3200 GT Clutch pedal to the floor

[Masmad]

Anybody experienced this unpleasant occurrence?Can't get gears.Clutch has been making a wheezing noise when pedal depressed for a while.I'm told this may be the thrust bearing.Clutch itself has been working fine but if the bearing needs changing then presumably it's sensible to change clutch.Does the above sound right?
Also,not sure if the warranty will deal with the bearing.It does seem absurd that a car with 30k miles has this problem.It may be described as wear and tear in which case there is no hope.Not looking forward to the bill!
mr-tony its your old banger.I'm loathe to ask that well known Garage close to heathrow to deal with it as they will charge the earth and more.You used Verdis whilst you had it-were they good?
Either way i'll get the AA to take it-save the collection charge at least
Any advices would be much appreciated.

Mark

[nigelo]

Masmad said:

Anybody experienced this unpleasant occurrence?Can't get gears.Clutch has been making a wheezing noise when pedal depressed for a while.I'm told this may be the thrust bearing.Clutch itself has been working fine but if the bearing needs changing then presumably it's sensible to change clutch.Does the above sound right? Also,not sure if the warranty will deal with the bearing.It does seem absurd that a car with 30k miles has this problem.It may be described as wear and tear in which case there is no hope.

When saying that "pedal goes to the floor" are you saying that there is no resistance (which would indicate hydraulic failure rather than the actuating bearing) or do you mean that limit of pedal travel is reached before disengaging clutch? The latter case indicates worn clutch components and not just the bearing. That said, the clutch travel is adjustable and maybe worth looking at but if this is the original clutch then it is almost certainly wear and tear.

Note that the 3200 has a "pull" clutch rather than the more common push due to the heavy duty of managing sudden power bursts when the turbos light up. Considering the power it handles, 30k miles is far from absurd and is what I consider to be average. However, much depends on the use and abuse it receives ie Aunt Gladys using 6,000rpm whilst parking compared to Mr T's expert left foot.

Generally speaking and considering the labour costs, there is little point in replacing just one of the 3 major clutch components when the labour costs (circa £600/700) are the same whether 1 or all 3 parts are replaced. I always make a point in renewing Centre plate, clutch cover and bearing as a matter of course. Unfortunately, these 3 parts are expensive (circa £1,200) due to the limited production run as they do not fit other models or at least they didn't when I last looked. Once sorted, at least you have 30k miles to expect which is considerably more than my old Boxer's 10k life expectancy with similar power and a N/A engine.

Hope this helps

>> Edited by nigelo on Sunday 19th February 10:48

[Masmad]

Went to change gear and pedal had very little resistance.Managed to crawl back home in 2nd and pull out of gear.Tried it since but it won't engage.
many thanks for your advice.I take your point about the power and life expectancy of the clutch.
Despite this i don't regret buying her.I still look forward to the trip to work and back and she has been trouble free up till now apart from warning lights that come and go.
Judging by the posts on here they seem less troublesome if driven regularly.Trouble is i can't resist.Shall i take daughters 206 today or.....

[mr_tony]

I would recommend you give Verdis a shout - will be a fair bit cheaper than a main dealer job purely for the fact that their labour rate isn't quite so stratospheric. On the other hand it will probably take a little longer than the main dealers as they tend to be pretty chocka - get yourself booked in though and you'll be fine - they seem to have a fair few 3200's though so a clutch change should be rpetty straightforward..

Also masmad drop me a PM - found the leather wallet at home for the manuals that come with the car - send me your address and I will post on to you.

Wonder whether this is anything to do with the transmission shunt - they always told me 'they all do that sir' but I can't help feeling it's pretty violent and must have some mechanical effect..



>> Edited by mr_tony on Monday 20th February 09:46

[maser sod]

Masmad said:

Went to change gear and pedal had very little resistance.

Sounds like slave cylinder failure to me (or poss master, though less likely). If so, this generally isn't an expensive fix - though with a Maser nothing would surprise me.

[jimszero]

Hmm - I just had this exact same thing happen to my 3200 (36k miles).

Took it to Verdis and because of difficulty of getting parts it took best part of 4 weeks and £2,200.

Verdis did the usual great job - just make sure they isolate the battery for you when its hanging around for the parts - cost me a new battery too...

Although the wait was painful (inc 2 dodgy hire cars - Nissan Almera anyone???) it was fantastic when I got her back...

[masmad]

£200 difference between Verdi and main dealer.Not sure who to run with but IF something is broken as opposed to worn and the warranty co concede liability then they may insist on the main dealer repairing-not sure.
I didn't know i was short of a leather wallet and look forward to receiving.
By the way,i've enjoyed listening to Snow Patrol(i assume its yours)Let me know if you want it back that is if i can persuade daughters to return it as they like it too.

[mr_tony]

Hey mr masmad - wondered where snowpatrol went - bought a new copy so you're welcome to keep it!

Not checked mail yet as out of office today but will sort sending wallet on asap.

Regarding clutch - indy will be cheaper, main dealer will probably be quicker if parts need to be found. Thats a generalisation though, and you'd hope that for a clutch parts would be readily available thorugh either source.