Clutch Judder

[seefive]

Hi

The clutch on my car has started to judder. Car has 112k on the clock. Does this mean a new clutch, or adjustment, or fluid?

Thanks

[Ronin]

What type of engine C5 m8? i.e HPi or standard 16v

Can you describe what kind of judder?

How bad is it?

What noises if any can you hear?

 

It could be a few things :

WORST CASE SCENARIO

 

Cluch thrust plate bearings

Dual Mass flywheel

Loose, worn gearbox mounting

 

All will give an impression of a snappy cluch which isn't as smooth as it was Like a grabbing effect as if you were stabbing on the brakes but obviously the opposite feeling.

The DMF when it gets worse will feel like the clutch slips which does untold damage to the cam belt via the crank.

Gearbox mounting will also give an impression of a thump in the engine bay with a judder.

 

My money would be on seizing thrust plate bearings even though there will be plenty of "meat" left on the clutch as this is quite common on all makes of car.

Or it could be as simple as a sticky clutch lever or cable needing adjustment.

Without more detail though it's difficult to give an educated guess.

[seefive]

It's the standard 16v (not HPI)

It just feels a bit, well, juddery when pulling away from stationary. No noise , no slipping- just not as smooth as it was. Anything simple I can look for?

[Ronin]

It's the standard 16v (not HPI)

It just feels a bit, well, juddery when pulling away from stationary. No noise , no slipping- just not as smooth as it was. Anything simple I can look for?

 

Yeah m8, remove the airbox to get a clear view of the clutch linkage. Get a helper to operate the clutch pedal and check to see if there is any play. spray some wd40 on and around the lever and work it in and out. This is just a temporay test. Let it have about an hour to work in and then take it for a test drive.

If it's still no better then it will probably be thrust bearings on the clutch and those can't be freed off so it will need a new clutch i'm afraid. Although you could get as much use out of it as possible I wouldn't recommend leaving it for a long time or you might end up with having to replace a lot more than just the clutch.

 

One last question though m8, just to confirm something. Can you actually pull away gently without it juddering or is it doing it all the time? If you can still pull away gently then it will probably need an adjustment to take up any loose play.

[seefive]

I can pull away gently by raising the revs, but it got worse today.

 

There's a whirring sound as soon as I push the clutch pedal down, and some vibration on the pedal. The bite position is quite high (always has been)

 

It's still changing gear fine, but I don't like that sound!

Any idea what a clutch would cost? I have a warranty that will cover parts only..

[Ronin]

I can pull away gently by raising the revs, but it got worse today.

 

There's a whirring sound as soon as I push the clutch pedal down, and some vibration on the pedal. The bite position is quite high (always has been)

 

It's still changing gear fine, but I don't like that sound!

Any idea what a clutch would cost? I have a warranty that will cover parts only..

 

I don't know m8, sorry but I know a Xantia is beween the £170 to £250 mark fitted and that's a lot more difficult to do apparently. I would expect around the same figure depending where you take it.

[Johndouglas]

Any idea what a clutch would cost? I have a warranty that will cover parts only..

 

From what I've heard, warranties are fairly worthless when it comes to covering clutches unless the fault happens in the first year.

[seefive]

From what I've heard, warranties are fairly worthless when it comes to covering clutches unless the fault happens in the first year.

 

 

This is a new warranty, taken out with the AA last month. They seem happy to take on high mileage, high risk cars now. I'll let you know how I get on

[seefive]

This is a new warranty, taken out with the AA last month. They seem happy to take on high mileage, high risk cars now. I'll let you know how I get on

 

Well, it took a while, but I did get my (parts) costs back on the AA warranty. They weren't impressed with me claiming 2 weeks after the contract started, sighting a "franchise clause" forbidding claims in the first month. But I stood my ground, telling them that this clause wouldn't stand up in court, and they backed down and paid.

Can't be bad!

[cheadland71]

Hi I know this is a very old thread bit I am experiancing a similar thing with my 2004 1.8 c5 . judder when pulling away unless I use higher than normal revs. Could mine just adjustment or a replacement clutch and if clutch should I have the flywheel changed as well (I dont know if it is dmf or single)

 

Thanks

 

Chris

[paul.h]

Judder when setting off could be a clutch problem such as wear or oil on the friction plate. You may be able to see a trace of oil at the bottom of the bell housing which could suggest if there is oil on the clutch plate - if so, as well as the clutch then the crankshaft oil seal should be replaced. The clutch uses a hydraulic master/slave cylinder so there is no adjustment but it may be worthwhile bleeding it in case this was not done when the brake fluid was last changed (should be every 2 years). Other things to check are the engine mountings at each side and at the back.

 

To check if your car has a dmf, you could look on the eurocarparts website and see what is listed for flywheels using your car reg. When replacing a clutch the flywheel is normally checked anyway, whether dmf or single since single ones can also wear badly and give judder.