Bizaar Clutch In A 205

[mikey_p 0]

Hi all,

 

The past two days my clutch has been slipping, or at least feeling like it is slipping. However I drove it today without any sign of a slipping clutch at all, and even gave it some abuse, and did a few tests whilst driving along.

 

There were no signs of the clutch going at all, it just suddenly started slipping. It started happening the first time I drove the car after topping it up with oil, and spilling some around the filler cap area. It sounds stupid to think that this could have caused something that felt like a clutch slipping but it is the only thing that posilby could have caused this.

 

I'm really confused now, and have already purchased a clutch, which I can return, and have my car booked into a garage, which I obviously want to cancel if the clutch is fine.

 

I'm not technically minded but I know if a clutch starts slipping, it would not be able to take the abuse I gave it without slipping at all.

 

What do you lot think? and thanks in advance.

[Alastairh 47]

Well you've sorta answered your own question. You said you've spilt some oil, which can go down onto the clutch to make it slip.

 

What id do is take it for a long drive, and say in 100 miles see how it is then.

 

Alastair

[mikey_p 0]

Thats what I thought to begin with. But everyone I have mentioned it to has said that is highly unlikely. Also my more mechanically minded mate did bring up the point that if there is oil in the clutch it's hardely going to disappear, as the stuff if designed to hang around. So in theory my clutch would be lubed up, and so slipping all the time.

Also it started slipping in Brighton, and I drove it back to north east Essex, and it was continuing to slip. I'm still completely stumped.

[mikey_p 0]

Thought i'd put this thread to the top again as my car goes in tomorrow and I'm still none the wiser.

 

Is there any thing that could possibly cause this. I really don't want to pay out for fitting a new clutch if mine is fine and something else is broken.

[bren_1.3 1]

Thats what I thought to begin with. But everyone I have mentioned it to has said that is highly unlikely. Also my more mechanically minded mate did bring up the point that if there is oil in the clutch it's hardely going to disappear, as the stuff if designed to hang around. So in theory my clutch would be lubed up, and so slipping all the time.

Also it started slipping in Brighton, and I drove it back to north east Essex, and it was continuing to slip. I'm still completely stumped.

 

any ideas on when the clutch was last done? whats the mileage of the car?

if the clutch plate was new-ish i suspect something is amiss. following that thought it could well be oil on the plate, even so you should be able to burn it off after a long drive as Alaistarh suggested. how much oil did you actually spill?

 

at a guess id say its just had enough, and "testing it" by hammering it wont have helped it. 3 of us did a clutch change in 1 hour yesterday on a 1400 rally car. the 1.6/1.9's arent anymore difficult. save your money, buy a haynes and do it over a weekend.

[mikey_p 0]

I've just had a look through all the receipts and it was replaced in July 2002. So fairly recently really. I think it must have been the oil that caused the slippage for 2 days after spilling it around the fuel filler cap. However when you drive along, put the clutch in, hold the revs up high, and lift off the clutch it does seem to slip. Maybe because of all the "tests" I have been doing on it. Although it also gets wheel spin in first and second. I'm going out now to do one last test, and then probably phone the garage and cancel my booking. They won't be pleased. Cheers for the response.

[TEKNOPUG 3]

You need to put it under some load to test it properly. Put it in 3rd or 4th and drop down to really low revs and then floor the throttle and keep it planted through the rev range. If it doesn't slip then it's fine.

[mikey_p 0]

Yeah it drives absolutely fine. Wheel spin in first on a warm dry day, floor it, into second, bit more wheel spin, and pulls through every gear after that. I'm now £260 richer .

 

Now I can spend that money buying a refurbished rear beam instead, something it DOES need.

 

Cheers for the replies guys and girls.

[tom_m 0]

yup just to add another confirmation i've done this too. spillage around the filler neck can make it onto the flywheel and clutch if you're unlucky.

 

i emptied a can of brake and clutch cleaner into the bell housing and took it for a blast and it did the trick.

[jtek 0]

how much harm do you think 1 litre of gearbox oil passing passed the clutch would do? because after some poor reading of the manual and not really paying attention at all after a painful days work, that may have happened to me lol.

[pug_ham 244 3 Cars]

how much harm do you think 1 litre of gearbox oil passing passed the clutch would do?

If you have drained it out of the bottom of the gearbox straight away & not driven the car, you'll only get a day or two (depending on how much you use the car) where you'll suffer from clutch slip imo, maybe less if you pour some clutch cleaner through as mentioned by tom_m above.

 

If its still slipping slightly after a week of frequent use it might be unlucky & time for a new clutch.

 

Graham.