General Clutch issue

[Coltuk]

Hi,
My daughter has asked me to take a look at a problem she has with her 500 1.2 2013 since the hot weather in the UK. When she has driven it for a while or stuck in traffic it starts to get difficult to change gear and she says the clutch pedal is not returning all the way up. I test drove it in the morning when it was cooler and found no issues but later in the day it begins having the problem and was fine untill the weather got warmer. It had a new clutch fitted about 3 years ago and she has done less than 10000 miles since it was replaced, Does anyone have any ideas what the cause may be?
Thanks for any help

 

[puntodeltathema]

Slave cylinder (hydraulic actuating cylinder which operates the clutch arm, on top of the gearbox and under the battery) would be the first suspect. They do seize up over time and symptoms like creaking/sticking can be worse with either a warm engine or warm environment... Relatively straightforward to change once the battery and its tray are out of the way.

 

[A3jeroen]

Fresh fluid. I really think it should be renewed every 2 years like the brakefluid in the brakesystem.

gr J

 

[steveras57]

Fresh fluid. I really think it should be renewed every 2 years like the brakefluid in the brakesystem.

gr J

Agreed probably got some water in there now which will expand more in very hot weather causing more sponginess and less hydraulic transfer of pressure! as you have to take the battery /tray/ etc out to inspect the slave cylinder you could just bleed the fluid out for new and try again before swapping parts! .
The reason i say this is i was recently having issues with my clutch not releasing consistently and the car would stick in gear and not release till switched off then on again and other symptoms like a slight "grunch" when trying to engage reverse! flushed the fluid and its been fine since and though i didnt notice any issue with pedal feel before its now just "better" might be worth a try for you!.

 

[jrkitching]

You can bleed the clutch without dismantling anything, but you have to work by feel. Vacuum bleeding makes the least mess.

Pictures in this post.

 

[Coltuk]

Thanks for all the replies, I've had a look at the clutch fluid and it doesn't look very good and is quite dark so I'll start by changing it first before I look at anything else. Is this an easy job to do?

 

[jrkitching]

Is this an easy job to do?

Not exactly difficult, but it can be messy. There's no need to dismantle anything, it can be done with the battery and tray in place. You'll need an allen key of the right size. Use a mirror or a camera to check that a suitable bleed hose is properly attached to the discharge pipe before opening the bleed screw.

Look at the pictures in my previous post, which shows what you have to turn to open the bleed and the small pipe that the fluid is supposed to come out of.

In practice, it also comes out from around the bleed screw and ends up everywhere, so protect whatever the car is standing on and have some water handy to dilute it away. Bleeding methods involving pressurising the system to get the fluid out make the most mess, which is why I recommend vacuum bleeding. Not opening the bleed screw very far helps too.

Be aware the reservoir holds very little fluid, so keep a close eye on the level and top it up frequently. Take care not to damage the black plastic diaphragm in the reservoir (if it's still there); replacements are hard to find. You can run without it, but the fluid may deteriorate faster.

I'd recommend you start by using a turkey baster to get the old fluid out of the reservoir, then refill it and start the bleeding process.

Clean the diaphragm and put it back at the end; you need to get the fluid level in the reservoir just right for this as it's another opportunity to make a mess.

 

[Coltuk]

Ive had a look for some fluid for the clutch and see i can get dot 4 or dot 4 low viscosity, which version should I use?

 

[steveras57]

Ive had a look for some fluid for the clutch and see i can get dot 4 or dot 4 low viscosity, which version should I use?

Never heard of "low viscosity" fluids -dont see why the fiat should need anything other than the "normal" variety!.

 

[jrkitching]

Never heard of "low viscosity" fluids

It doesn't thicken as much when temperatures are below freezing. I understand it's recommended for some advanced ABS/ESP braking systems which need an extremely predictable response throughout the temperature range.

Completely unnecessary for a 500 hydraulic clutch. You can use regular Dot 4 for that.

Better still, use Dot 3 for the clutch (but not the brakes); it's more stable and less prone to absorbing moisture, and the lower boiling point isn't an issue in this application.

Because it absorbs moisture more readily, Dot 4 fluid should be changed more frequently than Dot 3. More moisture - more potential for corrosion, so it's possible the clutch hydraulics might last longer if you use Dot 3, especially if you don't change the fluid very often.

 

[Coltuk]

Completed changing the clutch fluid, All went well and the clutch seems to be working great, also selecting reverse seems easier to engage so my daughter is happy with that. The fluid was really in a bad way, looked really cloudy so was definitely in need of a change so hopefully it won't have any more issues. Thanks everyone for the help you gave, much appreciated

 

[steveras57]

Completed changing the clutch fluid, All went well and the clutch seems to be working great, also selecting reverse seems easier to engage so my daughter is happy with that. The fluid was really in a bad way, looked really cloudy so was definitely in need of a change so hopefully it won't have any more issues. Thanks everyone for the help you gave, much appreciated

every one loves a win!

 

[John202020]

Also, selecting reverse seems easier to engage so my daughter is happy with that.

Always select 4th before straight into reverse (no clutch lift up) you'll find it goes in far easier andno crunching?

 

[jrkitching]

Always select 4th before straight into reverse (no clutch lift up) you'll find it goes in far easier

Possibly the most useful one-line tip I've seen this year!

Can be done by anyone, absolutely no mechanical skills or tools needed.

And it works.