I haven't used my Fiat Coupe 16v Turbo N Reg much for some time and just as I was about to dash off the clutch peddle depressed but wouldn't quite disengage the engine from gearbox and the peddle wouldn't return to the full up position.

I haven't had the car serviced for over 2 years as I have barely used it. The power steering makes a bit of a racket, I suspect fluid levels are low.

I don't have a manual as I couldn't buy one, Halfords etc didn't seem to offer a Haynes manual for the car when I last tried.

Thanks in advance.

Mark

There is a service manual to download from the FCCUK site

I dont know much about the 16v engine, but do know the 20v as well as most other fiats suffer slave cylinder failure as in they leak this takes pressure from the pedal and wont return the pedal or disengage the clutch. It is found ontop of the gear box under battery tray, 1st though check and top up to the correct level (if low), your brake system reservoir with the correct grade brake fluid as if your car has a slave cylinder then it will be fed off of this.

Julian and Bridges

Thankyou so very much, both for the rapid response and the quality of the info. That info was just what I needed. It hadn't occured to me there would such a useful thing as an online manual, bloody fabulous.

I initially posted a request for the location of the clutch reservoir and then when I saw references to a clutch cable I presumed there were no hydraulics involved. But on thinking about it again and with the comments above presumably the cable operates a hydraulic system as presumably only a hydraulic system could provide the forces to disengage the clutch. ( ok so I used to do the mechanics on my motorcycle, which just had cables, never really got round to cars much and the Fiat Coupe claims to be non-user serviceable from what I recall)

Getting to that clutch reservoir sounds like a git, I have terrible trouble getting the battery out at the best of times and to get underneath it sounds like a nightmare. I just hope it is low fluid level which seems likely. I saw one fluid cylinder next to the steering fluid cylinder but it didn't seem to have brake cylinder written on it. *goes off to look at manual*

Thanks again.

Mark

Brake fluid reservoir. Usually in line with the steering column. Yellow cap with a little 'test' button on top of it and wires coming off it. When you open it there is a float inside it.

Clutch slave cylinder is pretty easy, battery out and everything should be apparent.

Thank you very much Hellcat

The cylinder I was referring to above did have a float in it and had wires but wasn't yellow, but must be the one. Worryingly the level looked ok

I don't suppose there is a chance the clutch cylinders slaves off the steering cylinder? which I suspect really is low.

Mark

Nope.. It's off the brake reservior...

interactive.

No worries. It is what makes a good forum forum members etc. have helped me and so it's good to help others.

As far as i'm aware it is a hydraulic system. The following is how to remove it on a 20v coupe. Hopefully it should be the same on your 16v

Remove battery and tray,

remove battery first. It should have a bolt and plate trapping it, slacken or remove this. 2x terminals are 10mm loosen these. Remove negative 1st and be sure that you have any radio codes etc. pre written down then remove the battery. The tray is 4x 13mm bolts. 1 is hidden underneath towards the front of tray. There are 2x 10mm bolts holding on a wiring loom bracket at the back of the battery tray, remove the 2x nuts. Lift tray out.

When you see the slave cylinder you might spot it leaking. Gently pull back the rubber boot from the piston as signs of a leak might be here (watch your eyes paint work etc.) When there is brake fluid about.


Remove slave cylinder,

from top of gearbox, undo the feed pipe entering the slave cylinder, I think it's a 13mm nut. Remove 2x 13mm bolts that hold cylinder to the gearbox, remove the slave cylinder.

Wow!

Bridges, that is fabulous, that must have taken you a good few minutes to write that post as coherently as you did.

I haven't yet managed to find the on line manual mentioned above, it must be hiding somewhere on FCC, so that info is very very useful.

Oh and of course Hellcat is right, one of the tops on the reservoir is yellow, but of course it is on left side where the steering column would be on left hand drive cars.

Thanks again Bridges, you have just reduced my stress levels enormously.

Mark

I think once you get a look in, you will see its pretty easy. I've changed a slave cylinder in a garden centre car park... without removing the battery tray

We would have took photos but my 'assistant' was preventing the bonnet from wrapping itself over the car in the wind. Hardest parts are removing/replacing the feed pipe... (don't break it) and the bleeding the system.. remember - open, down, close, up..

Thanks again Hellcat.

Your experience gives me extra confidence. I just hate removing that battery, getting a long extension on a socket set to get at the bolt holding the battery plate down drives me nuts.

I presume I will have to replace some part of the piston, unless one of the pipes has gone.

If the cylinder has gone, then you just buy the whole part. Costs around £30.

update: The Turbo may have a circlip attachment for the slave cylinder...

Brilliant.

I presume one determines if the thing has broken by the fact it leaks oil or wiggles in and out easily?

How on earth did you manage to get one of those at short notice while you were stuck in a garden centre car park?

interactive said:

Wow!

Bridges, that is fabulous, that must have taken you a good few minutes to write that post as coherently as you did.

I haven't yet managed to find the on line manual mentioned above, it must be hiding somewhere on FCC, so that info is very very useful.

Oh and of course Hellcat is right, one of the tops on the reservoir is yellow, but of course it is on left side where the steering column would be on left hand drive cars.

Thanks again Bridges, you have just reduced my stress levels enormously.

Mark

Click to expand...

I began to write a guide out and then remembered that I had posted a full guide on this site for the (bravo/coupe/marea 20v) on how to remove the gearbox from my experience when my clutch plate ripped apart. I cut n pasted the section involving removing the slave cylinder and battery from that guide.

As Hellcat says, the slave cylinder might be held to the gearbox differently than 2x 13mm bolts. I know the coupe 20v turbo uses what Hellcat has shown in the picture, where the slave cylinder is held in place by a big circlip. This is because the 20v turbo uses a different gearbox etc. If it is a circlip then will be just as simple to remove.

Also as Hellcat says It is possible to change the slave cylinder without removing the battery. Just get a light under there so you can see, also removing some of the air intake piping might give a bit more visability.

Yup, 20VT uses a circlip. It's even easier with circlip pliers. I have a pair, used once...
H

Arrrggghhhhhh

I was just about to dive under car and rip out the slave cylinder after I checked the oil level in the brake reservoir seemed ok ( though the car wasn't level ) when I pulled the clutch lever back up and now everything works perfectly. The car had been very cold and icy when the initial incident occurred, so am I to assume the slave cylinder is ok and was just affected by the weather and lack of use? Or is that cylinder going to mess me about in future? I hadn't used the car for over a month when I tried to use it and the clutch misbehaved.

All contributions appreciated.

Could be a combination of leaking slave (get it checked) and possible worn master cylinder. I've changed both on a tipo before, and they're very similar to the coupe.

Does/did the clutch pedal stick down?

As for the change in a car park.. I was on a rescue mission for a friend, and stopped off at my local Italian specilists to buy the part.. Almost forgot I'd just finished a 12 hour nightshift too..

https://www.fiatforum.com/bravo-brava/59916-oh-what-day.html

Clutch pedal works perfectly, disengages gearbox and pedal comes back perfectly. I have yet to take it for a spin but have tested it repeatedly in gear with brakes on.

I will have to locate this manual to see how to check the slave cylinder.

If the pedal sticks to the floor then goes normal again, then yes it will do it again. Ive replaced a few master and slave cylinders. If you can see no leak at the slave, then its a faulty master that needs doing pronto.

Andy.