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New clutch..... still slipping?!


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Hello, long story short(ish), when I got this car it had a slipping clutch that was so bad it wouldn't get up my mechanics slope onto his ramp. Weird thing was it had a clutch receipt only 5,000 miles before. Did the clutch change with a LUX clutch and the old clutch still had 9mm of clutch left (bearing in mind the new one was around 9.7mm). Immediately upon driving it with the new clutch installed, it still slipped, although not as bad.

 

It is intermittent and seems to happen more often in high gears when I go from closed throttle to wide open. It also slips when going too quickly through gears. I have had it adjusted correctly and it still slips. 

 

The clutch bite is at the very top and there is zero free play in the clutch. As soon as I tap my foot on it ever so slightly whilst accelerating it will cause the clutch to slip.

 

Does anyone have any ideas as to why?

 

Flywheel require skimming? New clutch cable? (have asked about cable and apparently it won't cause it to slip but instead make gear selection difficult. Is this correct?)

 

Any help would be appreciated?

 

Thanks

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When you say "new clutch" you mean only the clutch disk or new clutch pressure plate too?

 

Clutch slipping may have various causes as follows:

  • Release system wear, freedom of movement, adjustment
  • Flywheel incorrectly re-machined
  • Facings contaminated with oil or grease
  • Incorrect parts for the car
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It's what Ricardo said. It can be all of that.

Did you change the pressure plate too or is it still the old one?

It should handle the AEE's torque with ease if everything is new and well assembled.

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It was a LUK 3 piece clutch kit, whatever that included. Mechanic said the flywheel seemed fine when removing the 'old' clutch. Wiped all surfaces down with brake cleaner or something too. Confirmed the correct clutch by LUK and the seller.

 

I've read something about a spring or something can fly off when removing the clutch cable at the pedal end. Could it be something to do with that? A pretensioner or something similar?

 

Its just strange that it happened to two different brand clutches. There is no free play before the clutch starts engaging which leads me to think cable or adjustment issue.

 

Can anyone confirm the exact steps in adjusting the clutch?

 

Thanks!

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The clutch pedal should be level with the brake pedal and you should be able to lift it up an inch or so for free play. Adjustment is on the end of the cable at the fork end.possibly the cable is worn and not returning properly

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The clutch pedal should be level with the brake pedal and you should be able to lift it up an inch or so for free play.

I don't think the free play of the clutch pedal is measured by lifting the pedal. On the contrary, you need to press on the clutch pedal until the clutch operating lever moves. As for the "an inch or so" free play, Skoda doesn't mention anything about it. I don't know where you came up with that figure.

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The clutch pedal should be flush with the brake pedal +/- 3 mm and there should be no free play.

But frankly I don't think the adjustment is the problem. I don't have access to your car to gather data. I don't know how skilled and honest is the mechanic that serviced your car. So I will add more possible causes, letting you to investigate further then let us know what you discovered.

  • The clutch was in fact not replaced at all. Unless you had been present during replacement, you can't know for sure.
  • The mechanic made some mistake during the clutch job that resulted in low friction between clutch disk and flywheel.
  • The clutch release mechanism is faulty (stuck, deformed, missing parts, incorrect parts, etc.)
  • There is an oil leak in the clutch bell housing.

TuQyWFW.jpg

Edited by RicardoM
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I came up with that figure after working on felicia's since new. You should be able to lift the pedal up easily if the pedal is tight against the stop then it is putting tension on the cable.

So.. options for causing the clutch to slip.

either the flywheel has been skimmed badly making it too deep or badly worn and relieving it of clamping force. The release arm is partially seized in the gearbox case.

The cable is adjusted wrong or seized causing it to not release properly

Or your foot is resting on the pedal gently pressing it down!!

A 1.3 pressure plate was fitted which doesn't have enough clamping force for the torque the aee has.

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You should be able to lift the pedal up easily if the pedal is tight against the stop then it is putting tension on the cable.

Being able to lift the pedal doesn't mean you measure "free play". Pedal clutch is meant to be pushed. What good is it to lift it?? 

 

I came up with that figure after working on felicia's since new.

And?? Is there any Skoda recommendation that fits your method? Let's not fool people with unreliable information...

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Thanks again both!

 

either the flywheel has been skimmed badly making it too deep or badly worn and relieving it of clamping force. The release arm is partially seized in the gearbox case.
The cable is adjusted wrong or seized causing it to not release properly

 

I think either flywheel is glazed, or the release or cable is preventing the clutch fully releasing.

 

The clutch pedal should be flush with the brake pedal +/- 3 mm and there should be no free play.

  • The clutch was in fact not replaced at all. Unless you had been present during replacement, you can't know for sure.
  • The mechanic made some mistake during the clutch job that resulted in low friction between clutch disk and flywheel.
  • The clutch release mechanism is faulty (stuck, deformed, missing parts, incorrect parts, etc.)

