Clutch again? Last straw?

[JamesO]

I replaced the clutch and transaxle this summer, all has been well up until MOT day today.
MOT booked for 4pm so I took the car for a spin confident that all is well as I serviced it and checked everything last weekend.
The bite point started to get lower and lower until I can barely get it in gear.
Now the pedal seems to have a fair bit of travel before anything happens then the pedal goes quite stiff and you can hear whirring. At that point gears are available just.
Options:-
1. Bent/broken clutch fork
2. Clutch disc
3. Master/ slave cylinder
So I have a feeling its number 1 but any suggestions welcome!
Not sure I have the fortitude to do 2 clutch jobs in one year, so hoping its number 3

 

[jamirrorquai]

My bass player who is by day a manager for a very well known national garage set up tells me that your car doesn't actually need to be able to drive to pass an Mot, I was always under the impression that it needed at least one forward and one reverse gear.

He is insisting though that as long as your car starts, it does not need to move to pass the test.

Has anyone else heard of this before ?

 

[JamesO]

Not too bothered about the lack of mot as the car doesn't live on the street its more the thought of doing the clutch job again.
Just for variety I may pull the engine instead of the transaxle and torque tube

 

[homesea]

This may sound very silly, but did you put the pinch bolt back in the bar that the clutch folk turns on?
(I might have done this and then if I had I wouldn't be able to get any gears because the clutch pedal might have kept going to the floor) But what kind of idiot would do that?[8|]

 

[Diver944]

ORIGINAL: JamesO

Options:-
1. Bent/broken clutch fork
2. Clutch disc
3. Master/ slave cylinder

I'm going to say it's number 3

Just to cheer you up, no real reason for my choice. What's the fluid level in the clutch reservoir and can you detect any fluid in the carpet at the base of the pedal?

 

[Fen]

3 was my first thought also.

 

[JamesO]

Cheers, calmed down bit now had the right hump as I have to work ouside on the car and summer has gone.
I guess if I remove the slave from the bellhousing and then see what the pedal feels like it may give me a clue .
So far I have only checked the fluid level and made sure the level stays constant when the pedal is pushed also that there are no leaks.

 

[944Turbo]

if you remove the slave and press the pedal you will probably fire the rod and seals across the road. you might be able to see whats happening with the fork though,
Tony

 

[pauljmcnulty]

He is insisting though that as long as your car starts, it does not need to move to pass the test.

Has anyone else heard of this before ?

As far as I know this is correct. Remember, before the emmisions test was brought in you didn't need an engine in the car to get an MOT.

 

[zcacogp]

I'm not quite sure that this is correct - I thought that the tester could optionally ask for a road test of the car if he had any doubts about any aspect of it. (I know a chap with a string of vintage Rolls-Royce's and Bentleys, took one of them to be MOT'd and was astounded when the tester insisted on a road test. He argued the toss, but the tester pointed out the relevant paragraph in the book of words. I think the story went on that Steph refused to let the tester drive the car - different pedal layout, advance/retard lever on the steering wheel; damage would be quite likely - so accepted that the car had failed the test and went home.)

A road test without a drivable car would be a bit of a problem.


Oli.

 

[appletonn]

ORIGINAL: zcacogp

I'm not quite sure that this is correct - I thought that the tester could optionally ask for a road test of the car if he had any doubts about any aspect of it. (I know a chap with a string of vintage Rolls-Royce's and Bentleys, took one of them to be MOT'd and was astounded when the tester insisted on a road test. He argued the toss, but the tester pointed out the relevant paragraph in the book of words. I think the story went on that Steph refused to let the tester drive the car - different pedal layout, advance/retard lever on the steering wheel; damage would be quite likely - so accepted that the car had failed the test and went home.)

A road test without a drivable car would be a bit of a problem.


Oli.

I'd tend to agree - how could the tester do the brake tests unless he could drive it forward and backwards to get the front and rear wheels into the rollers?

 

[JamesO]

ORIGINAL: 944Turbo

if you remove the slave and press the pedal you will probably fire the rod and seals across the road. you might be able to see whats happening with the fork though,
Tony

Good point, was a long night at work, got a bit fuzzy.
Goes off and gets ramps.....

 

[xenon]

ORIGINAL: pauljmcnulty

He is insisting though that as long as your car starts, it does not need to move to pass the test.

Has anyone else heard of this before ?

As far as I know this is correct. Remember, before the emmisions test was brought in you didn't need an engine in the car to get an MOT.

Erm, I think you did. Quite aside from the practicalities of MOT testing a car with no engine, one of the tests is to do with leaks from the exhaust system which cannot be accurately assessed without the engine running. So it does have to start. Whether it has to move is a moot point put a tester can apply a subjective road-worthiness test too so in my opinion he would not issue a pass certrifcate.

 

[JamesO]

Well I tried to put it on the ramps today, no gears possible and a nice loud metallic rattle with the pedal pushed down

.
Definitely something internal.
Now waiting for my brother to return my car tools and trolley jacks.
Engine out for a much needed clean up, reseal and clutch repair looking more and more likely.

 

[homesea]

It sounds just like mine when the pinch bolt was not in so the saft the clutch folk turns on had fallen out a bit. So the folk was just getting pressed on the clutch plate and not pulling the relase bearing. Took 5 mins to sort.

 

[JamesO]

ORIGINAL: homesea

It sounds just like mine when the pinch bolt was not in so the saft the clutch folk turns on had fallen out a bit. So the folk was just getting pressed on the clutch plate and not pulling the release bearing. Took 5 mins to sort.

Bang on! just got my tools back, car in the air problem fixed.
Pinch bolt now has loctite on it and I am very very pleased/relieved. Didn't even get my hands dirty.
Now must book that MOT....

 

[Fen]

Excellent! I'm really glad you didn't have to pull it all down again, that's just soul destroying.

 

[homesea]

And I am glad that one moment of stupidity on my part has helped[8|]