Doblo clutch misery

[Dead_E23]

'Cos there's a cover on the gearbox endplate, which covers the mainshaft end bearing. When you take the cover off, you can pull the mainshaft out a couple of inches. Something like that - it's been a long time!

 

Ages since I did one too, but if I remember correctly the cover was accessible through the wheel arch and had a giant hex head formed into it.  The cover unscrewed to reveal the end of the first motion shaft, and this had a female thread that you were supposed to screw a bolt into so you could pull the shaft out using a big pair of pliers.  Very conveniently, a suitable bolt could be borrowed from somewhere else on the engine.

 

However, Fiat evidently do not believe that jobs should be this easy.   Mr_Boll's 'up-bellhousing' pic reminded me of a traumatic clutch change on swmbo's Mk I Punto 1.7 TD, where the gearbox appeared to grow considerably whilst out of the car to the extent that putting it back was like putting a ship into a bottle.   From start to end, the job took about 3 days - not helped by me having to do the job 70 miles from home on my Mum's drive!

[CreepingJesus]

That sounds about right! M6 bolt from the air filter cover? Sure it was something common like a medium pitch M6 anyhow.

It's all the dismantling and reassembly that gets me. Esp on FWD's; why can't the Voxall access hatch idea be more common? I'm pretty good at getting the clutch centred, but the access hatch makes that easy too - you can measure the run out! No stubborn balljoints, torn gaiters or oil on the floor to deal with. Fuckin' ace.

[dollywobbler]

During my entire four days of working for Mr Clutch, I helped change a clutch on a Mk3 Cavalier and a Ford Sierra. 'Piece of piss' compared to 'OMG THIS PROPSHAFT IS IN THE SODDING WAY.' Mind you, that was still easy compared to a Peugeot 405 4x4...

[Barry Cade]

Way long ago, when I was far less cynical about cars, still had knuckles and our second child was just a bump.. ( I started young, I was only 20! ) I owned a killer Cavalier SRI130. Black, GSi alloys, mint it was, apart from a noisy thrust bearing. All my kids were born in the first week of January- not in the same year obviously- and this was December...and very VERY cold. I was working outside my house, and wanted the clutch in and done ASAP so i could get back in the warm and settle down to watch Dempsey and Makepeace or something, and be on red alert for the thrash to the maternity unit. Cover off, shaft out, clutch pedal held down whilst the clever clips were put on to lock the pressure plate and clutch plate together, bolts off, clutch dropped out, new thrust bearing, new kit in, cover on, and breathe. Job well done. Started it up to give it a road test, no clutch....then a ping, tinkle,rattle. Got out to find a rapidly growing puddle of stinky EP 80/90.

 

Yep, I'd left the clips on, which fired out through the box. "bugger" was my response...., I think. It WAS a long time ago.

 

P.S. The bolt was 7mm IIRc, but the 4 bolts that held the linkage box to the gearbox was just the job.

[Junkman]

What is a "clutch"?

[Barry Cade]

What is a "clutch"?

Its a type of handbag... they cost a packet, don't hold anything and go in and out of fashion every week. Kind of the baggage equivalent of an Audi TT

[Volksy]

 Mind you, that was still easy compared to a Peugeot 405 4x4...

 

Done one of those, horrible job.

[Dead_E23]

Now you've mentioned 4x4 clutches, I once had to change the one in my Land Rover Defender when it needed a gearbox.  That's no easy job - you have to remove the floor, then the gearbox comes out through the passenger compartment using an engine crane.  It's an enormous off-balance thing and quite heavy, so very difficult to manipulate.  Mine was super-reluctant to mate back up with the engine; even once I'd recruited an assistant it took hours just to do that small stage.

 

Apparently much easier if you separate the main gearbox from the transfer box, but I didn't learn that until it was all back together.

[greengartside]

I don't want to sound like Mr Thicky, but how did you get the clutch off the input shaft whilst the box was in situ? That inspection plate does sound like a good idea though, saving you the arsehole of removing the box just to inspect the friction plate. 

 

Sorry, I did have to remove the input shaft as well but was still quicker than taking the box off!

[Pillock]

Golf thrust bearings are nice, they're on the wrong end of the box so just sit behind a green cover. Even for a mechanical Muppet like me, 20 minutes.

[cobblers]

Golf thrust bearings are nice, they're on the wrong end of the box so just sit behind a green cover. Even for a mechanical Muppet like me, 20 minutes.

I'd forgotten about this and was just putting up with the grumbly bearing on my daily, there's a very remote chance of me actually changing it now!

[Split_Pin]

MISERY LEVEL = 10/10

 

Good on you for keeping going. There is no way I'd ever attempt this kind of job myself, I would literally die trying.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

Top tip 4 gearbox fitting: screw 2 longish bits of threaded rod into the block either side of flying wheel. Locate box onto rods and slide the fucker on. The rods take the weight whilst you jiggle input shaft into the clutch plate.

 

 

 

Oh, and I don 't do FWD clutches now.

[Pillock]

I'd forgotten about this and was just putting up with the grumbly bearing on my daily, there's a very remote chance of me actually changing it now!

 

 

 

In the background, the only tool I needed to change the bearing.

On my fingers, the mess I found once the cover had come off.

 

Remember to order a new cover when you do it, you have to bend the heck out of the lip to remove the old one.