Gah!

Our "new" Multipla is having issues with changing gear, 1st and reverse is almost impossible to get, it feels like the clutch isn't disengaging properly.

It's been getting stradily worse over the last week or so. It had a new clutch about 18 months ago. Is it worth bleeding the slave cylinder?

Help!

Where's the biting point of the pedal, is it right down near the floor?
bleeding might help, doesn't cost anything.

Can you select gears OK with the engine off?
Is the lever stiff to move, in both directions (fore-and-aft, left-and-right)?
If the problem appeared suddenly, and coincided with the cold, wet weather, it may just be your gear-change cables, or one of them if it's only stiff in one direction.
My previous Multi had knackered 'boots' at the lower end, water/moisture and other c**p got in, and the cables got stiff.

A quick dose of WD40 helps free them off temporarily.
You can also pop the gaiter off the gear lever and squirt some into/onto the cables from the top.

Yeah, biting point is right at the bottom.

I should say, was at the bottom. I tried to pressure bleed it but made no difference, so I swapped over a good spare slave cylinder, tried to bleed it and now I have no clutch at all! The clutch pedal doesn't seem to have any pressure behind it and pushing it to the floor results in about 2mm of movement on the release arm.

Wife isn't happy, and as this is a pool car we share with the inlaws, they aren't happy either!

Gears can be selected easily with the engine off and the gear stick itself doesn't have any stiffness.

There's also another almost hidden bleed nipple on the front bulkhead, ie in line with the battery.
As you have tried a spare slave, assuming its a good un, then it may be that the master cylinder (attached to the clutch pedal) is kaput..
If so you can just buy a new one and swap the internals, without changing the whole unit, as its a total booger job.
Also the master cylinder can hold air at the top of the cylinder, you can attempt to "bleed" this by pulling the plunger out slowly but not completely...
Do a google for these issues as its a bit of a minefield....
Good Luck....

MOT is due soon, so I think i'm just going to get it booked in at the local garage, drive it there without using the clutch and get them to sort it for me.

i have a clutch on my jtd that is some times slipping not sure if needs a new one or not

Hi All


Having nursed our multi with a clutch with a low biting point since we bought it in 2010, I have recently had to replace it.


I did the same as you, after the gear change got unbearable/ impossible, I bled the clutch, exactly as described with the 2 bleed nipples, but got a leak where an o ring split on the connection with the slave cylinder. Result was DOT 4 everywhere, no clutch and the orange lights of shame as the RAC dragged it back to my house.


I tried to bleed it again, a complete PITA, but doable without tools, other than a footpump and old bike innertube to push the fluid through the system from the reservoir. Got the clutch working, and then admitted defeat, the clutch had gone, it never slipped but was worn.


After 18 hours work, new clutch fitted and all happy. The old clutch was an original FIAT item, and the previous owner included all paperwork, and had never had it done, so I don't think that 179,000 miles is bad for the original clutch. It now drives like a new car.


I think that if bleeding doesn't fix it, and it changes gear happily when the engines off, then it can only be the clutch itself. On mine the fingers had worn down against the release bearing, which accounted for the low biting point, as the friction plate wasn't that much worn down when compared to the new one.


Sorry for the depressing pre- Christmas news, but as Multipla owners, we're never quite done with repairs!

When I first bought mine (knowing it had gear selection problems), I did the same. Bled the clutch hydraulics, which made no difference, then took it to a Fiat dealer to have both master and slave cylinders replaced (ouch). That made no difference either. THEN I had the clutch replaced. That sorted it.

My symptoms were identical - very difficult to engage first or reverse, biting point about 1/2 inch from the floor. The gearstick moved smoothly through all gears when the engine wasn't running.

I expect it's why the previous owner was selling.

JTD clutch issue!

JamesAtthews said:

. . . On mine the fingers had worn down against the release bearing . . .

Click to expand...

Sounds familiar . . .


About time I got the Boroscope out and took a look inside mine, now it's done a few thousand miles on the new one, with the extra release spring thing . . .

It had crossed my mind that the clutch was on it's last legs, it's only done around 20k since having one fitted though, unless the garage who did it only replaced the friction plate. If the release bearing had gone or the spring fingers were suffering excess wear would it not make some sort of noise?

Release bearing only seems to make enough noise to hear (above all the other engine sounds) once it's just about to fall apart.
Worn spring fingers won't make any noise themselves, you still have roughly the same contact area with the release bearing no matter what state they're in.

Hi Tim (off subject)

Sorry for the delay, just answered your PM

George

The garage seem to think the master cylinder is knackered, so are changing it. I'm not convinced!

Surely the clutch spring fingers must make some noise if they are getting worn away like that?

Not necessarily.
Both mine fell apart (previous Multi and the current one), first one made a screeching/grinding noise when it finally failed, but nothing noticeable beforehand.
Current one didn't make much noise at all.

Prepare to feel smug all those who suggested the clutch was knackered...

The clutch is knackered!

The garage is replacing it.

It's back and fixed, clutch feels amazing!

The release bearing had collapsed.