.It will start in gear as its on stands but dipping the clutch will not disengage drive.
So assuming the box is fine ,as it had new spigot bearing and nylon bush etc what can be the problem??
The car has stood in a garage for 4 months after the engine was put back in,could something be stuck.Any advice greatfully received that doesnt involve pulling the box again.
So assuming the box is fine ,as it had new spigot bearing and nylon bush etc what can be the problem??
The car has stood in a garage for 4 months after the engine was put back in,could something be stuck.Any advice greatfully received that doesnt involve pulling the box again.
If it's on stands I assume the wheels are able to turn freely and you don't have an LSD. Could just be drag or the clutch plate stuck to the flywheel or pressure plate from rust maybe. With the engine off, any gear selected and somebody pushing the clutch can you turn the wheels and therefore the gears manually? (may need a helper so both wheels are turning the same way at the same time.)Can you change gear with the engine running without even disengaging the clutch since there is no resistance for the wheels?
>> Edited by DanR 1201 on Monday 4th April 10:47
>> Edited by DanR 1201 on Monday 4th April 10:48
>> Edited by DanR 1201 on Monday 4th April 10:47
>> Edited by DanR 1201 on Monday 4th April 10:48
MGFCUP said:
SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME !I have an 86 Turbo which I have finally got back together after it broke its cwp.New Box ,clutch master cylinder s/s hose etc etc.Starts up fine ,wont go in gear .The clutch cylinder has been bled and I have checked its travel which is loads .I have adjusted the clutch arm mor than the recommended 22mm to no avail.It will start in gear as its on stands but dipping the clutch will not disengage drive.
So assuming the box is fine ,as it had new spigot bearing and nylon bush etc what can be the problem??
The car has stood in a garage for 4 months after the engine was put back in,could something be stuck.Any advice greatfully received that doesnt involve pulling the box again.
Hi,
It sounds as if the crossgate cable isn't properly adjusted. You say you can start it in gear on the stands? How did it get into gear? Can you manually shift all the gears at the crossgate on the box?
If a crossgate problem, you'll most likely get the 3/4 shift while 1/2 and 5/R won't engage. It's just a matter of lengthening/shortening the cable at the crossgate. Do this in ½ turn increments, checking the shifter in-between adjustments. There is a sweetspot where you'll get both the 1/2 and 5/R shifts. Too much and you'll lose the 5/R, to little and you'll lose the 1/2. Hope this helps.
Happy Motoring! ...Jim'85TE
Hi,
The engine and box has been out and all new parts used.Its a long story but its the original belhousing on a good used box (yes it can be done if your lucky).There appears to be plenty of travel on the clutch arm.
The car can be put into any gear without the engine running so I think the adjustment is ok.
It appears that the clutch wont disengage as even with my foot on the clutch pedal the wheels still turn.Conversly I cant get it into gear with the engine running as the clutch doesnt seen to disengage.
I have tried applying the brakes in case the plate has stuck but it just stalls the engine.
Could it be I,m not getting enough travel on the clutch arm (it seems to be pushing as far as it used to)
Clutch drag is favourite but why and how???
The engine and box has been out and all new parts used.Its a long story but its the original belhousing on a good used box (yes it can be done if your lucky).There appears to be plenty of travel on the clutch arm.
The car can be put into any gear without the engine running so I think the adjustment is ok.
It appears that the clutch wont disengage as even with my foot on the clutch pedal the wheels still turn.Conversly I cant get it into gear with the engine running as the clutch doesnt seen to disengage.
I have tried applying the brakes in case the plate has stuck but it just stalls the engine.
Could it be I,m not getting enough travel on the clutch arm (it seems to be pushing as far as it used to)
Clutch drag is favourite but why and how???
Hi,
The clutch pedal feels normal,or as normal as my other esprit.There is a slight play at the top but the slave moves almost straight away and you can feel the release bearing pushing onto the Cover.
I am sure the plate was put in right as I remember the lettering on it saying which way to put it in.
I am confused!!!
