(T) Slipping clutch at only 52k??? Abarth Manual

Hey All,

Well I've had my Stilo Abarth Manual for almost 3 years now and still love driving it, but recently I have noticed that the clutch has started to slip slightly. I think it will need replacing but im suprised it's gone so eairly, on my cinquecento I managed 112,000 on the same clutch so it's deffo a weird one. The clutch has always been heavy on the car since I bought it and I took this as a given because I thought that that it would be heavy due to the 2.4. But now after doing some reading I have noticed that it's servo assisted, so that's the first thing that is concerning me.

I think my thust bearing is also about to bite the bullet as well as my car is starting to sound a little like a ford singer sewing machine when I am in drive.

I have had some seriously scary quotes and I dont know if they are correct, ranging from 1750 from National Auto centre to 900 from my main Agent dealer. I have a good rappor with my dealer and feel I can trust him. I am still a little miffed that the clutch has failed at such a low milage though.

I have been reading round and lots of people have been giving out horror stories about having to replace the flywheel as well which could make the job cost almost 1600 quid with the main agent.

I have been told it takes about 7-12 hours to change the clutch and that it is an engine out procedure. I'm amazed at how things have changed with clutches and was only expecting a bill of around 400 considering my cinq cost me about 220 quid for a new one fitted back in 2005.

But such is life. Any ideas what could have caused it to go so sudden, the only thing I can think of is the previous owner's bad driving habbits have now come to cost me in the pocket. Any advise on how to deal with this issue would be great.

Cheers Fellas,

i think size wise 2.4is about the same as 1.8 (given that it fits in the same engine bay and mine is full up to the brim) on 1.8 there is no need to remove the engine - just the gearbox. 54k is good - depends on how you drive.. mine was replaced at about 26k.. Clutch, bearing, hydraulics and fly wheel.. all in parts and labour £800

Hey man thanks for the reply,

I have looked into this and aparrently the clutch is completely different on the Abarth, it's servo assisted and is what's known as a 3 part clutch, they introduced them on models made after 2004 with the manual box instead of the sellispeed. Hence the expensive job.

My thrust bearing is getting louder and louder, im driving slower and slower and trying to keep my revs to a minimum when moving off to try and avoid any potental slip. The car still drives so everyone please have your fingers crossed that it last's until the 16th of this month when I have booked it in with Forward Fiat, also payday and ironically my birthday, if it get's fixed and all is well it will be one hell of a present for me that's for sure .

I take it as soon as I smell something funny I need to stop and get the tow rope out because I could blue the flywheel?

I'm not the most mechincally minded person but it's just what i have managed to read around the subject.

Any advise on trying to make the clutch last til the 16th of this month would be great, im driving like an old granny, so only slightly slower than usual

I need to get about another 320 miles out of it to earn the cash to pay for it, how depressing, never mind.

Well if you are that worried why not hire a cheap banger for a couple of weeks.

Well if the clutch is anything like like the old one (which was very similar to 1.8) once it starts slipping - you ain't got long.. mine did about 100k (and most of that was on the motorway with cruise control 'on').. good luck dude - hope you have a happy b-day

3 part clutch? I'm confused.. pic below is from 2009 cat ePer for 2003 + 2.4 20 v (and this is the same one it was on pre 2003)
?!

that sounds very expensive, my clutch had to be replaced at 40k - not the clutches fault but the gearbox exploded covering it all in gearbox oil - scrap. i found the clutch was still in very good condition and was a real waste throwing it away. it cost me about £80 from eurocar parts and i fitted it myself, if you dont mind getting dirty and taking the car to pieces its really not that difficult job. you dont even need to split the ball joint - just remove the bolt on the end of the wish bone and it all falls back.

how did you remove the box? it should be heavy (about 90 kg) - this is why i've paid to do it - i can lift 90 over my head but taking that weight as a drop under the car.. was not so sure i'd be able to react quickly enough.. so there's a risk of getting squashed.. fiat do have a special hold tool though (and they aren't selling it) also - when going back in - gearbox should be aligned perfectly and then you slide it home (without moving it up or down or side to side as that can easily damage clutch alignment or petals).. can someone confirm a new clutch design on 2003+ 2.4? pic above is all i could find and that is the same system it was on pre 2003 2.4 (and the same system used on 1.8 although 1.8 clutch is smaller?)

