How hard to do a clutch???

[VWPowered]

on a Citroen AX... or do i run fe cover mate needs it bad has a bad ticker i dont normally bother but said i'd look into how long it takes, work involved etc

[dollywobbler]

Not the worst job in the world, but I think you need to drop the gearbox. And access might be tight given how small they are. At least the words heavy and complicated do not apply!

[Station]

Check underneath, if it's got an 'inspection cover' like the Vauxhall engines/boxes it's easy! You just take it off, hold down the clutch, put little (supplied) clamps on it, pull the input shaft out (from the end of the gearbox) and then unbolt the clutch (spinning it round via turning the crankshaft) and lower it out. Then the reverse of that.However, it's less fiddly taking the gearbox out. You have to take the driveshafts out which means getting the struts out of the way. And then it's a matter of unbolting the box. If I can do a RWD box in a few hours (which is horrible when you've only got a trolley jack), it should be easier on FWD.

[VWPowered]

yeah have done golfs and the espace was an arse just not done an AX

[GrumpyOldMan]

If it's a TU engine, it's a gearbox out job. Nothing complicated, though : car on axle stands, gear oil out, driveshafts out, unplug random linkages, cables and wires, undo bellhousing bolts and use a trolley jack to lower the gearbox. Getting the gearbox back in place might take a while, until everything aligns, so don't worry if it doesn't work the first time round.Oh, and do check the clutch release fork before putting everything back together, they have a tension to crack on the MA gearboxes.

[VWPowered]

so what we looking three hours approx then

[Station]

About six if you count fiddling around with stuck input shaft, etc.

[GrumpyOldMan]

I think it had taken us around four hours when we had done my BX (which has the same engine/box), but the last hour was spent moving the gearbox around to get it to align properly (and swearing profusely).

[Dukestar25]

If it's a TU engine, it's a gearbox out job. Nothing complicated, though : car on axle stands, gear oil out, driveshafts out, unplug random linkages, cables and wires, undo bellhousing bolts and use a trolley jack to lower the gearbox. Getting the gearbox back in place might take a while, until everything aligns, so don't worry if it doesn't work the first time round.Oh, and do check the clutch release fork before putting everything back together, they have a tension to crack on the MA gearboxes.

That's a relief for me too, as, having got the engine in my 106 up and running again, I have discovered that at some point the gearbox is going to need mending/replacing. I think it's the input shaft bearings that are worn...

[GrumpyOldMan]

That's a relief for me too, as, having got the engine in my 106 up and running again, I have discovered that at some point the gearbox is going to need mending/replacing. I think it's the input shaft bearings that are worn...

When my gearbox died, I was told that 'they all do that' and that the weak point of MAs is the crownwheel. Apparently, it's a two-piece press-fit item, which has the tension to separate, resulting in a complete loss of drive to the wheels. Loads of swarf in the drain plug magnet and a creaking noise when starting uphill are supposedly the warning signs that the self-destruction process has begun.

[autohausdolby]

The TU ones aren't bad to do at all - I still wouldn't fancy doing it at the side of the road though I liked working on my AX before I drove it to Morocco, they've got quite a nice little engine bay. I've still got no idea how you are meant to do the tracking with the engine in though - there is approximately 0 room to swing a spanner around the track rod adjusters

[Dukestar25]

That's a relief for me too, as, having got the engine in my 106 up and running again, I have discovered that at some point the gearbox is going to need mending/replacing. I think it's the input shaft bearings that are worn...

When my gearbox died, I was told that 'they all do that' and that the weak point of MAs is the crownwheel. Apparently, it's a two-piece press-fit item, which has the tension to separate, resulting in a complete loss of drive to the wheels. Loads of swarf in the drain plug magnet and a creaking noise when starting uphill are supposedly the warning signs that the self-destruction process has begun.

I've not lost drive (yet), it just sounds dreadful, like something is loose, while idling in neutral... would I be able to fit an MA5 from a pug with a different size engine or does it have to be from a 1360cc engined one like mine?

[GrumpyOldMan]

I've not lost drive (yet), it just sounds dreadful, like something is loose, while idling in neutral... would I be able to fit an MA5 from a pug with a different size engine or does it have to be from a 1360cc engined one like mine?

I think that all the gearboxes fitted to alloy-block TUs (954, 1124, 1360cc) are interchangeable. I know for sure that the gearbox in my car came from a 1124cc AX.Now, I was told that for some reason the gearboxes for iron-block TUs (1587cc) don't fit, but I don't really remember why

[VWPowered]

thats great guys i'll look into it see if it defo is the clutch first before dismantling it