Clutch and cambelt change

[geoff]

1/ Btw what is the reason the old clutch gets so heavy?

2/ I sprayed lubricating oil to the clutch fork and bearing area and it made it a little bit easier but the clutch cable eventually went again.

3/ Is that the pressure plate gets somewhat hardened due to all the heat etc during its hard life.

1/ Difficult to say exactly

2/ Lubricating worth doing !  Also lube the cable, worth considering a rerouting of the cable.

3/ Doubt it

Look at this topic for some good information .. https://www.berlingoforum.com/thread-164...plasticine

Also.. something I wrote on another topic that may be of interest ... 

"make a small well around the shaft at the top using plasticine and fill the well with oil. As the clutch is operated the oil will run down the shaft and reach the bottom bush making the operation lighter.
Later type actuators at the front of the gearbox work differently so this fix doesn't work then.
I am an advocate of lubricating the cable with oil - it removes easily - and I use black moly-grease on the auto adjuster. Worked for me and no issues with it over many 1,000's of miles.
Also when you look at the cable routing it couldn't be more convoluted, I rerouted mine for the smoothest single curve possible - top of and around the engine bay / wing area. Rerouting makes a big difference.
I have to say that it will never be as light as a hydraulic clutch but it doesn't have to be hernia inducing with a cable either. My last vehicle was transformed by doing this mod.
edit : there is no chance of the clutch plate getting contaminated with my plasticine trick."

[Raul]

Turns out I have the version that does not have a vertical shaft with bushes. It has a lever that seems to be on a ball joint. I think I will replace it with a new one because the lever could be bent. When I installed the new cables the cables did not adjust correctly. I thought that maybe the clutch was so worn but it is possible that the lever is also bent a little bit due to heavy clutch. The first cable I fitted did not snap but the plastic part at the end of the cable that sits in the cone of the lever eventually went throught that cone. After that I took of the rubber grommet around the lever and sprayed the area with lubricating oil and I also moved the lever with a metal bar to get it to move easier. I eventually thought that it is ok because it got a lot easier but the second cable also went a week later. Maybe the cable routing is not right but it seems pretty straightforward to install the cable. There are two holders on gearbox and then it goes straight to the hole in the firewall. The trouble with both cables was that they did not adjust as they should. Haynes says that remove the parts necessary on automatic adjuster and then press the clutch pedal a couple of times and that is all. Both cables on my car did not adjust at all. The clutch did not engage and switching gears was not possible. The only way I got it working was when I used a metal bar to move a clutch lever and then it finally adjusted to a point I could get switching the gears. Then after some time the clutch did not engage again and I needed to use a metal bar again and the clutch was working again. All this trouble got me into thinking that if the cable was manually adjusted just like on older cars I could set a correct tension on the cable and everything should be good. But I am sure that there was something else wrong with the car and the cable was not the problem

[Raul]

How do you remove the gearbox mounting stud? I got the box out without taking it off but haynes says that it needs to be removed. The threads on it are damaged by previous owner so  it needs to be replaced . It is also going to be a lot easier to put the gearbox back without it.

[geoff]

I've never needed to replace one so not looked too closely thow it is secured, if no obvious place on it for a spanner / socket / torx type tool then likely it is held in plce from inside the gearbox casing ?

Best to get better advice before opening it up based on my ramblings.

Perhaps you could ask a Citroen dealer / look at their spare parts computer when you place the order for the new parts ?

[Raul]

Haynes says that it needs to be removed before removing the gearbox. I know it could be done without removing it but it would be easier to remove it.

[Raul]

Today I bolted the gearbox back to the engine. I removed the clutch cable and it was not broken. I thought that maybe I could reuse it. I connected it to the clutch fork again and the only thing that pushing the clutch pedal does is compressing the cable sleeve/throat. The clutch lever does not move at all. Does that mean that the auto adjuster has broken? I am starting to think that I need to buy an OEM clutch cable.
I looked at the old clutch parts and the friction plate looked quite good. The pressure plate had a small circle worn in on the fingers. I also saw that they were second hand items because somebody had written on them with white marker the mark and model of the car. I also replaced the release bearing guide sleeve, the clutch lever and the ball joint that supports the clutch lever. I lubricated those items with molykote pr2 super( recommended by citroen).
I also noticed that both front spring are broken. I removed the struts from the car and took the springs out. One of them was broken in 3 pieces, the other was in 2 pieces. It amazes me that I did not noticed anything during driving. The height of the car also seemed normal.
I also ordered a new upgraded starter from ebay. The car did not start at all during winter when the temperature fell down to zero degrees celsius. I did replace the heat plugs and heat plug relay back then but that did not help at all so I read from this forum that many starting problems are solved by the starter replacement.
I remember back when I started to choose the car I specially wanted 2.0 hdi because I had heard about the troubles that could come with the 1.6 hdi. At the moment it seems that the clutch/clutch cable troubles are quit common on the 2.0 hdi. I have now replaced all the part exept clutch cable and I hope the OEM clutch cable is going to adjust itself properly. The good thing about 2.0 hdi is that it has a cruise control option which older 1.6 hdi-s to my knowledge did not have.