Technical Faulty clutch on stolen Panda.

[neiltheplumber]

Good morning to you all. Yet again I am in need of help from the only source of reliable information on the Net.
My Panda Cross 4x4 was stolen off my drive but was spotted the next day parked up with the hazards on.
when I tried to drive it home. I had difficulty getting it into gear. I could depress the clutch pedal but could not push the gear lever into gear. I did not get the usual feeling through the pedal when engaging and disengaging the clutch.
I am unsure if it has a cable or hydraulic clutch to check first before I possible go down the clutch replacement route .
Many thanks for any help given.

PS the car was fitted with cloned plates for a grey Panda 1.3 Diesel that is taxed and with an MOT. So some poor sod might be getting some fines or tickets that these toe rags have run up. SW67FDU.

 

[Herts Hillhopper]

The clutch is hydraulic- and gets its fluid from a small pipe at back of brake fluid reservoir

 

[The Panda Nut]

Does it go into the gears when the engine is off and does it feel normal at the gear lever. If it does this removes the gear linkage from the equation.

What does the pedal feel like? Is there any resistance when pressing it or is it very soft?

 

[neiltheplumber]

Many thanks for the reply. Located and checked the clutch slave cylinder and that seems to be travelling the right amount when the clutch pedal is depressed. It has now been taken to an insurance repair center. The guy who collected it ( an AA assist chap) was more than sure it was the clutch at fault when he tried to get it on the transporter, but what we did notice was a very strong smell of petrol from the exhaust long with a more than normal soot deposit and water build up. I also thought the engine sounded a bit different when revved.

 

[murphyv310]

Unfortunately I'm sorry to say it's most likely been flogged to death.
The clutch is most likely burned out and the other issue is not so much over revving going up gears but going from high to low gears and the engine spinning way too fast. This has happened to a friend a few years back in a similar situation. Used to get what we called petrol wash with over revving but I dont think it's possible these days.
I feel for you.... Hope it gets sorted.

 

[jrkitching]

Unfortunately I'm sorry to say it's most likely been flogged to death.

:yeahthat:

Stolen recovered cars are often written off by insurance companies for this very reason.

In your position, that's the outcome I'd be looking for. No point in viewing this car as a long term keeper now.

 

[mj2k]

:yeahthat:

Stolen recovered cars are often written off by insurance companies for this very reason.

In your position, that's the outcome I'd be looking for. No point in viewing this car as a long term keeper now.

Wow, I often wondered why insurance companies wrote off stolen / recovered cars with apparently little damage, sounds like they're actually being kind when they do that

Sorry to hear about your issues neiltheplumber, make sure the insurance centre looks into the fueling issues too in case it is something serious. If it is, allowing the insurance company to write it off might be the best bet, hopefully you could buy it back and use the difference between the insurance payout and write-off value to buy a new engine / box.