6 replies to this topic

[diogoteix]

I few days ago my clutch stopped working, a couple of minutes after starting to make a very "uncomfortable sound".
I removed the clutch cover, and discovered that the clutch release thrust was in pieces, having lost half of its bearing, and the clutch cover had started to be chewed.
I was quite amased because despite having converted my original clutch to a pre-verto lightened clutch/flyweel, my setup seems quite mild, it's an orange clutch diaphragm, and it has only traveled 6.000km.

So I have 2 questions:
- is it normal to have a Clutch Release Thrust on an orange diaphragm disintegrate after only 6.000km ?
- if not what can be done to prevent it (besides going back to the original verto clutch) ? Is there any "reinforced" clutch release thrust on the market, any special attention to have when mounting the clutch release thrust?

Thanks for your help

Diogo

[wile e coyote]

There's no uprated release bearing I'm aware of, the diaphragm is I think a red herring here - the only things I can think of are a non aligned assembly (although struggling to figure out exactly why), or a damanged or catastrophic fail of the release bearing - either through a manufacturing issue or brutal / hamfisted pressing of the bearing onto the plunger.... I'd pull it all apart get a new bearing and diaphragm, reassemble carefully and try it......

[diogoteix]

Thanks, I'll give it a try, and hope for the best. If in 6000km from now I get the same problem, I'll have to think again!

[Woreign]

Could have just been a bad release bearing. I had the same thing happen on my VW within a week of installing a new engine and transmission. Ended up being a cheap Chinese part...

Did you have the clutch arm adjusted properly? Perhaps it wasn't releasing completely and over-heated and then broke?

[diogoteix]

In fact both your answers can apply. The release bearing was changed along with the clutch, within a "verto clutch kit" and I cannot certify that the part was genuine, or without defects.
And within the first 200km, the clutch arm setting was a bit too short so I had some trouble to change speeds from time to time. I had to change the clutch arm adjustment screw that was too short (primary cause of my troubles), and the clutch lever arm sometime after because the nipple broke. It was my original part and it failed to cope with the extra effort of an orange diaphragm, I changed it for a reinforced version. But after these initial troubles, the clutch was properly adjusted, and releasing properly. Nevertheless, the bearing can have been damaged and started to wear out in the process...
If it's the case, I shouldn't have any troubles with the bearing again!
Cheers
Diogo

[Dan]

Does that mean you were using a Verto release bearing with an orange clutch? Or did you mean a pre-Verto clutch kit?

[wile e coyote]

Whoah - think Dan may have pegged it - is your now destroyed release bearing a press fit on the plunger or loose fit retained by an O ring??? If you have a diaphragm clutch fitted - as you have an orange diaphragm and absolute certainty as verto permutations are restricted to normal or uprated (i.e turbo) plates only - all distinct seperate kit components must be used (ok not entirely true) but you can't use a varto releasde bearing with anything else.....