Hi from a 300 Newbie....

 

I just bought a ZXTT,

1992 UK Manual, it's quite nice and tidy,

I THINK I got a good car, just a couple of niggles....though I think they might be related....

 

This post is kinda long, but I have tried to give you as much info as possible...

 

The day after I bought it, I noticed when pulling away from standstill a slight kind of juddering/vibration. It felt like it was coming from the rear passenger side (Though those kinds of noises / vibrations are notoriously hard to pinpoint I know)

 

I didnt think too much of it, until I had real trouble disengaging 1st gear after hard acceleration from standstill

The clutch pedal had lost it's firmness too, it went kind limp a bit.

 

Once the revs and speed had droppd a little, I managed to get it into 2nd and carried on, but not kicking it though....

 

Then it did it again, for no apparent reason, just to p!$$ me off I guess :mad:

 

Then it got really bad, to the point I couldnt get it in gear at all, not even carefully without using the clutch pedal at all

 

I checked the fluid level and it is fine, sitting just at the MAX line.

Pumping the pedal made NO difference

 

I managed to get the car home eventually, upsetting a few motorists on the way I guess (sorry...) Had to stay in 3rd most of the time, and kill engine at the couple of sets of traffic lights I got caught at.

The clutch slipped at anything over 3500 in 4th or 5th, cant remember (I was onthe dual carriageway at the time!!)

 

Anyway, I looked around here, and decided to have a go at adjusting the clutch pedal (saw a reference to a slipping clutch elsewhere, and a mention of hydroscopic fluid - though I dont understand if the fluid has absorbed moisture, how adjusting the thing will help???)

 

This did help, I turned the pushrod clockwise, as viewed when sitting in the drivers seat, and it did allow me to start engaging 1st,

It was making a rasping sound until I lifted the pedal to the biting point, and it stopped. It was still stopped it I pressed the clutch again - Dragging Plate??

 

Went for a test drive up the road, and changed into 2nd, and lost all drive.

I put it in 1st (with the car stationary) and released the pedal, NOTHING!!!

 

Had to get towed home - thanks wife!!

 

Undid what I did to the push rod, and it will now get SOME drive, though not much.

 

I was going to take the car back to MR CLUTCH (URGH) as the previous owener only had the clutch fitted about 8000 miles ago (18 months) and he bought the 3 year warranty, but guess what.... HE DIDNT TAKE IT BACK FOR IT'S CHECKUPS, and you know they'll void the warranty for that!

 

before I try to get it booked into the Z guy in Crawley, who I think is nearest to me (Swanly in Kent) does anyone have any ideas please, they'd be VERY GRATEFULLY (spelling??) received

 

Incidentally, this is the 2nd clutch the previous owner had fitted, the other one, he paid £599 ( and a few oil seals) for all in, failed within 4 months and 3500 miles, he then took it to Mr Clutch!!)

 

He also had a new slave cylinder fitter with the first clutch.

 

Can someone PLEASE tell me I dont need a new clutch ( but mean it too!!! LOL)

If I do need a new one, whats good? the car isnt modified, and never will be whilst I own it

 

Many thanks

 

Steve - The fed up noob..... :(

Changing gear trouble sounds more like air in the pipes or something like that.

 

The clutch slipping in 4th and 5th does sound like the clutch is slipping.

 

I would start off will a complete flush of the clutch fluid and get all the air bubbles out and get all the old stuff out.

 

Do the cheapest thing first.

Cheers for that,

 

Just to refresh my memory, when bleeding, you start from the nipple furthest from the fluid reservoir, correct?, and I believe there are 2 on this system...

 

Isnt there 1 near the master cyliner/servo - or is it somewhere near the hicas stuff (or maybe I'm talking crap and rambling again!! :x: it is early after all!), and one on or near the slave?

 

thanks

 

Steve

theres a bleed on the slave (on bell housing) and one on the drivers side wing :)

Thanks Damo..

 

I'll let you all know how I get on, probably wont get to do it till the weekend tho :(

Deffinitely air in the hydraulic system. Later master cylinders have a bleed nipple on them also (that makes 3 bleed points LOL). The clutches on these cars are a nightmare to bleed though so take your time :)

THREE NIPPLES!!! :shock:

in certain circumstances, that might be a bonus.... but not here though!!

 

Cheers mate

 

Steve

Well, I bled and flushed the clutch, It had a little air in it.

Made no difference at all, which was a shame, but thats what I expected to be honest.

 

I contacted Mike Feeney from MJP, and he suggests that maybe either the hydraulics are shot, or the clutch itself. :(

 

So looks like I need to get it in somewhere for a proper inspection.

 

Thanks guys for your help

 

 

Steve

There's still air in there ;) Like I say these things are a pain to sort...

There is definately now no air in the system.

I have flushed 1/2 litre of fluid through it, and can guarantee that no air got in whilst flushing.

 

I have adjusted the pushrod from almost one extreme to the other, and the bite point remained about 3/4 from the top.

 

The pedal grates when pressing and releasing

 

Last time I felt a clutch like this, a load of crumbled friction plate fell out when we dropped the gearbox...