 

Ricardo, thanks for the information on adjustment and possibilities. To answer your point, I was present during the installation the entire time. Mechanic is very experienced also, but mistakes can happen I suppose.

 

 

Also, are you saying that the clutch should engage immediately with no free play?

 

 
  Cheers
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Also my other mechanic only adjusted the clutch recently (in an attempt to help) from the engine side. So how do the two relate to one another?

Edited by Sheffy
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You say "The clutch bite is at the very top and there is zero free play in the clutch. As soon as I tap my foot on it ever so slightly whilst accelerating it will cause the clutch to slip"

Then this sounds like the problem, the clutch has not been adjusted correctly, if as soon as you press ever so slightly on the pedal it starts to slip then sounds like the clutch release bearing must already be in contact with the pressure plate which it should not be, you should be pressing the pedal in a good inch or two before the release bearing starts to contact the pressure release plate. If you put your foot on the clutch pedal and can already feel the pressure of the release plate then this is another clue that your mechanic has not adjusted it correctly, the pedal should travel at least an inch or more before you feel the pressure of the clutch plates being released.

Edited by POWYSWALES
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Ricardo, thanks for the information on adjustment and possibilities. To answer your point, I was present during the installation the entire time. Mechanic is very experienced also, but mistakes can happen I suppose.

What bothers me is this: ok, the mechanic did a clutch job, he was amazing and stuff. But after he finished he tested the clutch, right? He did smoke some tyres or did whatever similar test  to see how well the power is transmitted to wheels, right? So what did he do when the car didn't pass the test? Sent you home? You see, I had my share of mistakes too but I had never let a car go from my garage without being properly repaired. If that cost me staying late in the night to repair my mistake, that's what I did. The mechanic should had adjusted the clutch cable first like the workshop manual says (clutch pedal flush with brake pedal or lower). If that didn't work... well...the clutch ought to be revisited to check what went bad. Are the parts for Felicia 1.6? Does the clutch release mechanism work properly? and so on.

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He's a friend, 30 years experience as working mechanic. I mentioned it was still slipping when we test drove it and we're yet to find out the cause, he's stumped as am I.  It drives so I didn't make him take the clutch back out as I'd seen a good clutch (although glazed - nearly new amount of friction material left) come out and seen him fit a brand new correct clutch go in it's place.

 

The clutch is for the 1.6 felicia. He did adjust it flush with the brake pedal as I told him to do so. 

 

Not sure what the clutch release mechanism involves. Could you elaborate and also on the cable adjustment at the engine bay side please?

 

Thanks

Edited by Sheffy
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What year is your car manufactured? Mileage? Gearbox type / serial?

Previous clutch jobs shown in the service history (if any)? Any other significant events in the past? Like engine swap, gearbox swap, accidents, aso. Remember, you know everything about the car. We know only what you share.

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You can disconect the cable from the arm on the gearbox and try moving it with jour hands. It should move freely a bit and you can hear when the bearing hits the pressure plate in the clutch if it doesn't you have a problem in the clutch assembly.

You can test the cable too in the same way. if it travels freely it's ok if it's not it's probably worn and partially broken. You will probably need an assistant to do this.

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What year is your car manufactured? Mileage? Gearbox type / serial?

Previous clutch jobs shown in the service history (if any)? Any other significant events in the past? Like engine swap, gearbox swap, accidents, aso. Remember, you know everything about the car. We know only what you share.

 2000, 74k, Not sure of gearbox type, presumably standard. Clutch receipt at 40k, I replaced at 55k maybe. No engine swap, no accidents.

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I did my best trying to figure out what is wrong with the clutch. A car with low mileage and good maintenance history shouldn't have that problem. Moreover, a mechanic with 30 years of experience should be able to fix the issue by running the list of probable causes mentioned in this topic. I assume he knew how to adjust the clutch cable/pedal height. So the problem lies inside. The clutch has to be revisited. Keep us posted.

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In case previous owner overheated/worn/warped/cupped the flywheel due to hard driving, exclusive city driving, clutch riding or long time driving with a slipping clutch, the flywheel has to be resurfaced. I have posted below two bad flywheels. Discolorations, dark spots, uneven wear, grooves, etc. are signs to look for.

 

6HEOx2N.jpg

 

AVhWDpy.jpg

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Thanks for pointing that out, so cheers pinjon.

 

My flywheel looked a lot more uniform and clean. Cheers for the pictures.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Further update, new cable arrived and didn't fit - correct length but wrong fittings.

 

Mechanic adjusted as per above instructions and it slipped horrendously. He has changed it back and now it is struggling to select gears and making a horrible chattering noise! I will try and adjust it so it is at least driveable again!

 

New cable tomorrow. Will update this as and when.

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Replaced clutch cable and instantly felt nicer. Then the 5th gear whistle came back and after a large knock/grinding I was left locked in 5th gear on the motorway, forcing me to use my breakdown cover. Clutch is still working but I think I've sheared my 5th gear.

 

What gearbox is best with the AFH?

 

Thanks

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