I do not want to extend the travel too much as I have heard this can damage the cover.
The clutch pedal feels normal,or as normal as my other esprit.There is a slight play at the top but the slave moves almost straight away and you can feel the release bearing pushing onto the Cover.
I am sure the plate was put in right as I remember the lettering on it saying which way to put it in.
I am confused!!!
I do not want to extend the travel too much as I have heard this can damage the cover.
Richard,
If you can select all the gears when the engine is off, then the shift linkage/cable settings aren't the problem. There's some possibility of a clutch problem, but if you used standard OEM parts and got the disk installed the correct way around, the probability of the clutch being the culprit is low. The hydraulics are the most likely problem.
I understand you have bled the system. But it can be difficult to get all the air out. I'd encourage you to give it an other go. And pressure bleeding (ie, Ezi-Bleed or something similar) is the best way to go.
The pushrod on the master cylinder needs to be a Lotus-specific length. Replacement MC's often come with a generic rod that's usually longer. If the new rod doesn’t match the length of the old one, then it's necessary to install the old rod on the new MC. Did you do that?
To complicate what I just wrote above, there are two size MC's available, 5/8" bore (stock on an '86) and 0.70" bore (later improvement). Numbers indicating the bore size are cast into the side of the MC housing… which size did you install?
The 5/8" MC requires a 120mm pushrod, and the 0.70" MC uses a 112mm pushrod. Make sure you don't mix up the bores and rods. Installing the large bore MC in older cars is a popular owner upgrade. If you don't know the car's full history, buying standard replacement parts and mixing them with the PO's non-standard bits can sometimes be a problem. Make sure the correct length pushrod is installed for the MC that is installed.
If the pushrod is too long, it will prevent the piston from retracting fully to the end of the bore. That will result in two things…
1) The available working stroke will be less than spec… it will be short-stroking the clutch such that it may not release fully.
2) At the forward end of the piston assembly there is a small, secondary seal. It's job is to open and close the passage to the reservoir. It does it's open & close thing in the first 0.8mm (.03") of the stroke. If the pushrod is too long and prevents the piston from retracting fully (ie, into that 0.8mm zone) then the reservoir passage won't open. Then fluid returning from the slave cylinder will be trapped, preventing the slave piston from retracting fully as well. If that happens, the slave will also be short-stroking the clutch.
All pushrods have a clevis threaded onto the end to attach to the clutch pedal. The clevis can be threaded up and down the rod a bit to fine tune it's length. With all the right parts installed, and with the clutch pedal held up against it's stop, adjust the clevis and pushrod to produce a minimal clearance (ie, the pushrod should always have some small amount of freeplay and never be in compression at the top of the pedal stroke).
Back at the slave cylinder, what length pushrod is installed there? I'm not positive off the top of my head, but I believe it's supposed to be 135mm (5.3"), The adjuster setting of 22mm of exposed thread is only valid if the correct pushrod length is used (it's the total length that's important). If a non-standard pushrod is used, the exposed thread adjustment can be changed to compensate, resulting in the same total length (ie, 22 + 135 = 27 + 130)
If the total length is way too short, the piston may not be pushed far enough down the bore (retracted) to be able to deliver a full stroke in response to the MC. In that case it will hit the snap ring at the open end of the bore and stop before the clutch is fully released.
Properly set up, the slave piston should produce a 29.5mm stroke. The slave cylinder bore is longer than that, and with a good clutch it isn't important where along the bore that 29.5mm stroke occurs. However, as the clutch wears, that can become important.
As the clutch disk wears, it get's thinner. Then the clutch must release further to clamp the thinner disk. Lotus determined the total thread/rod length such that the slave piston bottoms out in the end of the bore before all the lining wears off the disk. This prevents the clutch from releasing far enough to go metal to metal and tearing-up some expensive parts.
Instead, when the disk wears beyond the limit and the clutch can no longer clamp it effectively, the clutch slips. When it starts to slip, you can reduce the exposed thread by 2-3mm to help it get a grip again. But don't run there for an extended period… this is a "limp home" mode. The clutch disk is on the verge of failure and you've been warned (slipping clutch)… now get it fixed PDQ.
