Any budding car mechanics on here? As above my trusty toyota iq has developed possibly a clutch issue...but it might not be...Hence the call to arms... So, it might need a new clutch im not sure so ive got some general questions... 1. Over the space of a week maybe even less (it happened over the xmas period where it wasnt really being used...) - the clutch pedal went "lighter" than i remember to the point that when i put my foot on the clutch i thought i didnt so had to recalibrate a little... 2. The bite point is now right down the bottom...now i thought that when a car clutch went the bite point would be more to the top?? 3. Based on the above (and ive done a bit of research) the clutch mechanism is hydraulic so based on my motor bike knowledge this tells me there could be air in the system.? Ive ordered a clutch, never really worked on a car before but watched a lad on you tube do the job in (in the chat in total he says 3.5 hours) so if i double that for myself then id be happy with that....he does it all step by step and tbh it looks really more a case of (theres a ton of stuff to take off to get to the clutch) so im ok with that but, if i can avoid change the clutch that'd be nice also....based on point 3 im gonna have a go at bleeding the clutch tomorrow... Id appreciate any pointers or advice!! Cheers to anyone that takes a swing at it...!
Oh here the the video ive been studying...one more question....if anyone knows of course...at 1.09 he puts some fluid in ? not sure what fluid that is or how much hes adding...?
Basics first. Have you checked the fluid level in the clutch master cylinder reservoir ? Does the clutch pedal go firm if you pump the pedal ? Any puddles on the floor under the slave cylinder ? I agree, it sounds like a clutch fluid issue rather than a worn out clutch. Andy
Seems to be a hydraulic problem so as a first port of call I would bleed the system and if it returns/does not go away consider replacement of the seals in the master and slave cylinders. They may not be available as repair kits so you may have to buy new master and slave cylinders. Changing the actual clutch plate and thrust bearings on front wheel drive cars is a right PITA, usually involving breaking suspension joints to get the drive shafts out of the gearbox/differential, removing the gearbox (not always easy as often the engine /gearbox mounts are virtually impossible to access) and when reassembling getting the clutch centre to align with the spigot bearing in the crankshaft/flywheel.
Thanks very much for the advice...(this was my suspicion) is the slave/master (i get mixed up) inside the bell housing of the clutch anyway? (assuming it is) i may as well just swap the clutch out anyway...(cost about 110 quid) Edit - yeah - the slave/seal is inside the bell housing so i may as well swap the clutch out anyway (assuming it is that of course..!) - ive already got the slave as part of the kit...
I believe (although ive got no manual) but the reservoir is shared and yes it full up..ironically a few months back the fluid was changed over... With regards to puddles under the floor i cant say...literally the last 2 weeks has been wet (and its not something that was on my radar) - watching the video the slave is within a sealed bellhousing (i think) so not sure i would see any leakage from that...i looked at the master the other day and thats dry....apparently the other place is the pedal itself. Ill be frequenting Halfords tomorrow for some decent axel stands...!
Sorry about the lack of response....out getting the Hyper mot'd - it passed so thats one thing out of the way...!
Just to go back to the leaky slave angle - from watching the video the slave literally sits right next to the clutch itself so if i end up going in that far...i may as well swap the clutch out...
yip, it's got a conentric slave. 99.999999999% of the time it's that. and aye, deffo replace the clutch too. before you get too involved ensure it hasnt got a self adjusting clutch as you will need a special tool for refitting.
My wife’s old qashqai had the exact same symptoms a few years back and it was the clutch slave that had gone.
mate, i would doubt the IQ of anyone wanting to do a clutch on the drive these days. or maybe i'm just getting old and a tad lazy. but good on yah. on a ramp, with all the tools and a bit of experience it's probably a six hour job if it went smooth. . a couple of pointers, dont be tempted to scrimp on the clutch kit and concentric slave. watching him screwing that pipe in to the slave, hmm. haven't seen that in a while and is reminiscent of the cheaper kits. and the slave will almost deffo be pre-primed, dont be tempted to give it a wee squeeze just for the craic. it will make your life harder come bleed time.
Evening gents. So, first and foremost the good news....the issue is definately hydraulic....ill try to list in points.... 1. While i couldnt check underneath the car im pretty sure there are no leaks. The reservoir is full. 2. Im old fashioned so i got a length of pipe out, found the bleed point and ran a pipe from the nipple back up to the reservoir, had the wife on the clutch pedal and started to bleed, push the clutch in with the nipple open, close then let the clutch off. 3. There was a shit load of air in there and after an hour i was still seeing air coming out but not as much, and in turn got some feel back to the point where i could easily get it in gear again. How it worked before i dont know....one observation was that the amount of air coming out of the system didnt seem to affect the amount of fluid being drawn back in....by quite a factor... Am i right in saying that the clutch/brake system are tied together in some way? And thanks for all the replies lads.!
It is extremely unlikely that the brake and clutch hydraulic systems are in any way linked, one being safety critical the other only mission/motion critical. If you were bleeding for an hour and still seeing bubbles it is likely that a) your bleed pipe or b) your bleed nipple was drawing air as the nipple was cracked open or c) you let the master cylinder fluid level drop too low before replenishing. The bleed pipe must be a completely air tight seal on the domed head of the bleed nipple and the pipe should remain beneath the surface of the drained fluid in the receiving pot. If you remove the nipple completely, wipe it dry of brake fluid and apply plumber's PTFE thread to the threads then that will reduce the chance of air being drawn in when the nipple is cracked (and make it less likely that it will subsequently seize in place with corrosion). Not allowing the reservoir level to fall too low is simply a matter of vigilance but very easily done. Re-tightening the nipple before the pedal reaches the bottom of travel also helps as it keeps positive pressure on the fluid and reduces the chance of fluid and air being drawn back into the slave cylinder. Only cracking the nipple just enough to permit brake fluid to flow as pedal/lever pressure is applied also helps
they can be linked. but only in they share a reservoir. the one time in a thousand i misdiagnosed your symptoms the vehicle, a 12 year old Vauxhall, was drawing in air from a furred up fitting at the clutch master cylinder. if it has a flexy rubber section of hydraulic pipe at the gear box end i guess you could clamp it and see if you pedal goes solid. if it does that could prove it either way.
