new clutch causing cutout

1998 Mondeo 2l zetec.

Had a new clutch fitted yesterday, no problems before going in (apart from clutch!). On collection the car would cut out when stopping at junctions etc. Went straight back to the garage and he said that the ECU was re-learning its settings and that nothing had been disconnected that would cause this, and everything that should be connected is. Fair enough I thought. However after 20 miles driving the problem was still there. The slightest touch of the accelerator causes the engine to cut out when the pedal is released no matter what rpm it's taken to. Even taking the revs up and very slowly releasing the accelerator it still cuts out. Basically once I've pressed the accelerator pedal no matter what I do it cuts out. It starts and runs at idle ok.

After a trawl of google I found a few possible causes (T-piece, idle speed control valve) the T-piece is fine but the valve is beyond my capabilities, however there was nothing wrong until the clutch was changed. Initially I tried re-setting the ECU by disconnecting the battery for ten minutes and then starting the car and letting it idle for 5 minutes, this did not work. After a further 30 miles of driving and having to restart the engine at every junction I decided more drastic action was needed.

A working solution was to 'adjust' the accelerator cable, I've pulled it out of the adjuster as far as it will go and locked it there with its clip, the throttle flap is nearly closed but not quite. The idle speed is normal and it no longer cuts out. However the car is a lot more lively now, the smallest press of the pedal now gives the same as a 3/4's press used to, I've not adjusted the cable that much!

Was incorrect cable adjustment the cause of the problem, have I created more problems by this adjustment or will everything be ok now?

BTW 165,000 miles on the original clutch, being used as a taxi, and it was the slave cylinder that had gone, plenty of wear left on the linings, is this a record?

Reply to
Kay
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capabilities,

Personally, i would've taken it back to the garage and let them fix it as they clearly altered/broke something...

Reply to
Dan405

capabilities,

Tricky one. Check very carefully the garage has not trapped the wiring loom betwixt engine block and clutch housing in the area under the coil pack- wiring here goes to the ISCV and TPS, as well as the coil pack, and shorting one of the former to earth will cause problems.

Also check same area if your car has EGR- very often the wiring isnt clipped back in and it then falls and rests on the hot EGR pipe and melts through.

Also check for a massive vaccuum leak making idle mixture too weak- with a jammed open throttle though the engine will hunt if there is a mixture problem...

Otherwise take it back!

The ECU relearning is bollox- base programming is such that it wont allow the engine to stall- more often the other way around- the revs stick high and take time to come back to idle.

Tim,,

Reply to
Tim (Remove NOSPAM.

Yup. But a wonderful get out clause for garages everywhere.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

After doing about 120 miles with my 'adjusted' throttle cable and deciding that it wasn't doing my fuel economy any good I decided to adjust the cable properly as per the book now that I had more time to do so.

With the cable correctly adjusted the car no longer cuts out, I've even tried allowing some slack in the cable and it still doesn't cut out. All I've done is overtightened the accelerator cable, driven for 120 miles and then loosened the cable again. For whatever reason this seems to have fixed the problem, since driven another 120 odd miles with no problems at all. Acceleration is fine, power is ok and idle is correct. Most of all no cutting out. I suppose it could have been one of those mystery intermittent faults, just strange it should coincide with a clutch change. There is a nagging suspicion in the back of my mind though that it could have nothing to do with the cable and will probably re-occur at a later date.

On a related note, when the air-con is switched on the idle cycles to near stalling and then rises to normal again, only used to do it slightly before the cutting out problem, much more now. Thanks for the replies though, something to look at when I get time, just to make sure.

Reply to
Kay

intermittent

Definately sounds EGR releated.

Tim..

Reply to
Tim (Remove NOSPAM.

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