Regards,
Tim Engel
Lotus Owners Oftha North
>> Edited by Esprit2 on Monday 4th April 21:14
If you can select all the gears when the engine is off, then the shift linkage/cable settings aren't the problem. There's some possibility of a clutch problem, but if you used standard OEM parts and got the disk installed the correct way around, the probability of the clutch being the culprit is low. The hydraulics are the most likely problem.
I understand you have bled the system. But it can be difficult to get all the air out. I'd encourage you to give it an other go. And pressure bleeding (ie, Ezi-Bleed or something similar) is the best way to go.
The pushrod on the master cylinder needs to be a Lotus-specific length. Replacement MC's often come with a generic rod that's usually longer. If the new rod doesn’t match the length of the old one, then it's necessary to install the old rod on the new MC. Did you do that?
To complicate what I just wrote above, there are two size MC's available, 5/8" bore (stock on an '86) and 0.70" bore (later improvement). Numbers indicating the bore size are cast into the side of the MC housing… which size did you install?
The 5/8" MC requires a 120mm pushrod, and the 0.70" MC uses a 112mm pushrod. Make sure you don't mix up the bores and rods. Installing the large bore MC in older cars is a popular owner upgrade. If you don't know the car's full history, buying standard replacement parts and mixing them with the PO's non-standard bits can sometimes be a problem. Make sure the correct length pushrod is installed for the MC that is installed.
If the pushrod is too long, it will prevent the piston from retracting fully to the end of the bore. That will result in two things…
1) The available working stroke will be less than spec… it will be short-stroking the clutch such that it may not release fully.
2) At the forward end of the piston assembly there is a small, secondary seal. It's job is to open and close the passage to the reservoir. It does it's open & close thing in the first 0.8mm (.03") of the stroke. If the pushrod is too long and prevents the piston from retracting fully (ie, into that 0.8mm zone) then the reservoir passage won't open. Then fluid returning from the slave cylinder will be trapped, preventing the slave piston from retracting fully as well. If that happens, the slave will also be short-stroking the clutch.
All pushrods have a clevis threaded onto the end to attach to the clutch pedal. The clevis can be threaded up and down the rod a bit to fine tune it's length. With all the right parts installed, and with the clutch pedal held up against it's stop, adjust the clevis and pushrod to produce a minimal clearance (ie, the pushrod should always have some small amount of freeplay and never be in compression at the top of the pedal stroke).
Back at the slave cylinder, what length pushrod is installed there? I'm not positive off the top of my head, but I believe it's supposed to be 135mm (5.3"), The adjuster setting of 22mm of exposed thread is only valid if the correct pushrod length is used (it's the total length that's important). If a non-standard pushrod is used, the exposed thread adjustment can be changed to compensate, resulting in the same total length (ie, 22 + 135 = 27 + 130)
If the total length is way too short, the piston may not be pushed far enough down the bore (retracted) to be able to deliver a full stroke in response to the MC. In that case it will hit the snap ring at the open end of the bore and stop before the clutch is fully released.
Properly set up, the slave piston should produce a 29.5mm stroke. The slave cylinder bore is longer than that, and with a good clutch it isn't important where along the bore that 29.5mm stroke occurs. However, as the clutch wears, that can become important.
As the clutch disk wears, it get's thinner. Then the clutch must release further to clamp the thinner disk. Lotus determined the total thread/rod length such that the slave piston bottoms out in the end of the bore before all the lining wears off the disk. This prevents the clutch from releasing far enough to go metal to metal and tearing-up some expensive parts.
Instead, when the disk wears beyond the limit and the clutch can no longer clamp it effectively, the clutch slips. When it starts to slip, you can reduce the exposed thread by 2-3mm to help it get a grip again. But don't run there for an extended period… this is a "limp home" mode. The clutch disk is on the verge of failure and you've been warned (slipping clutch)… now get it fixed PDQ.
