Car D.I.Y.

[raleighnut]

@Electric_Andy not looking forward to getting my Scenic done. It’s on 70,000
Miles and 7 years old this year. It has a heavy clutch (high bite point) but it’s running fine.

Been told it’s an engine out job to replace the clutch when it does go.

With most cars it's either engine or gearbox out to do a clutch (Mini's and SAAB99/900's excepted)

Funny story, years ago a mate had a SAAB 99 and when the clutch went he took it to a local garage to get it fixed (He'd moved back up to Scotland by then) anyway a few months later he came back to visit friends in Leicester and when he came to see me he asked (knowing I'd been a SAAB mechanic) how long it would take to change a clutch, when I told him 2 1/2- 3 hours he was incredulous.
The procedure is

• Take the bonnet off
• remove the grill
• Undo 4 bolts and the bottom hose and remove the front panel with radiator, cooling fan and headlamps still attached and move it to the windscreen area where it will sit on the heater box.
• Undo 3 screws that hold the plastic clutch shield on.
• Depress clutch pedal (you need some help here) and insert either the 'special tool' or a length of hard wire between the diaphagm springs and the outer cover to keep the spring compressed.
• Then remove a litttle cover and extract the spigot shaft which has a threaded hole in the end for removing it.
• Then either remove the actuating fork or unscrew the 3 bolts that hold the (internal) slave cylinder on (depends on the age of the car as they changed from an external slave cylinder and an arm to an internal cylinder with the release bearing concentric with it)
• Remove the 6 bolts holding the clutch to the flywheel and lift it out as one assembly, if you haven't inserted the tool or the length of wire it won't come out (not enough clearance)
• Either take the old clutch cover to a press or as we used to do jack up one wheel and use that to compress the spring by lowering the car onto it gently with either the 2nd 'special tool' or any suitable bit of round wood or metal so you can extact the 'special tool #1 (or bit of wire) then lift the car back up/release the press then place the new clutch in and depess the springs so you can insert tool #1 in that.
• Put the centre plate, cover and release bearing togher in order and drop it back in to the clutch housing then using the spigot shaft to align the centre plate (no need for a 'blind' spigot shaft or aligning tool) put the 6 bolts back in that hold the clutch to the flywheel and torque them up then (using the assistant again) depess the clutch pedal and extract tool #1 (or bit of wire),replace the cover.lift the front panel down and reinstall the 4 bolts, refit the top hose and then screw the grill back on,refit the bonnet and fill the coolant system back up. On the very early cars you may need to adjust the clutch fork pivot bolt but the later cars are 'self adjusting'.

It seems the local garage he took it to didn't know this and having got 'stuck' decided to seperate the engine and gearbox whilst it was still in the engine bay, now I have no idea how they managed this as some of the bolts are really inacccesible, we would lift the entire assembly out as a unit before splitting them but suffice it to say it took them about 3 days to do the clutch and he ended up with a bill like the national debt of a 3rd world country.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

With most cars it's either engine or gearbox out to do a clutch (Mini's and SAAB99/900's excepted)

Vauxhall's did it with the Cavalier MK2 & 3's, you could pull the main gearbox input shaft back into the gearbox from the passenger side wheel well, then drop the clutch & pressure plate out of the middle, took a little aligning to get back, but saved ages in time, no idea why they dropped the idea.

 

[bikingdad90]

It was a Renault main dealer that said it’s an engine out job.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

It was a Renault main dealer that said it’s an engine out job.

We had a Megan at one point, that fat arsed one, one of the front wishbone bushes was highlighted at MOT time, not a fail but I thought I'd look at it. To do it the Renault way that was an engine out job or at least you had to disconnected everything & drop the whole engine/gearbox along with the front suspension subframe. The reason was that the bolts had been put in by the robot from the front of the car going towards the rear, which meant they couldn't be removed as there was not enough clearance with engine/gearbox/subframe attached.

It potentially is the same with yours to do it the Renault way, as you would not be able to remove a driveshaft to move the gearbox. However there is a trick for the sneaky mechanic who doesn't want to rip their customers off at Mainstealer rates. You undo the long suspension bolt, you drive the bolt out 10-15mm till it hits the body, then you saw the head off the bolt & pull the bolt back through the suspension arm. Once the arm is replaced or in your instance the clutch changed you replace the bolt with a new one going in from the opposite direction, very simple solution & save 10-15 hours work.

