clutch problems?

With the engine off try to select each gear in turn. if the gear lever has gone all sloppy and just wiggles around a lot more that normal one of the link bars may have come off at the gearbox end. If this is not the case and you can select the gears with the engine off have a look to see if the clutch is operated by a cable or by hydraulic cylinder. If it is the hydraulic type insure that the is no leaking fluid from the cylinder of if this inside the bellhousing of the gearbox that there is no clutch fluid leaking out of the bellhousing. If nothing is visable check the cluch fluid level this may be fed from the brake master cylinder or it may have its own clutch master cylinder. If it is low top it up (Don't spill it,its brake fluid) and pump the pedal up and down about 50 to 100 times checking the level as you do this and it should self bleed the clutch hydraulic system, if not you may have to bleed it using the old fashioned two man bleeding method to ensure there is no air in the system, DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES USE PRESSURE BLEEDING EQUIPMENT ON A CLUTCH HYDRAULIC SYSTEM. If the hydraulic system is working fine with no air and is not low on clutch fluid and not leaking or the clutch is operated by a cable and you can see that this is operating normally when the clutch pedal is pressed (you will need the help of someone else to press the pedal while you look for this) Put the vehicle in first gear with the handbrake on and the footbrake applied and the clutch pedal fully down and start the engine is the starts without jumping forward release the footbrake and handbrake and ease up the clutch to see if the vehicle moves if it does not your clutch has gone it does and you drive along and rev the engine with the clutch out and the engine revs but the vehicle does not speed up and when you try it will still not change gear your clutch has gone.

arizona kid
March 2011