Regards,
Tim Engel
Lotus Owners Oftha North
>> Edited by Esprit2 on Monday 4th April 21:14
Hi Jim,
I cjecked the arm before I put it all back together,and it also worked before anyway.
I am going to check if I can get more travel by removing the rubber gaiter over the arm tomorrow.However I think I have maxed out on the arm travel.
I just dont understand why the clutch still drags.The only thing I can think of is that the plate has stuck ,but can that happen on an esprit and wouldnt you feel it with a solid pedal?
I cjecked the arm before I put it all back together,and it also worked before anyway.
I am going to check if I can get more travel by removing the rubber gaiter over the arm tomorrow.However I think I have maxed out on the arm travel.
I just dont understand why the clutch still drags.The only thing I can think of is that the plate has stuck ,but can that happen on an esprit and wouldnt you feel it with a solid pedal?
Hi,
Satrting at the front.The master is the same one as before and fine,the hose has been replaced with a s/s one from pnm.The slave is new and upside down at the mo which I know is wrong (bleed nipple down).The belhousing is the original one with the original clutch arm.The clutch is new.The gear box was rebuilt with a new input shaft and spigot bush/nylatron washer.
I am going to check that the travel on the arm is at its max i.e touching the edges in the gearbox opening for the arm.The slaves rod is the original rod.
The clutch pedal feels good and there appears to be a lot of travel.I am afraid of over pushing the cover,is that possible?
Assuming I am getting max travel and therefore pressure on the clutch cover I cant understand why it wont disengage.!!!
Satrting at the front.The master is the same one as before and fine,the hose has been replaced with a s/s one from pnm.The slave is new and upside down at the mo which I know is wrong (bleed nipple down).The belhousing is the original one with the original clutch arm.The clutch is new.The gear box was rebuilt with a new input shaft and spigot bush/nylatron washer.
I am going to check that the travel on the arm is at its max i.e touching the edges in the gearbox opening for the arm.The slaves rod is the original rod.
The clutch pedal feels good and there appears to be a lot of travel.I am afraid of over pushing the cover,is that possible?
Assuming I am getting max travel and therefore pressure on the clutch cover I cant understand why it wont disengage.!!!
I have now been told that it could be either due to the input shaft having seized in the gearbox shaft ,i.e the spring isnt working or the input shaft and flywheel dimensions are not correct meaning the input shaft cant move when the clutch is depressed.
This may be due to the fact that the box was rebuilt although I would have thought that becaues I used the existing bellhousing and the flywheel was ok the distances would all be ok.Surely the input shaft length will be the same on any citroen box?
I am really confused now!
This may be due to the fact that the box was rebuilt although I would have thought that becaues I used the existing bellhousing and the flywheel was ok the distances would all be ok.Surely the input shaft length will be the same on any citroen box?
I am really confused now!
If you are sure all the air is out, I think your gearbox is coming out any way you look at it. 
You might try flipping the slave cylinder over to the correct position just for thoroughness before you pull the tranny.
When it is out and if you can't find another obvious problem, you might try putting it back together temporarily with the clutch plate out, sticking it in gear and turning both outputs in the same direction. If you can't turn them by hand, then the input shaft would be jammed to the motor. Dunno what else to suggest. Make sure the clutch disk moves freely on the input shaft splines, you have the right throw out bearing, etc.
Dr.Hess
You might try flipping the slave cylinder over to the correct position just for thoroughness before you pull the tranny. When it is out and if you can't find another obvious problem, you might try putting it back together temporarily with the clutch plate out, sticking it in gear and turning both outputs in the same direction. If you can't turn them by hand, then the input shaft would be jammed to the motor. Dunno what else to suggest. Make sure the clutch disk moves freely on the input shaft splines, you have the right throw out bearing, etc.
Dr.Hess
hI,
Thanks for all the advice;
I am a bit confused.I am going to flip the slave and make sure all the air is out ,in turn giving me the 29.5 mm travel I should get.
I have a feeling the box will have to come out .If the plate is stuck I can understand the problem.I,m now doubting myself that its the right way round so I will check that as well.
