Focus TDCi 115hp Clutch advice sort asap

[bassetthounder]

I've got a very noisy clutch release bearing to deal with. Now, while it's apart I may as well replace the clutch itself. No problem there as the old girl has done 98k so it's precautionary as she's my daily.
However, I have been told this when asking about flywheels:-

"But if you do not have the flywheel changed, we cannot guarantee the new clutch. This is because a new clutch fitted to an old flywheel will wear away the new clutch much quicker."

Is this a cunning ploy to extract more of my cash?

Should mention that the bag of spanners noise happens when the clutch pedal is aout half way up/down? Car is fine, drives ok, no slip, no other noises other than this one.
Could this have been mistaken for something else....?

Confused and little concerned so all help gratefully received...

Thanks in advance PH'ers especially as I'm not mechanical!!

[bassetthounder]

bump

[Triumph Man]

I'd say it's a false economy not to do the DMF at the same time, as removing the gearbox again would be a ball ache. I say this as the driver of a diesel Passat, a model where the spectre of DMF failure is always there...

[Triumph Man]

bassetthounder said:

Should mention that the bag of spanners noise happens when the clutch pedal is aout half way up/down? Car is fine, drives ok, no slip, no other noises other than this one.
Could this have been mistaken for something else....?

Confused and little concerned so all help gratefully received...

Could be the same problem, i.e. the clutch release bearing?

[Mr2Mike]

As long as the surface of the flywheel isn't badly scored then there is no problem with the friction plate wearing. However the TDCi has a dual mass flywheel, and with ~100k on it you'd be well advised to change it since a failure will involve the same amount of labour again to fix it.

[Fire99]

Definitely change the flywheel at the same time. Too much of a gamble to leave it and it's certainly not unheard of for DMF's to go at that mileage. Do the job once..

[FoundOnRoadside]

Or replace the DMF with a solid flywheel. Kits are available with slave cylinder, clutch and SMF for about £300 for the 1.8TDCI. Transitspares on eBay are one supplier I can think of.

[shouldbworking]

It wouldnt be beyond the realms of possibility to mistake a knackered DMF for a clutch release bearing anyway in my opinion. My tdci has a knackered DMF and pulses back through the clutch pedal pretty strongly, makes very release bearing type noises when you shut it off.

Done 160k miles though so running it till it dies

[C.A.R.]

What are the benefits / problems with fitting a car with a single mass flywheel? Pressumably you'll get more vibration and perhaps lose a bit of economy as a result?

I have the same spec car as the OP and felt the clutch pedal vibrate a bit more than normal yesterday.

[davidsc]

C.A.R. said:

What are the benefits / problems with fitting a car with a single mass flywheel? Pressumably you'll get more vibration and perhaps lose a bit of economy as a result?

I have the same spec car as the OP and felt the clutch pedal vibrate a bit more than normal yesterday.

IIRC, it will be easier to stall.

[swansea v6]

I have just replaced the DMF, clutch and master cylinder on my Rover 75 (ouch) and in place of the DMF I have a 'regular' clutch. The only differences so far seem to be the engine picks up slightly quicker and you get a bit more transmission 'clonk' if you mess a gear change.

[Mr2Mike]

More vibration and noise, and more stress on the gearbox (the DMF filters out the high torque peaks due to the non-constant speed of the crankshaft, especialy at low RPM when the engine is loaded).

There was a thread on this a while back and quite a few people who had had solid flywheel conversions either wished they hadn't bothered or swapped back to a DMF.

[bassetthounder]

Thanks all, it's looking to be the full DMF swap and large bill.... Any ideas on cost? Or dare I ask??

[swansea v6]

I just paid £850 for flywheel, clutch and new master cylinder on my diesel Rover 75......