BX16 clutch

mnde · Post by **mnde** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 5:55 pm

My BX has a good ole heavy, creaking clutch pedal, and now I have difficulty engaging 1st and reverse (crunch!!!) gears. The biting point is very low, so it would seem that the problem is due to the clutch not disengaging fully. My question is, which way do I need to turn the adjusting bolt on the clutch arm to achieve a higher biting point? I just want to alleviate the symptoms until I have enough time and money to take it for a service, as I think it prob needs a new clutch cable at least...

Cheers,

Mark.

Ian_Fearn · Post by **Ian_Fearn** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 5:58 pm

Screw the nuts so your effectively tighening them up to achieve a higher biting point. I doubt this'll sort your problems though.

Sounds like the clutch has already been fully adjusted and is about shot.

jeremy · Post by **jeremy** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 6:48 pm

You will want to shorten the cable/linkage.

You may be lucky as there seems to be some pride amongst those who fit clutches in not adjusting the thing to work nicely. I have improved both ours by adjustment - the ZX 35,000 miles ago - and for some reason it seemed to have had a new one before 53,000 miles. Both of them were breaking too close to the floor which of course makes gear changing difficult.

However - as they wear the biting point rises - unless other things come into the equation.

Stewart (oily!) · Post by **Stewart (oily!)** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 7:40 pm

Sounds like classic knackered clutch syndrome to me, mind you theres nothing to lose from trying to adjust it, the stiffness usually comes from the thrust bearing wearing a groove in the diaphragm spring, when you press the pedal it then has to climb out of the groove, making the pedal heavy.
Stewart

mnde · Post by **mnde** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 7:53 pm

Well, when I bought the car, the biting point was near the floor - Ken adjusted it up a tad for me, now it seems very low again. I think the owner said to me on the phone that it had had a new cable fitted not long ago, but that it obviously hadn't been adjusted properly... However, when I bought the car there was no trouble engaging gears... There is an invoice for a new clutch in the history paperwork - I'll have to dig it out and see how old it is.

It's only recently, during an extended spell in stop-start traffic during the flood season, that I started having trouble. Actually, I've noticed a bit of judder as well. Effort is excessive, and the pedal often squeaks, which I'd assumed was due to a worn/dry cable.....

Mark.

ken newbold · Post by **ken newbold** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 7:55 pm

Are you coming up to your Dads in the near future?

Geoffrey Gould · Post by **Geoffrey Gould** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 8:59 pm

Hi maybe a bit of a long shot but have you looked at the pedal box, they do have a nasty habit of breaking I have seen more than one with the bracket that holds the cable outer bent and broken. Note that its had a new cable as they are such a bu**er to fit it might be worth checking.
Cheers.
Geoff.

mnde · Post by **mnde** » Sat Oct 21, 2006 9:39 am

Thanks for everyone's comments and advice! On Wednesday I took the opportunity, as it was a dry, sunny day, to adjust the clutch lever. It worked a treat! I now have a biting point at around midpoint of travel, and I can engage all gears without difficulty. It still needs a new clutch, but in the meantime the car is mobile again. There's more to sort out though before it's fit for the winter (more anon). Need to sort myself out with a job so I can actually afford to get it done.. (cambelt, water pump etc.) - In the meantime the GSA can share the burden when necessary.

Ken: I have no plans to visit my dad in Sheffield in the near future, but I'll definitely bear you in mind if I do arrange a visit - if only to pop round and say hullo

Cheers,

Mark.

ken newbold · Post by **ken newbold** » Sat Oct 21, 2006 9:55 am

Mark, if you fancy a crash course in fitting a clutch to your car, I have one here that I bought cheap off ebay (and I mean cheap)

yours if you want it.

But be prepared to get mucky.

AndersDK · Post by **AndersDK** » Sat Oct 21, 2006 11:46 am

Mark -

The clutch pedal is meant to rest some 140mm over any carpet level. This is much higher than the 2 other pedals.
Oh - and my wife's 16RS commuter has been like that since we bougt it 4 years ago - and still working

(She has developed a real good kicking effort with that leg

)

mnde · Post by **mnde** » Tue Oct 31, 2006 4:35 pm

Okay, I've done a second adjustment, but now I think I've overdone it slightly as the pedal now sits so high it is easy to trap my foot under the plastic cowling above.

Time to get out the measuring tape and do it properly tomorrow morning. Judder seems to have gone though!

Mark.

RichardW · Post by **RichardW** » Wed Nov 01, 2006 12:24 pm

Keep an eye (toe?) on it - if it goes out of adjustment again reasonably quickly, then you need to get a new clutch in ASAP - the release bearing will be chewing through the springs, and sooner or later it will go right through and you will be without clutch.

AlanS · Post by **AlanS** » Wed Nov 01, 2006 7:42 pm

WE had one showing these symptoms which turned out to be the lower engine mount totally shot. Can only come to the conclusion that it allowed the engine to float around a lot thereby altering the distance length of the outer cable from the firewall to the housing where it's retained.
New engine mount and it was cured but by the time he got around to doing it, he'd spun the friction plate a few times, so we have to do a clutch anyway.

Alan S