xad388 said:

Without warning, after 100 miles of fast dual carriageway driving, requiring just 4th-5th gear changes, the clutch failed on my Bessacarr e450. The van has 40k on the clock.

It is not the clutch cable - it is hydraulically operated.
The pedal goes to the floor and does not return, although it can be raised manually.
There is no loss of hydraulic fluid and the slave cylinder on the bell housing does move it's actuator rod several cms. It operates the clutch arm hard to it's physical limit. The rod can be returned by hand. Therefore I do not think it's a hydraulic problem.

The clutch arm on the bell housing can be moved left-right easily by hand - there is no resistance.

Is this a common problem on 2.3jtd 2003 clutches - maybe broken clutch arm, collapsed clutch release bearing or what else?

Click to expand...

xad388 said:

Garage have confirmed it is the release bearing that has been pulled out of position. It will not pop back in with a long lever.

They say it is a weak design on Fiat (and Maserati for that matter) because the release mechanism pulls rather than the preferred push mechanism as used on other vehicles.

So it's gearbox off, new clutch parts whilst it's apart and a £600 bill for me!

Did I read somewhere that the hydraulic slave cylinder should be changed at the same time (even though it's external on top of the gearbox).

Click to expand...

xad388 said:

I have inspected the old clutch components.

The friction plate has no material on the pressure plate side and only a 1mm left on the flywheel side - thankfully that is not scored.

The gearbox nose spigot is scored. .so that will be replaced c/w seal, along with clutch plate, pressure plate and release bearing. The splines on the gearbox shaft are good as is the clutch fork and pivot pin.

I am not massively upset - clutches don't last for ever and a heavy motorhome has probably done a lot of standing starts in 40k over 14 years.

Click to expand...