Hey 12,

I have called the dealer again, aparrently they did change it. I have found this on shop 4 parts, on on 2004 onwards it appears to be a different setup.

http://www.shop4parts.co.uk/index.cf...ist&startrow=7

I have rang round some more places and got quotes from Mr Clutch for 702 quid, but they would need the car for 3 days :S

Also I'm concerned about letting an unfimilar 3rd party look at the car. Used to have a fiat croma turbo i.e. passed down from dad, had the clutch done in that after 100k odd and it didn't last 10,000 miles due to being incorrectly installed and go nowhere with the clutch centre in liverpool that did it.

Took it to stanley park motors, now gone, sniff sniff and was all sorted out for around 380 quid. That was a cracking car 1.9 turbo, loads of toys, I miss the electric eveything hehe.

Will keep on hassling the main agent for more info if I can.

Cheers

grm link doesn't work.. i did look at the clutch though and plates are of different design but hydraulics appear to remain unchanged (or they do not have slave cylinder for 2004+ 2.4).

Even with a modified clutch design - gearbox remains the same does it not? In which case why do they have to remove the engine? Confusing this is.

hi i have a stilo abarth 2.4 selespeed and just replaced a clutch now at the dealers waiting for them to reset it and i never removed the engine or never even dropped the subframe all i did was supported the engine with a crane and took all the mountains underneath off and the mountain on top of the box and pushed the engine forward put a blok of wood behind the engine to hold it forward... and got the box out and found the clutch sheered up
oh yes the job was abit fiddley but got it all right in the end and typical 8hours labour roughly

easy peasy, all you do is get the car in the air on axel stands, then use a trolley jack to take the weight of the box, lower to the ground - all you need to do is balance it on the trolley jack.

Your my hero Roy..kids want wet nursing nowadays..

Taken out boxes many a time as Roy had described..I remember taking out a box on an old V6 capri..now that was a heavy Mofo..out it came down onto my cheat and the back end of the box hit the bowl of oil I had drained out and it ended up all over my chest ..damn they were the good old days..

Thanks for all the replies guys,

So do you think that my main agent might be charging a little too much to carry out this job or would you say it was the norm, I just dont fancy doing things like this myself you see, on my Cinq it was fine performing general servicing and changing cambelts but with the Stilo costing me over 7 grand 3 years ago im a little more reluctant to have a play around with it.

Fingers crossed all goes well and it's all sorted out, another thing, the main agent has suggested that they change the cambelt whilst the engine is out and is offering to do it for an additional 200 quid inc vat and parts. Do you feel this is a reasonable price for the job, it's not actually due til next year at 68k according to them but it would cost double to change it when it's due.

Cheers

t-belt kit is around 90 quid.. agent is charging 110 to put it in - i'd say that's a bit dear if they are taking the engine out anyway (and charging you over the moon for it).. insist they charge for parts only (also swap your water pump + you might consider doing the variation too..) 50k + miles (or over 4 years) is failure territory in my book so yes you are better off doing it if you're planning to keep the car a while (most say you don’t need to swap the belt at 4 years or below 50k but hey.. many people have had belt failures.. i never had one..yet )

lol, i remember my old ford granni - 2.8i auto box, the torque coverter bit the dust and i removed it for overhaul - it would have been the same box as the capri if it was an auto, after two cracked ribs i decided to get someone else to help me lift it back when i had fixed the thing - never again on an engine that sized. but our piddly little stilo engines being mainly alum no problem. yes those were the days.....
roy