[Transmission] 2.0 hdi clutch

[Martinez]

My clutch has started slipping, and tbh I really don’t fancy crawling around on the driveway fixing it. Local garage quoted me nearly £600. As I don’t really need a solid gold one, I thought I’d ask for some tips and get a mate to do it for me. 
Anyway, if I remember correctly, it’s a good idea to replace the clutch fork as the plastic bearing is prone to wear, am I right ? And what about the steel ball it pivots on ? Or is that usually ok ?
Also, as I’ve got a huge great lump of a Motorhome stuck on the back of mine, is there a heavy duty clutch available ? And are Borg and Beck still good or cheap rubbish ?
Any advice appreciated as always. 
It’s actually a Nu Venture Surf btw no idea of what it weighs, but it’s heavy

[Kieron G]

Hi. I've fitted 2 Borg and Beck clutches on petrol M49 not same car, both been good but not used under same load like yours might be. 
I also fitted 2.0 hdi clutch but on 2005 dispatch which had a worn dual mass flywheel.
I think Berlingo 2.0 hdi has a solid flywheel but not completely sure.

[shtu]

(based on a 1.6hdi, but mist of it applies equally)

The metal pivot ball - they're really cheap, and I replaced mine when changing the clutch (plus near enough everything else that's only accessible with gearbox out), but it didn't particualrly need to be done.

The clutch arm - was about £12 for a Blue Print item (a Bilstein brand), and swapped a genuine Citroen bush into it.

Personally speaking, Borg and Beck are a shadow of their former selves, trading on their reputation from the 1970s. They're now owned by First Line.

For a clutch, LUK, Sachs, Valeo are ones I considered, went for LUK.

As for heavy duty? That usually comes with downsides like a heavier pedal. Try the tech support of those manufacturers, I found LUK in particualr to be very hepful and responsive.

Consider if the flywheel needs reground while it's out.

Lastly - £600 for a clutch replacement really isn't bad value at all.

[geoff]

You must have a really good ( tame )  mate on hand, gotta say I'd not do that job for anyone other than myself as it is a lot of work - I've done lots of spannering over the years.

There is likely to be a couple of clutch versions so take a look on CatCar website to determine exactly what you need, their pictures also show the bushes for the actuating shaft plus part numbers if you need them.
If you have the vertical shaft then change bushes as a matter of course, not expensive. Last bushes I had were on eBay for about a tenner.

Get a price from your local motor factors and ask them what clutch they supply, a good baseline for price and manufacturer.
Ebay often cheaper.

If you have even the slightest oil leak on drive shafts before starting the job then fit new seals here as well whilst the gearbox is out.

Have fun.

Gotta say the £600 isn't a bad price, Suzuki wanted £750 for a Suzuki Alto clutch change on my grandaughters car about a year back.
You can't get much smaller or easier than that car .. Lol !

[geoff]

P.S. ^^ If your drive shafts are a bit ropey fit " recon " units, way cheaper and they last well too.

[Martinez]

Just to update the clutch issue. Discovered it wasn’t the ball type clutch mechanism, it’s a rod with a fork on it.
This actually turned into a bit of a nightmare. The clutch sent to me was wrong one, but seller on eBay sent me correct replacement for free n told me to keep the other clutch and refunded my money ! ( can’t say fairer than that, 2 clutches for free ) I did have to pay my mate for his time so it covered that cost. Anyway, fitted new clutch, but old one didn’t seem that worn. Flywheel was like new. But after refitting gearbox we found that the clutch wouldn’t operate properly. It was like the lever mechanism was seized. Couldn’t really see what was causing it and penetrating oil did nothing to free it up. So we had to remove everything again and pull the shaft out. This has plastic bearings top n bottom. The top one seemed fine but it was the bottom one that was stiff. So we nocked it out n tried it on the shaft, all ok. But there seemed to be some corrosion in the hole where it fitted. Ended up scraping it out with a blade, put the bearings n shaft back in and clutch is now light as a feather.
So it seems the clutch wasn’t actually worn, it’s a rod was that bottom plastic bearing not allowing the clutch to engage fully.
Ho hum eh ?
So if anyone needs a new clutch for a 1.6 hdi BERLINGO, I’ve got one !

[geoff]

Something I wrote in a topic a few years back .... about lubing the shaft / plastic bearings

" 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. "

Does yours have a cable clutch ???


" 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."

[evdama]

Sewing machine oil mixed with acetone works quicker and lasts longer than wd40/gt85/xyz99 etc.
Ideal for the plasticene warrior.
Ive restored completely seized control cables on an old honda mower with this trick -the list price would have been the thicker end of £100 for the set.


The only caveat with lubing cables is to ensure they are metal core/metal liner.
Way back in time a guy at work was a bit ocd and lubed the cables on his new bike.
The cables had a plastic liner which reacted with the oil and swelled up jamming them solid.