aston martin vantage clutch pedal
Discussion
I own the 2006 4.3 & after the old clutch failed the other year I had this replaced with the improved AHM clutch which is much better especially with the depressing the pedal, this was done by a recognised agent & im happy with there work, some time later on depressing the pedal it often stuck down & had to lift it back up with my foot there was a creaking sound like a dry door hinge or something catching like rubber against rubber I took the car back & the mechanic sprayed some WD40 on the clutch pedal rod that goes into a housing & it worked perfect after he done this for about a week then it was sticking again, I have done this myself several times over the next year & when i took the car into the agent for my yearly service I told them about it & said i want this problem solved, when i got the car back they said that they sprayed WD40 again, which was fine for a short time & now its sticking again,
I will say that i only use the car mainly on a dry sunday so i do only a couple of thousand miles per year, The creaking sound appeares to come from where the pedal goes into the engine bay . im not sure how this pedal works but assume the rod goues into a chamber & wondering if the rod is not properly central causing a piston to catch the cylinder wal.
I need some help on this as my garage dont seem to want to locate the problem
phil
I will say that i only use the car mainly on a dry sunday so i do only a couple of thousand miles per year, The creaking sound appeares to come from where the pedal goes into the engine bay . im not sure how this pedal works but assume the rod goues into a chamber & wondering if the rod is not properly central causing a piston to catch the cylinder wal.
I need some help on this as my garage dont seem to want to locate the problem
phil
The pedal attaches directly to the clutch hydraulic cylinder push rod by means of a plastic banjo. The rod tapers at the join with the banjo. The rod may be bent here causing the groan/sticktion. If so it will eventually shear off and a replacement master is several hundred expensive.
I aryldited mine which lasted a few months. Eventually found the master cylinder to be a close match for 90s 5 series BMW unit. Bought a used one and had a local engineering firm make up a steel banjo for the rod then simply replaced the broken Aston rod with it. £25 for the BeeEm part and a bottle of single malfunction for the engineer at the factory.
I aryldited mine which lasted a few months. Eventually found the master cylinder to be a close match for 90s 5 series BMW unit. Bought a used one and had a local engineering firm make up a steel banjo for the rod then simply replaced the broken Aston rod with it. £25 for the BeeEm part and a bottle of single malfunction for the engineer at the factory.
The pivot pin, bushes or any part of the cabin clutch pedal assembly except for the position switch, almost never have any problems.
The creaking and groaning sound you’ve been hearing is most likely the spring expanding and contracting.
Principally, if the pedal remains on the floor after being depressed it’s a hydraulic issue. Either the clutch line needs bleeding or for whatever reason the clutch stroke is too long resulting in the fingers going over centre and the assembly / release bearing not returning.
The creaking and groaning sound you’ve been hearing is most likely the spring expanding and contracting.
Principally, if the pedal remains on the floor after being depressed it’s a hydraulic issue. Either the clutch line needs bleeding or for whatever reason the clutch stroke is too long resulting in the fingers going over centre and the assembly / release bearing not returning.
Are all of the clutch overcentre springs ok (not broken)? There is no return spring on the FTE CMC, so to keep the pedal on the floor would be a fluid issue, as already mentioned.
Some of the early cars had an issue with the bearing material on the pedal pivot which reduced movement, caused friction and creaking. When it was found a white grease was added to the pivot to try and remove the groan.
Some of the early cars had an issue with the bearing material on the pedal pivot which reduced movement, caused friction and creaking. When it was found a white grease was added to the pivot to try and remove the groan.
As it's been some months since i last posted about my clutch on here, heres an update, As i said previous i only use my vantage on sundays if its dry after my last annual service I again reported that the clutch pedal stays down often & have to get the front of my foot to lift it back up, they again had a look & tried wd40 on the pedal arm which again worked for a short period, I took the ca rback & insisted they look into this matter as I was wondering if the AHM com plete clutch they fitted was done properly, I did mention about the clutch cylinder as maybe the rod that goes into the cylinder is the cause, they put a new clutch cyliner on & they also looked at the clutch through the inspection plate & was told they greased the fingers, but when I collected the car i was told that the are not convinced that this has solved the issue, i drove home about 15 miles & all was good I left the car a week in my garage & took it out for a brief run & all seemed ok I have now taken the car out since & back to the same problem clutch pedal sticks down often & seems lightly gerky when releasing the pedal & again its making a groaning sound that comes from the pedal as well as the clutch housing when i got a friend to press the pedal whilst i listened underneath the car, I have been in touch with AHM in hants & they say that there shouldn't be a creaking at all it should work quite, they say that the complete clutch assembly fits the same as the standard clutch with no adjustments to be made,
isn't there a spacer for the slave cyl / thrust bearing on some twin plate clutches?
If this was missing could it result in over stroking?
Mind you if this was the case I would have thought it would occur more often
http://www.davidapplebyengineering.com/shop/produc...
If this was missing could it result in over stroking?
Mind you if this was the case I would have thought it would occur more often
http://www.davidapplebyengineering.com/shop/produc...
I had a very similar problem with my Volvo C30. I mention it because Aston and Volvo were part of the same Ford empire, and it might be a shared part with the same fault.
My clutch pedal would squeak, and I never did pinpoint the source. Every winter, my clutch would go 'soft' with shortened pedal travel. Sometimes it would stick to the floor and have to be manually pulled up as you describe. It would happen if the car sat for a while, or after a long highway trip. If I was driving around town and using the clutch often, it was fine. I knew the problem had to be in the hydraulic part of the system, but I really couldn't narrow it down further and I was reluctant to replace everything.
Eventually, it failed completely and I limped home with no clutch. It turned out to be the master cylinder, but the only way I knew was that it was leaking fluid into the car. I think initially it was leaking so slightly that it was letting air in, but not fluid out. Therefore it could be pumped up and be OK for a while, but eventually it turned into a real leak that led to total failure.
My clutch pedal would squeak, and I never did pinpoint the source. Every winter, my clutch would go 'soft' with shortened pedal travel. Sometimes it would stick to the floor and have to be manually pulled up as you describe. It would happen if the car sat for a while, or after a long highway trip. If I was driving around town and using the clutch often, it was fine. I knew the problem had to be in the hydraulic part of the system, but I really couldn't narrow it down further and I was reluctant to replace everything.
Eventually, it failed completely and I limped home with no clutch. It turned out to be the master cylinder, but the only way I knew was that it was leaking fluid into the car. I think initially it was leaking so slightly that it was letting air in, but not fluid out. Therefore it could be pumped up and be OK for a while, but eventually it turned into a real leak that led to total failure.
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