I had the clutch on my Seicento replaced earlier this year at a local garage (seemed too big a job for me and we needed the car repaired quick). The garage is reputable and they have done other jobs for us over the years.
Since the clutch replacement it is difficult to get the car into first and reverse gear. It goes in eventually, sometimes with a bit of grinding. The car is otherwise fine and we drive it every day.

I was thinking of just taking the car back in to the garage, but can anyone suggest what it might be so that I am prepared to argue a case or even whether I can just check something myself?
Thanks

Give the clutch cable adjuster a couple of turns.

D

Tough to change gears is a symptom of a dragging clutch, so it's not being released by pressing the pedal in. If the clutch bites while the pedal is right on the floor still, or if the car creeps forward with the clutch pedal still fully depressed, then that would confirm it.

Anyways, as above, Seicento has a cable adjuster, which needs to be continually tweaked every 10,000 miles or so, as the clutch wears. I suspect the clutch plate fingers have lost some initial "spring" since it was fitted and have "settled down" to their "normal" state. Adjust the cable (literally a 5 minute job) so that the pedal only bites around 1/4 to 1/3 of the way up, and that ought to solve the problem.


Ralf S.

Thanks to both of you. That has fixed it.
Andrew

this is very interesting to read-

is the cable adjuster a turn-over plastic part which sits in the kink in the release arm (where the cable meets it), on the bell housing?

Different on Cinq and Sei, but effectively 'yes'

D

right-

I'm just remembering it from my Mk1 Uno days... :slayer:

I adjusted the clutch biting point myself, as described. About a week after, the R-clip which holds the clutch cable to the armature from the pedal - under the passenger side footwell - came off. I took it back to the garage who had earlier replaced the clutch and they said that I'd adjusted the clutch too tight. This was a year ago, and things have been fine since, but last week the R-clip came out again.
Now, might this be that the R-clips are just cheap Chinese metal? Or might there be something wrong with the clutch fitted by the garage? I'd like a bit of expert opinion in case I broach this with the garage.
On a related topic, fitting that R-pin must be one of the many awkward jobs on a Seicento. I removed the passenger seat, I took the piece of hard plastic trim from the door edge off, I pealed back the carpet, and disconnected the bolts to that metal electrics box (what is that?), but still, laid on my back with a torch and my fingers above my head into a confined space... Can someone tell me what I'd need to do to remove the glove compartments tray? There are two hex bolts but it appears to be fixed somewhere deeper behind the dash. Or did I do all that is possible to access this clutch connecting point?
Thanks,
Andrew