Clutch adjustments and the footwell?

Turboalternator · Post by **Turboalternator** » Wed Apr 28, 2010 8:22 pm

Hallo everyone,

Clutch adjustment and footwell?

Does anyone know anything about this:

Apparently sometimes it becomes difficult if not impossible to adjust the clutch because of problems in the footwell. I can't think what footwell problems could cause such a thing.. any ideas anyone?

Best wishes

Post by **Defender110** » Wed Apr 28, 2010 8:29 pm

Pedal box cracks and pulls the pedal out of alignment, needs re-welding before the correct adjustment can be made.

Turboalternator · Post by **Turboalternator** » Wed Apr 28, 2010 8:37 pm

Hallo!

That was quick! Thanks a lot Defender! .. Is this footwell problem easy to spot? If so what should one look for apart from an obvious crack, (which is sometimes difficult to see), .. and is it a common problem with BX's?

I confess that my clutch is becoming difficult to adjust and I don't think it is the usual lever problem at the fork end.

ken newbold · Post by **ken newbold** » Wed Apr 28, 2010 10:05 pm

What makes you think there is a problem in the footwell?

I think it's more likely to be the clutch that is getting done

How many miles on the clutch?

Post by **Defender110** » Wed Apr 28, 2010 10:14 pm

I wouldn't say it was a common problem but it is a known problem, like Ken said what makes you think you have a problem in the footwell? does your pedal feel spongy / non responsive?

citronut · Post by **citronut** » Wed Apr 28, 2010 11:11 pm

when the pedel box fails in regard to the clutch, it tears the bracket which the outter cable sitts in off of its three spot welds at the front of the pedel box,

if this has happened it just needs the pedel box removeing and weldding up,

this problem usualy happens when the clutch is near the end of its life, and the pedel gets very heavy, the bracket cant stand the strain,

at least its easyer to fix than the XANT clutch clip

regards malcolm

Turboalternator · Post by **Turboalternator** » Wed Apr 28, 2010 11:33 pm

Allright Chaps here's how it is:

I adjusted the clutch at the fork end, (of course), as the gears were crashing when changing gear .. especially where there's no synchromesh like engaging reverse.

I also checked the lever in case it was bent or slowly bending ... that seemed fine on visual inspection.

That adjustment worked fine for a while but then one day while I was driving I could sense a little muffled thump on my foot when I changed gears.. always occuring on releasing the clutch pedal. It felt like when I released pressure on the pedal it didn't respond but then after I released pressure on the pedal some more it came up with a thump.. that is what it felt like.

Then that thumping stopped but then slowly the reverse gear started crashing again.. Now I have to press down all the way and hold it down for a good 10 secs before I have any chance of engaging reverse without crashing the gear.

The clutch engages very quickly with the slightest release and it does not slip at all.

I suspected that the cable is weak and was slowly stretching .. perhaps due to some internal fraying .. but then someone mentioned the footwell possibility.. and so here I am.

By the way does anyone have any idea what the normal life of a cable is?

Ken: About 40K miles but then my first set lasted 80K .. I'm a very light clutch user!

Defender: No "sponginess" like brakes that need bleeding, (in normal cars), but the thump as described above. (Note: the thumping has now stopped).

Turboalternator · Post by **Turboalternator** » Wed Apr 28, 2010 11:41 pm

Hallo Malcom,

Just saw your post.. I'll have to have a look and see on the car. Is the problem visually obvious whilst the clutch cable is still attached?

Is the pedal box easy to remove?

I suppose I shouldn't be asking silly questions before having a look but any pointers now would help enormously!

Anything that I could print out and refer to whilst I carry out the inspection would be very helpful.

Thanks for your input!

ken newbold · Post by **ken newbold** » Thu Apr 29, 2010 12:06 am

The pedal box is quite easy to remove.

Unclip the throttle cable and clutch cable in the engine compartment, undo the 2x11mm (I think) nuts that face forwards. Now there are only 2 Allen screws holding the box in place. These face upwards and are a bit awkward to get at.
Once undone, ease the pedal box towards you and keep feeding the clutch cable through from the engine compartment. You should soon be able to see if anything is wrong with it.

A clutch should last about 150k so yours should be OK, assuming it was a quality one fitted.

Be certain there are no cracks in the clutch lever on top of the gearbox, the early ones were known to fail, later ones were reinforced.

Turboalternator · Post by **Turboalternator** » Thu Apr 29, 2010 12:39 am

Hallo again Ken!

Thanks for this .. I'll print out your instructions and those of Malcom's.

I thought I had achieved something notable reaching 80K miles so my bubble is well and truly burst! I got the replacement from GSF Car parts and I think it was a Valeo so it would have been of a high quality.

To save face here's my official excuse: I live in London and most of my trips are filled with stops and go's! Very hard on the clutch that!

As for the clutch lever I had a failure when the car was about 2 or 3 years old and it was changed for a reinforced one.

But you are right to suggest I check again.

Many thanks again Ken, Malcom and Defender!

citronut · Post by **citronut** » Thu Apr 29, 2010 8:48 am

if you remove the rubber cover at the engine side of the bulk head, you should be able to check the bracket which the outter cable fits into, as it actualy pertrudes through the bulk head slightly,

then if you still need to remove the pedel box you can diconect the cable at thr gear box end, then unhook it from the pedel throught the hole it goes through in the bulk head (engine side), but disengage the outter cable completley from the bracket first, also whilst unhooking the cable from the pedel you need the pedel held almost fully up,

regards malcolm

Turboalternator · Post by **Turboalternator** » Thu Apr 29, 2010 10:36 pm

Hallo Malcom,

Thank you for this extra tip. I will certainly try it out. I'll let you all know how I get on so that there is some good feedback for other members.

Again, many thanks!

Post by **Defender110** » Thu Apr 29, 2010 10:56 pm

It's impossible to put an accurate estimate on any clutch life as not only does everyone have different driving methods but as you stated some cars are driven in cities and others on motorways or some on the flats of Lincoln and others in the Scottish highlands but 150k is surely a very high gestimate Ken?

That thud you describe could suggest the release bearing not returning instantly, the crunching of the gears could be the release bearing not traveling far enough so my first port of call would be the cable followed by the clutch itself rather than pedal box.

Post by **mat_fenwick** » Thu Apr 29, 2010 11:47 pm

For what it's worth mine was at 156k when I did the engine swap, and had the original clutch in it. Not worn out but I wouldn't have put it back in either.
But as you say totally dependant on driving style and usage.

ken newbold · Post by **ken newbold** » Fri Apr 30, 2010 12:40 am

Obviously there is no exact science about the clutch wear. But I've usually found 150k to be about the limit.

This ZX of mine had 149k on the clock and was slipping.
My bro in laws Xantia had 150k on the clock and the pedal was so hard to press down you needed both feet to do it.
My mates XM had 155k on when it started slipping.
I've also done a couple of BX td's with about 150k on so that's where I get my figures from.
However a car that's been in city traffic for much of it's life will not reach this much.

A friend of mine lived in the country and got 300k out of his 205 d before the bodywork fell apart.

BX Club Forum

Clutch adjustments and the footwell?

Clutch adjustments and the footwell?

Footwell problem?

Thank you Chaps!