Vauxhall Astra J clutch bleeding issue

[aallank]

I currently have a Vauxhall Astra J 1.7 CDTI

The original clutch failed on it and so i have replaced it with an LUK dual mass flywheel, cover plate, friction plate and csc (concentric slave cylinder) (all LUK)

Shortly after replacing all of this, whilst driving the vehicle i noticed that the gears were difficult to select at times, the clutch would judder slightly first thing in the morning but then be ok for the rest of the day and the clutch pedal didn't feel as smooth as it did before the clutch originally broke.

I persisted with this for the next couple of weeks but it didn't improve, i tried to re bleed the clutch hydraulic system and it didn't make a difference. So i went about replacing clutch master cylinder, clutch accumulator, all of the pipe work including the flex hose and the bleed nipple adaptor to the CSC. I bled the new system and noticed an improvement in the smoothness of the clutch pedal and thought yay i've solved the problem. After road testing the vehicle i noticed that even though the clutch pedal is smoother, it is still difficult to select gears sometimes.

I then realised with it sat on the driveway that if you put your foot on the clutch and immediately try to select a gear, you feel a slight jolt as if the clutch hasn't fully disengaged. If you put your foot on the clutch, wait 3 seconds, then select a gear, it works fine. I decided to look on YouTube and found a video of someone with the exact same issue and he said that he replaced the bleed nipple adaptor and that cured the problem. (i've already replaced this and the problem is still there).

So now i'm at a loss as to what to do next and wondered if anyone has any advice at all?

I have pressure bled the system, vacuum bled the system and manually bled the system, all of which end up with the same issue.

I'm tempted to send the clutch back to LUK to be tested incase it is a fault with the cover plate or the CSC but obviously as you will know its a big job and will they even understand the fault that i'm having?!

I have been a mechanic for 30+ years and have never come across a fault like this hence this post.

Many thanks in advance for reading and for any advice

[bongtom]

My first guess is a faulty slave cylinder.

I wonder if the friction plate and cover plate either do not match or the cover plate is faulty?
Is the release bearing ok?

Edited by bongtom on Tuesday 4th October 06:30

[woodyskw]

Did you resolve this? Very similar to my experience so far with a Chevrolet Cruze