Just limped back from Cornwall after the following issues, can anyone help with some diagnostics ( I suspect clutch!) : Set off from camp site, after about 10 miles, cant engage any gear. Stops and panics, then starts to adjust clutch, slackened off wing nut quite a lot, gears now engage. Set off. Another few miles, same again, stops and adjusts further, ok, but iffy gear change all the way home (250 miles). State now is gears are crunching but not all the time, clutch free play at pedal more than spec, if I adjust (tighten), will not engage. So is it new clutch time? Do I get a new conduit and fit new clutch cable? If clutch is failing would this be the symptom? History over last few months is have had this issue before lookily on the drive so could adjust up the clutch. Help and advice requested asap (type 4 engine 2.0 litre).
By no gears (cant engae gears) I mean that I couldnt engage gears, ie while driving, out of 4th to go down the gears but couldnt. Note that all gears are ok with engine off (ie easy selection). Not sure on the state of the gear linkage should this be overhauled? The answer i am after is are the symptoms that of a worn out clutch beacuse if that is the case I need to get it sorted pronto.
A worn clutch will cause slipping when you try to accelerate - nowt to do with gears. Too much slack in the cable will cause crunching. Suggest you get under the van and watch the gear linkage in action while someone in the cab changes gear. If that's in order, it's your gearbox.
Would have expected to be taking up slack in the cable to bring the thrust bearing face closer to the clutch, if it was clutch pad wear. Think I'd be looking at the linkeage first too, especialy the three locating screws for the shift rod and gearbox coupling. Any one of those slackened off then gear changing gets interesting...
Thanks Snotty & Fritt, so it looks like it aint the clutch. Suppose the easiest fix is to check out the linkage, is there any new servicable parts required or just simply checking all the screws for tightness? Can anyone advise why slackening off the clutch would help the gearchange though?
Loosening the clutch cable should make it harder to change gear with lots of crunching. Start by having a look - it may be something quite simple as suggested above.
Thanks Zed, will have a butchers tommorrow, just baffling why adjusting the clutch slacker made a difference, to be honest it was all I could do in the pouring rain by the roadside and a van full of camping gear and wife and kids. Main thing is it got us home without calling the breakdown truck.
Have a check that the end of the clutch cable conduit is still fixed (welded) to the rear torsion tube while you're underneath. It's a long shot that perhaps the clutch operating shaft has lost an arm and clutch now works best if pressed "just-so". Perhaps your adjusting has inadvertantly hit the golden spot. Long shot. You'll have to take the engine out to see, which is why everyone suggests you look first at the linkage and cable route - looking's easier than removing the engine. If looking doesn't show anything up, you can bet the advice will move on to the next stage. Always best to check the cheap/easy/quick things first - you'd be annoyed if you took out the engine only to find later that a pinch bolt had fallen out of the linkage somewhere.
Well put in the new cable tonite and I reckon its fixed the issue, noticed last night that the cable appeared to be slackening off every time I adjusted it to set the free play, so hopefully fingers crossed, its now ok. Thanks to all who added their comments and advice, I also added a washer to the conduit but I have a new one coming anyway. 8)
Well done, that man. Change the conduit anyway and make sure it's got the right degree of droop in it.
Did new conduit tonite, gear change is now so silky smooth! best 20 quid ever spent, new cable, conduit and wingnut.....chuffed to bits!
