Clutch or gearbox?

[Shuvi McTupya]

Hi all,
I have owned the car (Peugeot 206cc ) a month and a few times during that period I have noticed a little resistance while trying to find a gear, nothing that a little extra force didn't overcome.

But it has got worse and I am now finding that with urban driving (lots of gear changes) it is fine for a while and then I notice a bit of resistance and then it just says 'no'. I have to stop for a minute or two and then all is fine again for a while ..the 'STOP' light flashes when this happens.

The clutch pedal feels fine and depresses all the way in a springs back out, it's just that it won't slot into a gear.

I have no documentation /service history and to be honest, not much mechanical talent but can anyone give me any suggestions?

My next door neighbour is a bit more mechanicy than me ( I am happy to do a full service etc) so will help me if it is something that can be adjusted/topped up etc. Do these cars have any clutch fluid, I can't see an obvious place to put some.

Anyone?

[Mr2Mike]

Clutch may share the same fluid reservoir as the brakes, low fluid would very probably cause the "STOP" light.

A worn out clutch that is starting to drag could cause this, but I'd expect it to be more consistent and it wouldn't flag the Stop light.

[Shuvi McTupya]

Ok, I have checked the fluid level and it seems fine.

My neighbour is suggesting I check gearbox oil level and that some oils can be a bit 'blocky'
(Have a tendency to block you from engaging gears? )

I neve get stuck in a gear, it is always finding the next gear that is the problem. The clutch pedal never feels like it is struggling, I just physically can't push it into any gear until I stop and restart the engine or at least sit for a while.

[GreenV8S]

Shuvi McTupya said:

I just physically can't push it into any gear until I stop and restart the engine or at least sit for a while.

That suggests the synchro hubs are struggling when the gearbox is hot. If it's a high mileage 'box they might just be worn out. You might find that different oil helps, and if you can find an owners club/group they might be able to advise you about that. I'd advise you to resist any temptation to force it into gear - that's liable to chip the teeth off the baulk ring.

[Shuvi McTupya]

Thanks a lot, I will ask on the Peugeot forum for further advice!

[E-bmw]

Shuvi McTupya said:

My neighbour is suggesting I check gearbox oil level and that some oils can be a bit 'blocky'
(Have a tendency to block you from engaging gears? )

OK, so my advice to you is to NOT either take his advice or get him to work on your car!

[Shuvi McTupya]

E-bmw said:

OK, so my advice to you is to NOT either take his advice or get him to work on your car!

I thought it sounded a bit strange but he was saying that apparently it was an issue with certain models in the passed that certain oils just didn't bring out the best of the gearbox.

But, he is a retired engineer rather than retired mechanic..

[Mr2Mike]

Oils can make a difference to shift quality but not to the point that it prevents gear selection. The stop light is the biggest mystery here for me, and there is no way in hell that is caused by the type of oil in the gearbox.

[Shuvi McTupya]

Mr2Mike said:

Oils can make a difference to shift quality but not to the point that it prevents gear selection. The stop light is the biggest mystery here for me, and there is no way in hell that is caused by the type of oil in the gearbox.

Could it be caused by the amount of oil in the gearbox?

[bearman68]

These gearboxes are common failure items - the 2nd shaft shears leaving the car with no drive at all in the box. I wonder if this is the start of the problem.

[Shuvi McTupya]

bearman68 said:

These gearboxes are common failure items - the 2nd shaft shears leaving the car with no drive at all in the box. I wonder if this is the start of the problem.

let's hope not. Paying for replacing gearboxes does not good bangernomics make!

[Mr2Mike]

Shuvi McTupya said:

Could it be caused by the amount of oil in the gearbox?

Problems selecting gears could be caused by this, but why would it be so intermittent and the ECU won't know anything about gearbox oil level so doesn't explain the stop light. Perhaps the stop light is a coincidence.

OP where is the bite point on the clutch, is it either near the top or close to the floor?

[Shuvi McTupya]

Mr2Mike said:

Problems selecting gears could be caused by this, but why would it be so intermittent and the ECU won't know anything about gearbox oil level so doesn't explain the stop light. Perhaps the stop light is a coincidence.

OP where is the bite point on the clutch, is it either near the top or close to the floor?

My first answer will be 'Quite close to the floor' but I will actually pay closer attention when I drive it in a bit. I know that I have , on occasion, performed a poor gear change as I didn't have the clutch FULLY depressed. Or is that different to the biting point?

I just had a look on that 'find a dodgy mechanic in your area website 'click mechanic' and it would appear that I can get a new gearbox installed for £4,500. That's alright then , I thought it was going to be expensive but that is only 9x what I paid for the car...

[Shuvi McTupya]

Mike, just to revisit something you said earlier about it not making any sense that the 'stop' light is turning on and could it be a coincidence.

I have just done a complete service on the car, and I am having a hard time reading the dipstick . I initially put 3 litres of fresh engine oil in and topped it up another litre when the oil light flashed at me.

I do get a little beep sometimes when cornering at speed and wondered if that could be a low oil indicator but the oil light doesn't seem to illuminate.

I suppose it is possible that the engine oil level is turning on the 'stop' light but as I say I am not getting a low oil waning light coming on now.

[Shuvi McTupya]

Got the car recovered today as it kept playing about.

My mechanic soon discovered that the clutch slave was leaking and seems to think that replacing that will fix my issues!

Fingers crossed..

[gordmac]

If you pump the clutch fairly rapidly several times and the change is easier good chance the master or slave cylinder seals are passing fluid.

[bearman68]

Shuvi McTupya said:

bearman68 said:

These gearboxes are common failure items - the 2nd shaft shears leaving the car with no drive at all in the box. I wonder if this is the start of the problem.

let's hope not. Paying for replacing gearboxes does not good bangernomics make!

It's OK, this the engine it's matched to is hardly a staple of bangernomics either.

[CDP]

Shuvi McTupya said:

Got the car recovered today as it kept playing about.

My mechanic soon discovered that the clutch slave was leaking and seems to think that replacing that will fix my issues!

Fingers crossed..

Sounds about right and hopefully should be a quick and cheap fix.

[mighty kitten]

If it’s an external slave and still drags after replacement the bolt on tube that carries the release bearing are prone to wear causing the bearing to stick or tilt on the cover making it drag but usually with some noise as well