Technical Clutch change - fork bush grease recommendations

[AAB1992]

Hi there,

I'm getting round to changing the clutch again after many years of service. Last time I think I used the wrong type of grease to lubricate the fork bushes. When the car is warm the pedal has a tenancy to creak, get notchy and have a 'sticky' feeling. I'm trying to mitigate this next time with a different lubricant.

Does anyone know what type of grease would be suitable to long term lucubration of the fork bushes or what Fiat use from factory?


Kind regards,
Adam

 

[koalar]

Sound more like the slave cylinder

Peel the black rubber boot back and squirt some silicone grease up there

See if that improves the feeling first

 

[koalar]

To answer the question

The splines and fork are just lightly smeared with special grease that comes with most clutch kits these days

There's plenty as it has to be used sparingly

 

[AAB1992]

I’ve already changed the salve cylinder and it’s the same so it’s definitely the fork bushes.

Would a silicone or lithium grease be suitable?

 

[koalar]

I’ve already changed the salve cylinder and it’s the same so it’s definitely the fork bushes.

Would a silicone or lithium grease be suitable?

If you are talking about these


There designed to be self lubricating PTFE impregnated

Shouldn't be anything on them

 

[AAB1992]

View attachment 469991

If you are talking about these


There designed to be self lubricating PTFE impregnated

Shouldn't be anything on them

That’s news to me! I had no idea that was the case. Mostly likely where I went wrong on the last clutch change

 

[koalar]

There a few options, before stripping it down

First off which car

I believe the post 2012 had some issues with the pedal pivots when they first came out

How long ago was the clutch done

But here in pre 2012 169 cars we occasionally get a broken or cracked clutch pedal which can cause problems yet not that noticeable

It's strange but for a fairly straightforward job, it has lots of little procedures where it can go slightly off course, I seen two whee the input bearing has failed just after a garage has changed the clutch, either that was the original problem or they have been too heavy handed I can't

Too much grease, not cleaning up the sleeve, not cleaning up the splines, fitting the wrong size and or part, not checking the flywheel, not deglazing, incorrect torque, damaging the pressure plat by not tightening down evenly and so on and on and so

Squeaking when hot, is a classic symptom of a slave cylinder occasionally the master cylinder

Normal pretty simple to confirm as if you pull the rubber boot back and spray some silicone grease in there it will improve, it is possible to get a fail in fit part

if you get someone else to push the clutch down while it's failing, and listen under the bonnet and try and narrow the noise down

The microphone on your phone is pretty good at locating noises, do several recording and see which is loudest

If the pivot bush has previously been greased and dried up or the release folk has corroded, I guess some silicone grease would be better then a strip down

 

[AAB1992]

There a few options, before stripping it down

First off which car

I believe the post 2012 had some issues with the pedal pivots when they first came out

How long ago was the clutch done

But here in pre 2012 169 cars we occasionally get a broken or cracked clutch pedal which can cause problems yet not that noticeable

It's strange but for a fairly straightforward job, it has lots of little procedures where it can go slightly off course, I seen two whee the input bearing has failed just after a garage has changed the clutch, either that was the original problem or they have been too heavy handed I can't

Too much grease, not cleaning up the sleeve, not cleaning up the splines, fitting the wrong size and or part, not checking the flywheel, not deglazing, incorrect torque, damaging the pressure plat by not tightening down evenly and so on and on and so

Squeaking when hot, is a classic symptom of a slave cylinder occasionally the master cylinder

Normal pretty simple to confirm as if you pull the rubber boot back and spray some silicone grease in there it will improve, it is possible to get a fail in fit part

if you get someone else to push the clutch down while it's failing, and listen under the bonnet and try and narrow the noise down

The microphone on your phone is pretty good at locating noises, do several recording and see which is loudest

If the pivot bush has previously been greased and dried up or the release folk has corroded, I guess some silicone grease would be better then a strip down

It’s a 2004 model and the clutch was done about 8 years ago by myself but at the time I lubricated the fork bushes with some molybdenum disulfide grease from loctite.

So next time with a new clutch and slave cylinder, it’s probably best to leave the fork bushes “dry” due to them being self lubricating? I did look at the e learn manual and there is no mention of lubricating them.