cause of clutch problem?

Just had the clutch re-done on my 86 740 turbo, 185,000km. I'm not a mechanic, but wnt to know what's being done to my car. Especially $1200 later!

Symptoms: clutch low, have to press right to floor, shifting starting to feel a bit notchy

History: Clutch re-done at around 100,000 km. Hydraulic clutch bled 2 weeks ago, which caused no change.

Report after re-build: "45% left on clutch, problem likely due to flywheel not being machined last time, but can't really tell. (after follow-up with previous mechanic) "Can't tell if it was a pressure plate problem."

Previous mechanic: Say's that if it was a flywheel problem it would have caused shuddering. More likely that it was a pressure plate failure.

So my questions are, is a pressure plate likely to fail after 80,000 km? Could not machining the flywheel cause this problem? Which is the more likely cause? Any consequences for how we drive, reliability, next likely problem?

Reply to
listerfarrar
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This points to a problem with the clutch master or slave cylinder. With 45% left on the clutch (disk I assume), the excessive clearance points elsewhere. Also, your stating that shifting elt notchy means that teh clutch was not disengaging properly. It could have been in combination with excessive clearance as well- that is, it might have needed adjusting (if they are adjustable). Bleeding might not be the problem if one of the cylinders was leaking.

$1200 for a clutch.. Hope that was Canadian! Sounds like they are charging for original Volvo parts. A full clutch kit at FCP Groton is about $259USD worst case (clutch disk, throwout bearing, pressure plate and pilot bearing). How much was the labor cost?

You should get more than 85,000km (53,000 miles) from a clutch!

__ __ Randy & \ \/ /alerie's \__/olvos '90 245 Estate - '93 965 Estate "Shelby" & "Kate"

Reply to
Randy G.

Thanks very much for your post.

I'm pretty sure the cyclinders were checked for leaking. That is the first step before bleeding isn't it? It works fine now; how long before a leak would show up again?

I'm told the hydraulic clutch is not adjustable.

It was $1200 Cdn for the whole job, parts labour and taxes, so not as bad as it sounds.

What about the pressure plate failure the other mechanic suspected? Could that explain the clearance problem?

Reply to
listerfarrar

I was not so worried about a leak as just an internal problem with one of the cylinders not operating properly. If it is working now then this was not the problem... or at least, if the mechaniuc is honest, we can assume so.

Many are not- they "automatically" adjust.

That's is better news.

In the US (or at least in California) I believe tha tthe shop is required to show you (or give you) the old parts unless you decide you don't wan tthem. For that kind of money I would have carefully inspected the old parts. But it is possible that if the old pressure plate failed it could have caused the symptoms you mentioned.

__ __ Randy & \ \/ /alerie's \__/olvos '90 245 Estate - '93 965 Estate "Shelby" & "Kate"

Reply to
Randy G.

I'm not sure I would have known what to look for if I had seen the parts. Can you see the failure in a pressure plate? It apparently wasn't obvious to the mechanic.

Thanks again for the posts.

Reply to
listerfarrar

A pressure plate can be checked with a scale of sufficient range and a press of some sort. They should hold a specified amount of force before releasing. Sometimes broken fingers or springs, bluing of the friction surface, or cracking can be seen, and warpage can be checkled with a straightedge.

__ __ Randy & \ \/ /alerie's \__/olvos '90 245 Estate - '93 965 Estate "Shelby" & "Kate"

Reply to
Randy G.

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