Car D.I.Y.

[Tom B]

One of the best tools I own is a 3ft knuckle breaker bar. Great for all sorts of jobs including scaring idiots. When I used to work and run shops in dubious areas it stayed in the car footwell along with a few sockets to legitimise it (a 17mm and some whitworth sockets - handy for a 1998 corsavan)

Just bought a car that needs a clutch. Briefly considered doing it on the drive. Then remembered the swearing I did doing. A much smaller clutch on the Corsa years ago.

Local clutch man reckons he can do it in a morning.

I still can't get my head around why the clutch gets lower and lower as it wears.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

I still can't get my head around why the clutch gets lower and lower as it wears.

It's all about leverage, as the plate wears it gets thinner, which means the release bearing moves forward to take up the slack/wear. The few millimetres it moves is exaggerated immensely by the length of the clutch pedal.

 

[MrGrumpy]

Think I’ve only ever fitted one clutch on my life time. My mother however needed a new clutch in her Corsa after about 4yrs old. Hence her next car will be an auto . Will be her last car, she’s 84 this year .

 

[DaveReading]

Changing Mini clutches was a piece of cake ...

 

[fossyant]

My son's done a few clutches, when replacing his engine twice.

 

[gbb]

Never done a clutch, looked at them and always thought it should be quite achievable.
I know, stripping machines at work you know you've never done it before, probably won't ever do it again so you approach it blind, and particually, when putting stuff back together, occasionally put loads if stuff back to realise, oh, I didn't realise that piece won't go in now and have to strip back to the point where you can
Lots of stuff to strip back on modern cars before you even get to the bit you're interested in.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

Changing Mini clutches was a piece of cake ...

Presume you mean the real Mini's they were okay IF the flywheel came off, if not they could be right barstools been known to have to cut the flywheel off before

 

[DCLane]

Our Peugeot Tepee's showing some rust under the number plate. So that's come off, only to discover whoever put the last set of plates on - 10+ years ago? - just drilled a pile of holes then stuck the plate in. Some of the holes were used. Others have just been letting water / dirt in. Quite a bit of paint has lifted and there's several rust patches underneath.

So the back's been cleaned up, lifted paint taken off, all sanded and I'm in the process of treating the rust. The bottom sill is getting some treatment as well since that was welded for the MOT last year but is showing rust signs.

Then it'll be all anti-rust primer'd, then painted over the next few days.

 

[Electric_Andy]

Not DIY but I wish I could. Having new clutch and flywheel fitted on Wednesday, £1000 😭

 

[Deleted member 26715]

Not DIY but I wish I could. Having new clutch and flywheel fitted on Wednesday, £1000 😭

Dual mass?

 

[bikingdad90]

@Electric_Andy not looking forward to getting my Scenic done. It’s on 70,000
Miles and 7 years old this year. It has a heavy clutch (high bite point) but it’s running fine.

Been told it’s an engine out job to replace the clutch when it does go.

 

[gavroche]

Just come back from a vintage car show and one had the bonnet open to show the engine. It was a Ford from the 70s and it reminded me how easy to was then to work on a car. So much room around the engine and everything at hand.
Now, when I open the bonnet on my car, no space around the engine, loads of electronic devices and everything buried under everything else.
How mechanical things have changed and become so complicated for the DIY mechanic, if there is still such a thing. Certainly not for me.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

@Electric_Andy not looking forward to getting my Scenic done. It’s on 70,000
Miles and 7 years old this year. It has a heavy clutch (high bite point) but it’s running fine.

Been told it’s an engine out job to replace the clutch when it does go.

Our Rav4 144k still on original clutch & have towed caravan, cars on trailers, still going strong.

 

[Electric_Andy]

Dual mass?

Yes. I was expecting it anyway, it's over due

 

[Deleted member 26715]

Engine & all the wiring finished, seems to pull nicely, just got a couple of issues, I didn't tighten the water pump pulley bolts properly & they knackered up the new drive belt, also as I've removed the charcoal canister the MIL comes on the say there's a problem with the purge valve, hopefully I can find a fix for that.