 

I guess it is time to get it into Mike and MJP

 

Thanks guys

 

Steve

anyone got a pic of where these bleed nipples are?

3 of them!!!! I need to bleed mine, Is it worth getting on eof them one-way bleed kits from a local motor factors?

 

Someone suggested the order to bleed them in too?

A Pic with the order of bleeding would be dead helpful.

I had very similar symptoms to this one time when I owned mine.

 

If you do a search, you will find my post which turned out to be a failed friction plate. Do you know how old the clutch is or how many miles it has covered?

 

The vibration could be to do with the rear seal on the box leaking oil in to the clutch and causing the clutch plate/fly wheel to distort! I'm no expert but it's just a bit of food for though for you.

Jay,

 

I dont have a picture of them, but the 2 I have are easy to find.

There is 1 in the engine bay, just inside the drivers wing. It is just a nipple attached to a square block, attached to a pipe about 12mm diameter

 

The other on the slave, is attached to the drivers side of the gearbox.

You can just do it without raising the car, but will be easier if you can (dont forget the axle stands)

 

I did use a one man kit, even though I had 2 people.

The problem that I found on my own, is the master is so small that after about 3 pumps, you need to fill it again, so I had my wife pumping :D whilst I continually poured fluid (using a funnel).

 

I dont have a 3rd nipple, but I am led to believe it is probably on the master cylinder itself.

 

As for the order, I believe you should do the nipple furthest from the master FIRST, and work your way to the master.

HOWEVER, I am buggered if I could understand what the nipple on the wing does, as it is at the end of a pipe that APPEARS to do nothing!

 

 

ANDYDUFF said they are a pain to bleed, so I may have missed something, cos I found it easy except for the silly small amount of fluid the master holds.

 

Hopefully Andy will be reading here soon, and might be so kind as to explain why they are hard. This might explain why my bleeding and flushing has yielded no positive results.

 

 

Have fun mate

 

 

Steve

Thanks Cos,

 

The clutch is SUPPOSED to be about 15 months and about 8000 miles old. BUT it did come from MR Clutch, so propably only had a cheap friction plate fitted and nothing else.

 

I am HOPING that if the friction plate has gone it hasnt damaged the flywheel...

 

Cheers

the vibration I got in mine after the event turned out to be a warped fly wheel due to the oil getting in. Not sure how confident I would be about Mr Clutch changing my clutch, unless you know someone there that is!

I wouldnt ever go to Mr Clutch... unfortunately for me though, the previous owner of my car thought it a wise move!!!

 

I have had to resort to driving my old car, a Honda CRX VTEC!! :-) which I cant wait to get rid of though, and start driving the Zed. Just waiting to get it booked in to MJP.....

steve

 

did you get the problem sorted mate ?

 

I think the clutch slave cylinder has just gone on mine, think it might be the seals, just searching for answers, it will be in the garage tmrw, I cant get gears, pedal went a little bit down, then I changed gear again and it went all the way down, no fluid leaks but I think one of the seals must have packed in.

 

Glen

steve

 

did you get the problem sorted mate ?

 

I think the clutch slave cylinder has just gone on mine, think it might be the seals, just searching for answers, it will be in the garage tmrw, I cant get gears, pedal went a little bit down, then I changed gear again and it went all the way down, no fluid leaks but I think one of the seals must have packed in.

 

Glen

 

Hi Glen,

 

That sounds similar to mine, and I was SO hoping that the advice the guys here gave me about bleeding were going to fix it, UNFORTUNATELY, I had a dead clutch, and I mean DEAD!!

No material on 1 side of the plate!

Luckily for me it wasnt against the flywheel, so no damage was done

 

But the clutch did cost me about £650 supplied and fitted!!

 

Steve

wow, thanks steve, mines had a centreforce clutch about 5000 miles ago, so Im really hoping thats not gone already, there was no slip atall nothing, and im a very gentle driver, as was the previous owner, do you think it could have gone already ? did you have slip on yours before it went ?

You'd hope it's not the clutch, M ine had no signs of slipping at all when I test drove it, then the next day it failed. I have no idea how it managed to sdrive, when Mike Feeney showed me the plate, it had NO material at all on one side.

 

I have no warning up till about 15 mnutes before it failed!

 

I hope your's isnt the clutch

 

Steve

just read page 1 again mate, lol, doesnt sound good for me does it lol, 2 clutches in 8000miles, the one in mine is supposed to be rated to 600bhp aswell !!!!!!

just read page 1 again mate, lol, doesnt sound good for me does it lol, 2 clutches in 8000miles, the one in mine is supposed to be rated to 600bhp aswell !!!!!!

 

what make/type you got fella that was rated to 600bhp ?

smithy

centreforce mate id need to dig up the receipt the previous owner installed it at the cost of a grand shipped in from USA

Ah that explains it, i ran a centre force uptil 4 years ago, soon burned it out :( .

RPS Max series is the way :dance:

cheers

smithy

sound bud, il be in touch as soon as I know what bits I need tomorrow