Renault megane won't go into gear after new clutch, flywheel
Discussion
Never had so much fun, third time i've had the whole front end of the car apart, and the gearbox off. First time the wrong flywheel was supplied, looked the same! It just woukkdn't go into gear, sourced correct flywheel and put yet another new clutch in it, new bloody slave cylinder burst!!?? fluid pissed out the bellhousing! Gearbox off again, new slave cylinder on again(gearbox off again as it's internal).
With the wrong flywheel on first time front wheels just spun with front jacked up in neutral, quickly, not just inertia slowly spinning them, car gearlever was just solid, wouldn't go into any gear, this time with correct flywheel wheels 'weren' t' spinning in neutral, great i thought, cracked it, went through all the gears with front wheels in air.
Put car on ground, started car, gear lever just wouldn't go into gear again!! If you put forward pressure on the gearstick car creeps forward. I've looked at the slave cylinder in-situ and it's fully extending and pushing the clutch plate fingers fully flat!
I've got a pretty good pedal, it's kind of slack for the first inch and a half then great,and as i said earlier slave cylinder looks to be working properly.
With the wrong flywheel on first time front wheels just spun with front jacked up in neutral, quickly, not just inertia slowly spinning them, car gearlever was just solid, wouldn't go into any gear, this time with correct flywheel wheels 'weren' t' spinning in neutral, great i thought, cracked it, went through all the gears with front wheels in air.
Put car on ground, started car, gear lever just wouldn't go into gear again!! If you put forward pressure on the gearstick car creeps forward. I've looked at the slave cylinder in-situ and it's fully extending and pushing the clutch plate fingers fully flat!
I've got a pretty good pedal, it's kind of slack for the first inch and a half then great,and as i said earlier slave cylinder looks to be working properly.
finlo said:
Swan vestas is you friend!
Yep, its getting to that point, believe me. If you fit a wrong flywheel(guy at Renault told me he'd done it, he was the one that told me there were two types!) you would expect a fault! When you fit the correct components and you get the 'same' symptom?? It's making me think something odd has happened here which wasn't expected during a clutch change, it's doing my head in! sunbeam alpine said:
What exactly happens when you try to engage a gear?
Does it crunch as though you haven't pushed the clutch in?
Can you engage all the gears (move the stick in all positions) if the engine isn't running?
With engine running if you push forward the gear lever with the clutch in the lever just comes up against a brick wall! And the car creeps forward, with the engine off all gears select perfectly, and, with the front wheels in the air all gears select perfectly all the way up with the engine running!Does it crunch as though you haven't pushed the clutch in?
Can you engage all the gears (move the stick in all positions) if the engine isn't running?
It feels for all the world that it's physically putting the car on the deck that causes the problem! :-)
Edited by robbocop33 on Sunday 3rd March 13:30
robbocop33 said:
sunbeam alpine said:
What exactly happens when you try to engage a gear?
Does it crunch as though you haven't pushed the clutch in?
Can you engage all the gears (move the stick in all positions) if the engine isn't running?
With engine running if you push forward the gear lever with the clutch in the lever just comes up against a brick wall! And the car creeps forward, with the engine off all gears select perfectly, and, with the front wheels in the air all gears select perfectly all the way up with the engine running! Does it crunch as though you haven't pushed the clutch in?
Can you engage all the gears (move the stick in all positions) if the engine isn't running?
When it creeps forward I guess you mean when you try to select first gear? Does it also creep backwards if you try reverse? What does it do if you try to select gears other than first? Creep forward/nothing/stall?
Did you need to remove a subframe to get at the clutch? (I'm wondering whether there's something blocking the gear lever when there's weight on the car)
ETA: Just noticed your edit - I was thinking along the same lines, although if this were the case, selection should also be difficult with the engine switched off.
Edited by sunbeam alpine on Sunday 3rd March 13:35
Wouldn’t hand the car to an experienced mechanic for that particular job have been more cost effectively? For now accounting for the time spent, etc any savings or DIY satisfaction are surely gone?...
It’s probabky something simple but frustrating, hope you can sort it out soon. For me to big a job for my skill set so I pass it to someone else.
It’s probabky something simple but frustrating, hope you can sort it out soon. For me to big a job for my skill set so I pass it to someone else.
Certainly sounds as though something is physically blocking the gear selection. Just one further question - gear selection without the engine running is possible with the car on the ground?
If so, it has to be something internal which is preventing selection.
What happens if you try to start the car in gear with your foot on the clutch? DON'T DO THIS IF YOU'RE NEAR A WALL!!!
If so, it has to be something internal which is preventing selection.
What happens if you try to start the car in gear with your foot on the clutch? DON'T DO THIS IF YOU'RE NEAR A WALL!!!

sunbeam alpine said:
Certainly sounds as though something is physically blocking the gear selection. Just one further question - gear selection without the engine running is possible with the car on the ground?
If so, it has to be something internal which is preventing selection.
What happens if you try to start the car in gear with your foot on the clutch? DON'T DO THIS IF YOU'RE NEAR A WALL!!!
Goes into gear fine with engine off, and as i said goes into gear with car running with front wheels off the ground. Tried that first clutch i put on, car just jumps forward, however, before i just answered this i was at a mechanic up the road, he was equally puzzled, he said to try putting car in gear with wheels off the ground, then drop the car, then drop clutch and start it, al hell broke loose, saw smoke coming up from the bonnet, and i couldn't get it switched off and out of gear!If so, it has to be something internal which is preventing selection.
What happens if you try to start the car in gear with your foot on the clutch? DON'T DO THIS IF YOU'RE NEAR A WALL!!!

Another thing he said was the two gear control cables have to be spot on, and that triggered a memory of something odd happening first time i took box off, while dropping the box one of the gear cables miraculously jumped back on to the push on nipple thing and 'may' have stretched a bit.
robbocop33 said:
I've got a pretty good pedal, it's kind of slack for the first inch and a half then great,and as i said earlier slave cylinder looks to be working properly.
You need to believe in what your finding here, if you haven't got a good pedal from the first part of the travel...........I know you've done it twice now, but are you 100% sure you got the right components second time round?
Last week I spent about 3 hours trying to get rear brake pads onto a Discovery 2. The pads were from a Range Rover and the box was incorrectly labeled. There's less than 1mm difference in clearance on the carriers and I convinced myself I was doing something wrong.
Last week I spent about 3 hours trying to get rear brake pads onto a Discovery 2. The pads were from a Range Rover and the box was incorrectly labeled. There's less than 1mm difference in clearance on the carriers and I convinced myself I was doing something wrong.
E-bmw said:
It sounds like the clutch isn't disengaging.
Either the slave cylinder isn't correct or if it is a "self-adjusting clutch" the issue could be with the way that is reset/installed.
Clutch was preset, good to go out of the box, according to guy from Luk i've had some chats with. I used the proper alignment self adjusting clutch fitting tool when installing, despite a tech from Renault, the Renault service manual 'and' Haynes not saying to use one!! Either the slave cylinder isn't correct or if it is a "self-adjusting clutch" the issue could be with the way that is reset/installed.
I didn't use one last time, someone says well there's your fault! , nope, cars doing same thing again 'using' the tool!
Bloody sick of it.
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