 

[Tom B]

Not DIY but I wish I could. Having new clutch and flywheel fitted on Wednesday, £1000 😭

I was jolly happy with the £500, that's including a DMF or £400 if it isn't the DMF. I was quoted by a bloke who does clutches and gearboxes only. He reckons he does two a day.

One before (my) breakfast.

@Electric_Andy not looking forward to getting my Scenic done. It’s on 70,000
Miles and 7 years old this year. It has a heavy clutch (high bite point) but it’s running fine.

Been told it’s an engine out job to replace the clutch when it does go.

My focus had 220k on it. The clutch was high, made all sorts odd groaning noises, but showed no signs of slipping or giving up. The DMF on that was however goosed. I'd been preparing to change that for about 6years.

Clutch guy reckons dmfs are good for no more than 100k, certain ford types half that.

That's said he wasn't keen on doing solid conversions.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

That's said he wasn't keen on doing solid conversions.

They make a lot of vibrations which essentially is what kills the DMF's

 

[cosmicbike]

Volvo 240 clutch was changed on the drive. Prop out, gearbox out etc. Awkward and a sod to do single handed, but simple enough.

 

[Electric_Andy]

Dual mass?

yes that's right. The fingers have started to go (is what the mechanic said), though I don't really know what that means. but I knew it would need doing fairly soon, and Passat forum members had said it's between 1200-1500 quid so i was braced for it. It's been making a loud rattling when the clutch is pressed in so I knew something wasn't right. He said it could go in 6 months, or tomorrow, so I've not been driving it until it's booked in (which is tomorrow)

 

[Deleted member 26715]

A traditional flywheel was a single piece of steel, it went on the end of the crankshaft & using the inertia of the weight spinning would keep the engine running, it was also the thing that kept the engine running when you came off the throttle going downhill.

The problem with diesel engines especially the common rail type is they have a lot of vibration, one of the fixes/aids to dampen that vibration is the dual mass flywheel. No idea who invented but could be Citroen/Peugeot it's made up of 3 pieces the inner part is steel which is connected the the crankshaft, the outer is also steel & that is the weight that carries the inertia, but these 2 parts are vulcanised together with rubber, but because of the constant vibration, this eventually gives up & the 2 parts separate from each other.

The real answer is to refine the engines more so they don't vibrate as badly, but that is expensive to build & car manufacturers don't like spending money getting the cars onto the road, they're quite happy if parts have a finite lifespan.

 

[fossyant]

Quick Oil change on the Aygo - only thing that's not been done since we got it in November as it did have fresh oil in. Changed from 5w30 to 5w40 as it's over 100k now and it might quieten the little 3 cylinder a little.

No matter how careful you are, you always splosh some oil on the floor - this time moving the used oil tray ! Out with the degreaser, brush and hose to remove the stain.

 

[Adam4868]

Quick Oil change on the Aygo - only thing that's not been done since we got it in November as it did have fresh oil in. Changed from 5w30 to 5w40 as it's over 100k now and it might quieten the little 3 cylinder a little.

No matter how careful you are, you always splosh some oil on the floor - this time moving the used oil tray ! Out with the degreaser, brush and hose to remove the stain.

Is that not what cardboard
boxes are for 😁

 

[fossyant]

Is that not what cardboard
boxes are for 😁

I know - I covered the ground with taupaulin, moved the tray, then sploshed it. Also put used oil in a container that had a hole in it... FFS.

Fortunately, screwfix degreaser to the rescue, and it wasn't on the drive - on the road. The Aygo can be oil changed without having to be jacked up as there aren't and underbody panels to remove !

 

[Deleted member 26715]

Took the Mevster out today first real run after the engine swap & the rewire, all good apart from no horns, I can hear the relay click but the horns don't sound, hopefully a fuse, also no engine cooling fan, again hopefully something simple, suppose first check is did I plug the cable back in.

 

[Andy_R]

Changed the steering wheel and driver's airbag on my Occy today.
15 years of mucky fingers and sun damage have left the original in a right old state, so 40 quid for a new "to me" steering wheel and airbag from ebay. Bonus - I can stick my old airbag on the 'bay for £25. Just need to change the front seats now...

 

[gbb]

Oil and filters today.
How much are garages charging now ? DIY cost me IRO £45 for air and oil filters and oil and i could have spent double on oil, some of its ridiculously priced.
I had intended doing an interim one, say every 6000 miles but i forgot, 10000 miles is its standard...oil was quite dark.