Has anyone else heard of the problem with the distances regarding the input shaft spring loading,apparently if the pressure is on the spring because the gaerbox is not matched to the flywheel distances i.e the shaft is too long( there should be 5mm play apparently betweek the end of the shaft and the spigot )this can affect clutch movement hence it not disengaging.The only reason I mention this is because my box was rebuilt with a different input shaft which is the only other item changed.
Thanks for all the advice;
I am a bit confused.I am going to flip the slave and make sure all the air is out ,in turn giving me the 29.5 mm travel I should get.
I have a feeling the box will have to come out .If the plate is stuck I can understand the problem.I,m now doubting myself that its the right way round so I will check that as well.
Has anyone else heard of the problem with the distances regarding the input shaft spring loading,apparently if the pressure is on the spring because the gaerbox is not matched to the flywheel distances i.e the shaft is too long( there should be 5mm play apparently betweek the end of the shaft and the spigot )this can affect clutch movement hence it not disengaging.The only reason I mention this is because my box was rebuilt with a different input shaft which is the only other item changed.
MGFCUP said:
I am going to flip the slave and make sure all the air is out, in turn giving me the 29.5 mm travel I should get.
Richard,
Good. I've been a little concerned that you were just blowing off the release mechanism and hydraulics saying they "seem" to be fine.
Start with the simple stuff first. That would be the release mechanism... primarily the hydraulics. Task number one should be to get the slave cylinder installed properly and make sure the system is fully bled. As it is now, an air bubble could easily be trapped in the inverted slave.
How far does the slave cylinder/ push rod move? A real distance in mm or inches...
When the pedal linkage and hydraulics finally deliver a full stroke to the release lever, if the clutch still drags then the solution will involve removing the transaxle. Further speculation at that point won't be as productive as just pulling it and finding out what's really going on.
MGFCUP said:
I have a feeling the box will have to come out. If the plate is stuck I can understand the problem. I,m now doubting myself that its the right way round so I will check that as well.
Look for stuck splines, disc stuck to the flywheel, disk reversed, spigot bearing/ input shaft damage, bent release lever, mis-matched clutch and release bearing.
On the latter item, there was a running change to the clutch. And which release bearing you use depends upon which clutch you have. A clutch with straight spring fingers requires a release bearing with a curved face. Curved springs require a flat bearing face.
If the clutch disk Is frozen to the input shaft or flywheel, you will not feel that as a hard clutch pedal. The pressure plate moves away from the disk when you depress the pedal, not toward it. It will move away whether the disk is stuck or not and you won't feel a difference in the pedal.
When you installed the clutch and transmission, did you apply grease or Anit-Seize to the splines on the input shaft and in the clutch disk? If not, they may have rusted together sitting idle for 4 months. In that case, when the pressure plate retracts to release the disk, the disk won't slide back away from the flywheel and may continue to transmit sufficient motion to the input shaft to cause problems engaging gears.
MGFCUP said:
Has anyone else heard of the problem with the distances regarding the input shaft spring loading, apparently if the pressure is on the spring because the gearbox is not matched to the flywheel distances i.e the shaft is too long( there should be 5mm play apparently between the end of the shaft and the spigot )this can affect clutch movement hence it not disengaging. The only reason I mention this is because my box was rebuilt with a different input shaft which is the only other item changed.
I think that's unlikely. The issues with mating a mis-matched bell housing and gearbox have to do with potentially out of round or mis-aligned seats for the differential support bearings. The dimensional errors would be small but critical to bearing life.
Any Lotus-Citroen bell housing would be machined to one standard engine-to-gearbox spacing and that dimension was accurately controlled. If you used a replacement input shaft from another Esprit (S1 through G-Turbo) or a Citroen SM/ DS, it will fit without problems. If you got creative about swapping shafts from other Citroen sources... ??
