Clutch

[G UK]

Well bugger me Fedex are about as much use as a glass hammer.

Finally got my clutch.

Thursday Evening to Sunday Morning: Makes it way from Houston to Stanstead.

Sunday: Goes to local depot.

Monday: Failed Delivery. Phone up and they've managed to get the wrong Postcode, promised delivery Tuesday.

Tuesday: No part, Phone up and they didn't put it on the lorry, promised delivery Wednesday and confirmation from manager.

Wednesday: Get call from manager mid afternoon. "I'm sorry sir, but the courier failed to take the package from the depot" Promised delivery Thursday.

Thursday: Nobody in today so they are meant to leave it in the coales (sp?). Get a phone call mid afternoon saying the package has been delivered at a neighbours. Get home, collect package, find letter from fedex. The letter says the package I now have in my hands is sat in storage at Stanstead awaiting customs fees being paid (eh!?). Phone up again to be told to ignore the letter as a fault at Stanstead sent the letters out mistakenly.

I wonder if people who waited longer for there delivery would pay the demand in this letter to Fedex not knowing it wasn't needed

Sigh, at least I've finally got it. total cost $200

[Monty]

At $200 dollars thats a bargin, let us all know how the fitting goes?

[G UK]

Well, this is turning into a fiasco.

The garage have now had my car in since Yesterday morning. They had some trouble as they reckoned that it was a harder job than anticipated.

Well, I get a phone call at lunchtime today saying that they've finished except the car will no longer engage gears with the engine running. I asked if the clutch cable was adjusted correctly to which I was told it was hard over on the adjustment but they will double check. Next I'm told the old clutch was in a right state and it looks like somebody has worked on it in the past. Apparently it wasn't even fitted correctly and they have no idea how it actually managed to work. Now the car has only done 50k miles so I doubt this is the second clutch replacement unless it has previously been owned by a muppet.

ARGHH!!!!

[Sy V]

Sounds to me that the only muppets in this equation could be the garage doing the work.

[G UK]

Ha, Finally get back from work to find my Elan back in pieces again. After inspecting both the clutch that came out of the car and the new one we find that they do not match

OK, I rekon I need some help with part numbers.

Friction Plate: Xedy ISD041U
This seems to be the correct unit and my research confirms it

Release Bearing: Doesnt appear to have a number
Appears to fit and work correctly

Pressure Plate: 8H07 (Only number on it)
This isn't the same as what was fitted: it is thicker and the fingers stick out more (they are flatter on the old clutch) because of this even with the clutch lever fully disengaged the friction plate is not disengaged if you get what I mean.

So, the clutch that came out was a LuK unit (sorry dont have the part number at the moment) and the garage are trying to source a direct replacement. The wierd thing was that the location dowel holes in the old clutch pressure plate were much bigger than the dowels meaning there was some rotational play in the clutch. Anybody got any ideas what the hell is going off!!!

Meanwhile I've got to try and get rockauto to give me a full refund because they appear to have got the wrong pressure plate in the kit.

Bloody Hell what have I done to deserve this luck of late!?

Edit: What the hell, I've just been phoned by my parents, they've only been and got a letter from fedex once again demanding payment for release of the package I recieved several days ago.

[theelanman]

I'm sat here looking at all 3 parts you need
the pressure plate has a number on.....8973680450
the clutch disc has 2 numbers on it........6h28 868M00 (friction side)
6J19.....8979251660 (or it could be 8970251660...its just a little faded on the 9 or the 0...but deduction leaves me to think its a 9...!)
the bearing itself has the number 48tka3211 (nsk)
cheers
G

ps Im guessing the number starting 897 are the ones you need

[G UK]

What make are these? Are they the LuK units?

Looks like I'm returning the kit I got. Also the letter my parents recieved was actually the real import duty demand that Fedex have finally got straight but thanks to rockauto not stating the shipping charges on there customs declaration I'm being stung for VAT on double the actual shipping charge.

This hasn't been my week so far

[theelanman]

GUK
these are the number on the original parts I got from lotus.....
despite this theyre wrapped in isuzu paper
I got the whole lot from lotus when I thought Id burnt my clutch out when my gear cables snapped....as it turned out I hadnt done anything to the clutch so its now a spre set
cheers
G

[G UK]

Bugger, Sorry, right I've already got those numbers. I'll see how they get on tomorrow if not I'll be having to order the originals it looks like. This is getting complicated and my head hurts.

Edit: clarification

[G UK]

All becomes clear!!!!

Some bugger has at some point modified a Vauxhall Calibra Clutch and fitted it to the car, so in actual fact we have been comparing a proper clutch to one that has been mangled to fit on the car. The parts I ordered are actually correct.

Tonight I set up a workbench and decided to do some experimenting to simulate the clutch in the car the results of which seem to suggest that the fool of a mechanic fitted the friction plate the wrong way round despite me warning him of this when he said the car wouldnt go into gear with the engine running. I also found out the owner let one of his other younger lads work on the car for some reason, in the past the owner has always done an excellent job himself.

