clutch slipping

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nicko500s
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clutch slipping

Post by nicko500s »

R45 lseries intercooled. i have a new engine and clutch 5k ago, recently had the gearbox stripped and checked and uprated diff bearings fitted say about 2k ago, i went through a deep flood with a cone airfilter and the engine was fine, i didnt use the car for 2 days then wen i did the clutch slipped slightly, i assumed this was as it had got wet cos after i drove it a few miles it stopped now it seems worse and slipps greatly on fairly heavy excelleration, i realise this could be oil getting on the clutch and the car is not mapped but its got sdi injectors,decat, outlet pipe & cone filter so could be about 140bhp i guess, i know i read the intercooled clutch is good for 250tourques but i have no idea what that is bhp wise i intend to do more to this car with mapping etc so my question is what do you think is causing the slip, faulty clutch, oil leak or need tougher clutch? i know im going to have to take the gearbox off to inspect it but i really dont want to, i guess if its an oil leak it will be off the crank oil seal? is this hard to do?
would you reccomend adding something to the engine oil to soften the seals in the hope that it stops any oil getting on the clutch?
if it all looks fine do you think i should fit an uprated clutch as its off bearing in mind i intend to increase the power with a duel map at somepoint and i really dont want to have to change it again,
what uprated clutch would you recomend, where would i get it, how much would it be, sorry for so many questions but im quite stressed about it :)
E_T_V
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Re: clutch slipping

Post by E_T_V »

1st thing to check is that the clutch arm isn't seized with rust. it is common for the arm to seize in the gearbox. Spraying it with penetrating oil and wiggling the arm back and forth can help free it off but this is something i ALWAYS grease whenever the gearbox is off as this gives you the best access
nicko500s
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Re: clutch slipping

Post by nicko500s »

thanks ETV, I had a closer look at this and it only really slips in 4th and 5th on hard excelleration, today i sprayed that release arm then pumped the clutch pedal roughly 50 times then repeated this over and over and i cant say its made any diference. my friend who has his own garage said i may have a rusty shaft that the release bearing sits on, this is possible as i did go through a deep flood and as i forgot to use the grease supplied when i fitted the clutch but then i have had the gearbox removed for inspection a few months ago so i would like to think they would have lubed it then. any other ideas? what do you suggest i do now?
E_T_V
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Re: clutch slipping

Post by E_T_V »

nicko500s wrote:thanks ETV, I had a closer look at this and it only really slips in 4th and 5th on hard excelleration, today i sprayed that release arm then pumped the clutch pedal roughly 50 times then repeated this over and over and i cant say its made any diference. my friend who has his own garage said i may have a rusty shaft that the release bearing sits on, this is possible as i did go through a deep flood and as i forgot to use the grease supplied when i fitted the clutch but then i have had the gearbox removed for inspection a few months ago so i would like to think they would have lubed it then. any other ideas? what do you suggest i do now?
4th and 5th is normally when slipping will start first of all.

It could be a rusty input shaft causing the friction plate to stick but my money would still be on the clutch arm itself as these are a very common problem. Can you wiggle the arm by hand. One way will be very tight due to trying to press the cluch, the other way should be free enough (if the slave cylinder is removed). If its tight then that would indicate a rust/seizing issue on this shaft. Dosing with lots of penetrating oil and wiggling it back and forth may get you mobile again, however the best fix involves removing the box to remove the shaft and give it a clean and a liberal greasing with copper grease. Obviously you want to avoid that if you can due to the amount of work/or cost, so persevering with the penetrating oil may be worthwhile, (it can be difficult to get it in the right place as it needs to go behind the clutch arm where the shaft enters the gearbox bell housing).
E_T_V
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Re: clutch slipping

Post by E_T_V »

Pic of the offending item

Image

Number 2.
nicko500s
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Re: clutch slipping

Post by nicko500s »

thanks etv for the diagram, i remember now removing and cleaning the arm but as the gearbox has since been rebuilt i dont know if got the same box back or if they clean these arms.
today i removed slave thing and the arm moved fine, noticed clean oil on bottom of g/box and cleaned off, discovered the small drain hole/ notch in bell housing and it was oily, repeated wipeing shower the oil was coming from the notch, shone tourch in and think i can see the flywheel and its oily too, as the oil is so clean (g/box rebuilt 2k ago roughly) i assume its gearbox oil from the main shaft seal.

i have read on the other diesel forum your post etv in which you recomend the oe or ap clutch kit, i can get a unipart clutch for £88 would this be as good or where could i get an original clutch from?

thanks for all your advice.
E_T_V
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Re: clutch slipping

Post by E_T_V »

Check the offside driveshaft oil seal as if this is leaking oil will be thrown into the bellhousing and possibly contaminate the clutch. It will then drain out of the little hole/notch in the bottom as you have observed. As you say if the oil is clean then it is likely to be gearbox oil rather than engine oil which is always black on the diesels.

Unipart may be ok, I've no experience really. The OE clutch is usually an AP unit so these are my first choice. My 600 has a valeo clutch fitted which is again performing well. LUK clutches personally I now avoid due to quality issues I have experienced with them. (I went through 3 in the 220 turbo in 3 years or less). Perhaps I was unlucky but when two of the "new" ones they sent me I classed as faulty out of the box (one pre-cracked and the other with a missing/misdrilled rivet, and the third lasted under 6k miles before it ripped the centre out of the plate).

So whatever one you pick give it a good inspection before fitting it!
nicko500s
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Re: clutch slipping

Post by nicko500s »

wow loads of good advice, thanks very much:) this is why i do as much work as i can myself but a gearbox rebuild was just too much. my friend says we can fix it in his garage next week so i will let you know what we find to conclude this thread for anyone interested in the future.
thanks again etv
nicko500s
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Re: clutch slipping

Post by nicko500s »

update

clutch has stopped slipping by itself, I read on another forum a post I think you did ETV that the PG1 box can leak if overfilled, maybe they overfilled it, I checked it and oil came out so i assumed it was ok, It never occured to me that it might be overfilled. the trouble is I have to put the car on axel stands and remove the n/s/f wheel to get to the filler & its a pain to then get the car level with the wheel off to check the oil level, of course if you refit the wheel and lower the car u cant see the filler/level hole.
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