Clutches, Gearboxes &
Dual Mass Flywheels Cheddar

Clutches, Gearboxes & Dual Mass Flywheels Cheddar

Clutches, Gearboxes &
Dual Mass Flywheels
Repair Cheddar

We provide fitting & replacement for Clutches, Gearboxs & Dual Mass Flywheels.

Is that Dual-Mass Flywheel giving you problems? Is your clutch slipping? Getting a noisy gear change?

It makes no difference whether you drive a manual or an automatic motor vehicle. It is important to keep your car’s transmission running smoothly. Automatic transmissions need regular servicing to ensure maximum performance, economy and service life. Manual transmissions also need servicing although this usually include less complicated tasks, such as replacing the fluids and/or making minor adjustments. Some of the signs that there are problems with your clutch or transmission system include:

  • Clutch slips and means that it does not transfer engine power to the wheels.
  • Clutch drags and means that it won’t release properly or trouble to change gears.

It is important to note that it’s only when the clutch disc is slipping against the flywheel that wear occurs So, if you are the type of driver who slips the clutch a lot, you’ll wear out your clutch a lot faster. The Clutch comprises of three parts, often referred to as a Clutch Kit, A friction plate, pressure plate and a release bearing. The friction place is clamped against the flywheel by the pressure plate and released by the release bearing being pushed into the pressure plate. It is also held via splines from the shaft out of the gearbox. The friction plate is in 3 (simplified) positions; either clamped firmly, disengaged completely or partially engaged so that the vehicle can move away progressively. The release bearing acts by either pushing or pulling the pressure plate to disengage drive.

Sorting out a clutch fault can be an expensive, time consuming and more than likely to happen at your inconvenient. Common on most front wheel drive vehicles, when replacing the Clutch & kit, is that the whole transmission and parts of suspension need to be removed in order to get to the Clutch. Although Clutch faults can be caused by the Clutch getting worn out, the issue may be something less than having to replace the whole Clutch. One of these is Drag which comes from when you depress the pedal and the clutch is not released fully, this can result in a noisy gear change and also difficult to engage into gears. Yet Drag can have an expensive outcome, especially if left too long or the clutch itself is at fault for the drag. Some vehicles have a clutch cable, which can stretch, leading to not enough movement to disengage the clutch when the pedal is depressed. Clutch cables can also snap without any given warning rendering the pedal useless. Clutch cable can have a manual or automatic adjuster, if either fails the clutch will slip. Under slip conditions this means that under hard acceleration with the clutch pedal released, the engine speed will rise, without the road speed increasing accordingly. This sort of fault normally leads to a clutch replacement even if it is just the cable that just need adjusting or replaced. Other problems that might occur can cause clutch slip are if the friction plate gets contaminated with oil, from a failing engine or gearbox oil seal. Other vehicles use hydraulics where the clutch pedal operates a piston within a master cylinder, which forces hydraulic fluid through a flexible hose to the clutch slave cylinder. This then pushes against a lever that operates the clutch. The advantages with hydraulics is that they often eliminate the manual adjustment. Although with hydraulics, the seals internally can fail, which allows fluid to escape or air into the system. This can lead to clutch drag effect. The Hydraulics use the same fluid as the brakes hydraulic fluid. With some of these hydraulic systems the same reservoir can be used for both systems at same time. This Hydraulic fluid is hygroscopic and so the fluid should be checked within the service, and replaced at regular intervals every few years. Because clutches work based on friction, they wear out. Slipping the clutch at higher speed will wear them out faster. If the wear continues to occur and is ignored, the clutch could not only fail to transmit any drive at all, but the flywheel could end up being damaged as a result. 

Dual Mass Flywheel: A lot of vehicle manufacturers primarily use DMF’s for their diesel models. A DMF differs from the more conventional solid type, by having a flexible damper built in. This is intended to absorb stresses from the engine and transmission. Although they can fail prematurely, causing a metallic clunking/clanking sound or vibration to be felt at certain engine speeds. A Dual Mass Flywheel may be advised that it is replaced at the same time as the clutch is replaced.

Find Us

4 & 5 Mendip Vale Trading Estate,
Wedmore Road
Cheddar
Somerset
BS27 3EL