Unfortunately with having an incorrect clutch fitted to start with this has driven us off on a tangent blaming the new clutch for being the wrong part when infact it was the one fitted that was wrong.

Now to refine my experiments and prove them wrong!!


MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

[G UK]

The Saga continues....

I go back in this morning explaining that I have confirmed that these are the correct parts and that they do indeed work including providing evidence that the bite point on both the old and new clutch when fitted correctly are in exactly the same position relative to the engine and gearbox therefore the friction plate should disengage the same as the old clutch.

The response I get, "well I checked he fitted it right and theres not enough travel in the clutch lever for the friction plate to disengage". WTF, the bite point is the same so how can one work and not the other. They have told me that when fitted the fingers of the pressure plate sit about 10mm from the friction plate. There now saying there taking the gearbox and clutch to a gearbox specialist to see if he can figure it out on Monday.

Can anybody help with this? When fitted what clearance should you expect between the pressure plate fingers and the friction plate?

My current thinking is that they put the friction plate in backwards and now wont admit it but instead are trying to blame everything but themselves.

[theelanman]

mm
in hind sight dont use them again......
as for the direction/side of the plate to get the 'orientation' sorrect.....on mine its written on them to tell you which side fits to which......
might be an idea to find somene competent and take it off this lot (without paying as they done chuff all) and find someone who knows..
just a thought....sounds like a real cafuffle ((((

[theelanman]

have you shown them this???

[G UK]

The problem is I know which way the friction plate is meant to go and the garage are saying thats the way they tried it. Unfortunately I dont know if they are lying as I was at work at the time and they had dismantled it again by the time I got home.

Anyway, the gearbox specialist was actually in today and after having a quick look confirmed that there is nothing wrong and the new clutch should work just fine. So on to plan B, they are going to fit both clutches minus the gearbox on Monday and measure from the location face on the flywheel to the top of the fingers on each to see if there is any difference. If its negligible they will have another go at fitting the new clutch.

Now, I'm very tempted to do a mystic meg (or more like septic peg ) impression and predict what happens on Monday.

[G UK]

OK, I may be seeing what the garage are getting at now. I've been getting mixed up about the operation of the clutch. I was thinking that the fingers pushed the friction plate away from the pressure plate but in actual fact they draw the pressure plate away from the friction plate. That makes a world of difference and makes me feel like an idiot.

I'm beginning to think that the flywheel has been modified at some point to accomodate the modified clutch and as such the proper clutch simply will not work. So tomorrow I'll be asking them to modify a new Calibra clutch to match the one removed and fit that. If it starts to go after a few 1000 milles I'll have to source a new flywheel.

What would help a lot is if somebody can give me a measurement from the flywheel face to the location face where the clutch bolts on so I can compare this with my flywheel.

Looks like these guys know what there talking about after all which is more than I can say for myself. I've now got to pop back in the morning and tell them I've changed my mind and can they please modify and fit the Calibra clutch. Not looking forward to that.

[G UK]

Total Costs for those who are interested:

Service: £120
Wheel Bearing Fitted: £40
Clutch Bought from Rockauto (Special Price): £100
Import VAT: £30
New Calibra Turbo Clutch: £130
Clutch Fitted (1st Time): £150
Clutch Fitted (2nd Time): £150
Modifying Calibra Clutch & Cocking about finding what was a matter: Free

So Total cost = £720

This does now mean I've got a spare clutch for sale so I should make some of this back.

If anybody has a flywheel they can check these measurements against it would be appreciated.

Flywheel Face to Clutch Pressure Plate Seating Face
20mm

Clutch Pressure Plate Seating Face to Gearbox Seating Face on Block
30mm

The reason for this is that I suspect that she has had either a new Flywheel fitted or the proper one modified. I'll need to know this in future if anything goes wrong with the modified clutch.

I must say even though I was getting upset with them my local garage they have come through and didn't give up for a reasonable price and have put up with me spouting nonsense at them.

[G UK]

Oh dear, 4 months on and around 4000 miles and I've just noticed a tiny bit of clutch slippage when the boost kicks in in 5th. I reckon I've got another 2-3 months before this one dies as well.

Looks like I'm going to be taking it to a specialist to figure out why a stock clutch will no longer fit. It must either be a different gearbox or a different flywheel has been fitted and will need replacing, at least I still have the clutch I got from rockauto.

Does anybody know how I could identify whether the gearbox is the correct unit without dismantling it all again? If this is correct then it must be the flywheel.

A quick reminder the problem is that with the stock clutch fitted the release bearing cannot move far enough forward to disengage the pressure plate. The modified Calibra clutch stands approx 10mm higher than the stock so does disengage but only seems to last about 5-6k miles.

[dermotbell]

Do you still want to sell the clutch plate and bearing

[G UK]

Better not yet.

I'm going to need it when I figure out what the hell somebody has done to this car and fix it. If the modified Calibra clutch solution is only lasting 5-6k miles I need to get it back accepting the original clutch.

[dermotbell]

you don't ask