That the input shaft / primary shaft sliding splline "may" be stuck is NOT a primary factor. If the disk is rusted to the input shaft, then the shaft itself does have some movement latitude available between it and the primary shaft. However the spring force holding the input shaft forward is sufficient to still hold the stuck disk against the flywheel hard enough to transmit some motion to the input shaft. Enough to make it difficult to engage gears.
The spring loaded splined joint is not a normal part of the clutch function. A rusted or stuck spline there is a separate problem that would have to be addressed, but it is NOT the cause of the clutch not disengaging cleanly. BTW, did you apply grease or Anti-Seize to that spline as well?
The input shaft's spigot journal can stick in the bearing in the end of the crank. But that is usually an in-service failure mode involving bearing failure… or perhaps involving a failed circlip that allows the spring-loaded input shaft to move forward. With a new spigot bearing and Nylatron thrust washer recently installed, and with the input shaft circlipped into the primary shaft, I would tend to discount that possibility at this time.
Slightly different subject…
MGFCUP said:
… its the original bell housing on a good used box (yes it can be done if your lucky).
Just what was done to mate the old bell housing to the used gearbox. Were they align-bored together? If not, I think you should be expecting further problems down the road. And the failure mode could very well involve the CWP.
You never mix-n-match connecting rods and caps, never mix-n-match cylinder blocks and main bearing panels, and never mix-n-match Citroen bell housings and gearboxes... not without re-machining them together as matched pairs. The chances of just getting lucky are about like the chances of winning the lottery without buying a ticket.
Best of luck,
Tim Engel
Lotus Owners Oftha North
I would like to pass on the experiences of changing the clutch on my S4s. Some points may be relevant, other may not be.
My clutch was slipping at high boost, so out came the gearbox. The friction disk was worn, and this and the pressure plate were replaced.
When it was re-assembled the clutch would not disengage drive, but I could select any gear with the engine off.
I then adjusted it to give max movement, and still it would not release.
What I didn't realise (as I was working alone)was that because of excess travel, the fork had fouled the bellhousing, and because the clutch is hydraulic it bent the fork. So out came the gearbox and a replacement fork fitted.
I then checked the actual movement of the pushrod and measured and compared it to Lotus specifications. It was way down.
I tried bleeding it but could not get any more movement. I fitted a new master cylinder and a repair kit for the slave cylinder and re-bled. Still no difference. Phoned Lotus technical to check the book was right!!! It was.
I unfastened the slave cylinder, and with the bleed nipple uppermost and moving the cylinder around and with an assistant bled it again. Success.
Great, now I had full movement. But....
It would still not disengage drive.
I looked through the aperature in the bellhousing and could see the pressure plate moving away from the friction disk.
What I didn't realise was that I had too much movement that was disengaging drive, and with the extra travel the pressure plate fingers were pushing on the friction disk, pushing it onto the flywheel. I found this out by:
engine off
select 1st gear
foot on brake, n handbrake on (and nothing in front of car)
start car
Mine made an absolutely awful sound that frightened the living... out of me, as the pressure plate fingers moved against the friction disk
I don't know if I would recommend this to you I as I don't want to be accountable, but thats up to you.
I backed off the adjustment and .. voila.
The S4s has a stepped flywheel which I had machined. This made my adjustment specs different from the manual. Your new bellhousing may have had the same effect.
So bleed the system with the slave loose and nipple uppermost. Movement should now be to specification.
Check the fork is not bent (gearbox out)
Start with minimum adjustment (and look through the bellhousing apperature if you can) and look for the pressure plate releasing. Make small adjustments, and look for the fork fouling.
Again, these are S4s esperiences, I don't know if they are relevant to you.
Good Luck
Glyn
My clutch was slipping at high boost, so out came the gearbox. The friction disk was worn, and this and the pressure plate were replaced.
When it was re-assembled the clutch would not disengage drive, but I could select any gear with the engine off.
I then adjusted it to give max movement, and still it would not release.
What I didn't realise (as I was working alone)was that because of excess travel, the fork had fouled the bellhousing, and because the clutch is hydraulic it bent the fork. So out came the gearbox and a replacement fork fitted.
