Hey Hey, my clutch pedal is starting to squeak. Once when pressed and then again when released. This is only happening once the cars warmed up though. Any suggestions? Is this a sign for a new clutch???

It may be the clutch pedal assembly or the clutch fork in the gearbox. Have an assistant poke their head under the bonnet while you depress the pedal several times, you'll know if it's coming from top of the gearbox. If that's the case then it is bushes that have been insufficiently greased. I've seen a few new panda like this. It would be a gearbox out job and should be sorted under warranty. Keep us posted on your findings.

out of warranty unfortunately, will have a local look at it. Will let you know how it goes.....

Yeah, mine does this. It sounds as though it's coming from under the dashboard, so I'm guessing it's to do with the pedal assembly.

quotethepigeon said:

Hey Hey, my clutch pedal is starting to squeak. Once when pressed and then again when released. This is only happening once the cars warmed up though. Any suggestions? Is this a sign for a new clutch???

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Don't worry, you can likely fix this yourself for less than £4.

If it's coming from the pedal area inside the car, then it's the pedal bushes drying out; nothing to do with the clutch itself.

A quick spray of silicone lubricant (NOT WD40) in the right place (lie on your back with the door open and look up to see where the pedal pivots) and it should be good as new.

Funny, mine squeeked from about 4000 miles to 5000 miles but it has stopped now so I presumed it had sorted itself. Good to know the above if it comes back.

It sounded just like there was an owl in the car

M

jrkitching said:

Don't worry, you can likely fix this yourself for less than £4.

If it's coming from the pedal area inside the car, then it's the pedal bushes drying out; nothing to do with the clutch itself.

A quick spray of silicone lubricant (NOT WD40) in the right place (lie on your back with the door open and look up to see where the pedal pivots) and it should be good as new.

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It's only gone and bloody fixed it! imagine the potential rip off I could have walked into.....i don't know what you look like but I bet you're beautiful! Lol

AAB1992 said:

It may be the clutch pedal assembly or the clutch fork in the gearbox. Have an assistant poke their head under the bonnet while you depress the pedal several times, you'll know if it's coming from top of the gearbox. If that's the case then it is bushes that have been insufficiently greased. I've seen a few new panda like this. It would be a gearbox out job and should be sorted under warranty. Keep us posted on your findings.

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Oh no! My clutch is now squeaking, and it's from under the bonnet!

deeyup said:

Oh no! My clutch is now squeaking, and it's from under the bonnet!

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When does it squeak, exactly, and which part of the engine is the squeak coming from.

Does it squeak when you press the clutch pedal, release the pedal or all the time the pedal is depressed?

It might help to open the bonnet & get someone else to operate the clutch.

I'm not a great fan of remote diagnosis by keyboard, but we should be able to narrow this down a bit.

And make sure it's not the sole of your shoe on the rubber pedal cover

deeyup said:

Oh no! My clutch is now squeaking, and it's from under the bonnet!

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Sounds like it could well be coming from the fork.

Have an assistant listen and even feel the arm on the fork to distinguish if its coming from there.

If it is, its most likely to be the plastic bushes that the fork moves in have insufficient or the wrong type of grease.

Thanks,

It's finally stopped raining here!
I'll try and upload a video later when I can get an assistant.

Ok, not the best video I could make.
If I removed the sump guard I may do better from below.

deeyup said:

Ok, not the best video I could make.
If I removed the sump guard I may do better from below.

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The video doesn't show much, but the noise is quite clear - you've got an unlubricated metal-to-metal contact somewhere in the mechanical part of the actuating linkage. As long as it's external to the bellhousing, it should be a simple fix.

The next thing I'd try is to apply a silicone lubricant spray of the type I linked to a few posts earlier (not WD40 as it'll make a frightful mess) on and around the visible part of the moving linkage - much easier if you can get a helper to operate the clutch pedal whilst you do this.

Do not get any lubricant inside the bellhousing as it'll ruin the clutch friction plate and cause the clutch to slip.

deeyup said:

Ok, not the best video I could make.
If I removed the sump guard I may do better from below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnhP3rZwZhQ

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I'm afraid I had the exact same issue on a 2004 panda, and have seen countless other fiats with the same gearbox do the same. The bushes that support the clutch fork become dry and cause the sticky feeling, notchy pedal action and squeaky noise.

It is very difficult, if impossible to re-grease these bushes without taking the whole gearbox out. It’s a either a poor design of plastic bushes or the incorrect grease has been used from new

Thanks for the replies.

I'll send it in to the dealer and let them take a look.

deeyup said:

Thanks for the replies.

I'll send it in to the dealer and let them take a look.

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Just for future reference, having done some detailed research, the best paste would be one containing moly at a high percentage. This will ensure that it doesn't dry out, wash away, can withstand high(ish) temperatures and corrosion and most importantly, keep lubricating for many years to come

deeyup said:

Thanks for the replies.

I'll send it in to the dealer and let them take a look.

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Did you eventually find the source of the squeak?

AAB1992 said:

Did you eventually find the source of the squeak?

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Not yet. The car was supposed to go in today until I realised that it was 1st registered on 13 March 2013. They are mot-ing it at the same time so can only go at most 28 days in advance.
So next Monday is the day.

The pedal feels awful at the moment. It sometimes comes back up and stops, then flops up another inch or so.

I'm not feeling the love for this little car at the moment.
I'm letting them service it next week although it's only done 4k miles since the last one. Therefore I'm avoiding diagnostic fees.
They have suggested changing the spark plugs, but with the present ones only being 4k miles old I'm unsure of the benefit?
I thought they were special long life way more than regular service items anyway?

If the plugs are long life and are already knackered, I'd be discussing whether you should pay or not.

I'm sorry it's not working for you. I understand where you're coming from having been there with other vehicles. Hang in there, I'm sure you'll get her working again and it's amazing how quickly the bad memories fade (once she starts behaving).