I then checked the actual movement of the pushrod and measured and compared it to Lotus specifications. It was way down.
I tried bleeding it but could not get any more movement. I fitted a new master cylinder and a repair kit for the slave cylinder and re-bled. Still no difference. Phoned Lotus technical to check the book was right!!! It was.
I unfastened the slave cylinder, and with the bleed nipple uppermost and moving the cylinder around and with an assistant bled it again. Success.
Great, now I had full movement. But....
It would still not disengage drive.
I looked through the aperature in the bellhousing and could see the pressure plate moving away from the friction disk.
What I didn't realise was that I had too much movement that was disengaging drive, and with the extra travel the pressure plate fingers were pushing on the friction disk, pushing it onto the flywheel. I found this out by:
engine off
select 1st gear
foot on brake, n handbrake on (and nothing in front of car)
start car
Mine made an absolutely awful sound that frightened the living... out of me, as the pressure plate fingers moved against the friction disk
I don't know if I would recommend this to you I as I don't want to be accountable, but thats up to you.
I backed off the adjustment and .. voila.
The S4s has a stepped flywheel which I had machined. This made my adjustment specs different from the manual. Your new bellhousing may have had the same effect.
So bleed the system with the slave loose and nipple uppermost. Movement should now be to specification.
Check the fork is not bent (gearbox out)
Start with minimum adjustment (and look through the bellhousing apperature if you can) and look for the pressure plate releasing. Make small adjustments, and look for the fork fouling.
Again, these are S4s esperiences, I don't know if they are relevant to you.
Good Luck
Glyn
Many thanks for everyones advise,.
I am going to move the slave the right way up and pressure bleed tomorrow.
I checked move ment and I am getting about 10mm where the clutch arm enters the box and approx 25mm at the arms end.It is nowghere near touching the edge of the opening in the gearbox ,so maybe thats the problem.
I have checked with my mechanic and my box is all esprit and he actually rebuilt my box in the end,so it should be fine.He has swapped a belhousing before and apparently the car has now covered nearly 10,000 miles with no problems but as you say it is not recommended and needs to be checked for the smallest inconsistencies.
I have narrowed it down to two probs,Hydraulics and having also spoken to Lotus stuck Clutch plate(my garage is damp).
I,ll update next week.
Thanks again
I am going to move the slave the right way up and pressure bleed tomorrow.
I checked move ment and I am getting about 10mm where the clutch arm enters the box and approx 25mm at the arms end.It is nowghere near touching the edge of the opening in the gearbox ,so maybe thats the problem.
I have checked with my mechanic and my box is all esprit and he actually rebuilt my box in the end,so it should be fine.He has swapped a belhousing before and apparently the car has now covered nearly 10,000 miles with no problems but as you say it is not recommended and needs to be checked for the smallest inconsistencies.
I have narrowed it down to two probs,Hydraulics and having also spoken to Lotus stuck Clutch plate(my garage is damp).
I,ll update next week.
Thanks again
Success!!!
Many thanks for everyones advice.It was a combination of blleding,which has now been done with the nipple upwards and the slave off the engine.Result maximum travel and a very solid pedal.
That extra 5 mm travel with gently forcing it into first at low revs and then booting it freed the clutch plate.It was a bit sticky for a few changes but now appears ok although 5th is a bit baulky which I think is just adjustment.
I think I was thrown as my s3N/A N/A was not bled as well but seemed to work fine
Once again Thanks and NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE IMPORTANCE OF ZERO AIR IN THE CLUTCH!
Many thanks for everyones advice.It was a combination of blleding,which has now been done with the nipple upwards and the slave off the engine.Result maximum travel and a very solid pedal.
That extra 5 mm travel with gently forcing it into first at low revs and then booting it freed the clutch plate.It was a bit sticky for a few changes but now appears ok although 5th is a bit baulky which I think is just adjustment.
I think I was thrown as my s3N/A N/A was not bled as well but seemed to work fine
Once again Thanks and NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE IMPORTANCE OF ZERO AIR IN THE CLUTCH!
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