helicopterdcr Posted May 27, 2007 Share Posted May 27, 2007 Mrs Helicopter rang me yesterday to report that the clutch had gone. I sorted out the breakdown recovery (Very quick, thank you Footman James).The clutch had indeed gone. You can put the car in gear with the engine running, but nothing happens when you let the clutch pedal out. Engine runs normally. but there's zero drive. I know this is a clutch problem, but what would have gone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smithy Posted May 27, 2007 Share Posted May 27, 2007 Thats very odd mate. Are you sure no-ones sneaked off with the propshaft?Edit:Budgie - are you out there? Perhaps I sounded a little frivolous, but to have a clutch fail and then be able to press the clutch in, select a gear and then 'let the clutch out' to have the car not move is, uh, odd.I'd strongly suspect some other drivetrain problem if things really are as you describe.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard B Posted May 27, 2007 Share Posted May 27, 2007 If there was a 'bang' then the friction plate may have 'torn' I had that caused by a bent engine backplate, or is there evidence of 'clutch slip'? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smithy Posted May 27, 2007 Share Posted May 27, 2007 Richard - oh, ah, yeah, I suppose the clutch plate may have completely disintegrated, ho hum.I still think the idea of a sneak thief having it away with the propshaft is more fun.Or making off with most of the differential. Or both half-shafts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted May 27, 2007 Share Posted May 27, 2007 Happened to me in Angers. Clutch in 7 pieces........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deleted User Posted May 27, 2007 Share Posted May 27, 2007 prob look something like this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smithy Posted May 27, 2007 Share Posted May 27, 2007 I think you'll find that's 8 pieces Doug, fnarr fnarr.And I bet you're no bloody good at puzzles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helicopterdcr Posted May 28, 2007 Author Share Posted May 28, 2007 Hmmm. There was no evidence of clutch slip in the days leading up to absent clutch. I did do a fast take off from a junction the other day and there was a bit of judder, but it didn't manifest itself again and the car drove normally afterwards.Perhaps I knadgered the clutch plate during that take off? Must remember that it's a Herald and not a helicopter. I didn't think about looking to see if someone had run off with the propshaft - more lateral thinking required :)I'll let you know what went... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deleted User Posted May 28, 2007 Share Posted May 28, 2007 There was no evidence of slip before mine went ,,,juddered pulling away from a jucntion and then all hell broke loose ,sounded like the gearbox had gone...but i guess there are many ways for it to manifest itself Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Posted May 28, 2007 Share Posted May 28, 2007 I recall "losing" a clutch in my first Vitesse and then driving home in third, sans clutch, for 20 miles - most entertaining. Fortunately I had some mates in the car who could push start the car for me when I was faced with some traffic lights and had to stop - oh how we did laugh when I had to leave one at the side of the road coz he didn't manage to get back in quickly enough! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharlieB Posted May 28, 2007 Share Posted May 28, 2007 I had a similar problem with an old Chevette. Managed to change gear without the clutch & at junctions I'd cut the engine & pull away on the starter motor! Good job the battery was ok. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helicopterdcr Posted May 31, 2007 Author Share Posted May 31, 2007 The car is back on the road, and contrary to suggestions, it was not a missing propshaft that caused the outage of forward motion.It was the clutch. The thing had worn down to the rivets on both sides, so I had to replace the pressure plate as well. At least the clutch plate came out in one piece rather than in 8.....Now I find the exhaust is blowing and there's water in the footwells, after it's been parked outside for a couple of days 'summer' downpours. @#**#cks. And I need a new tyre. And I still have to install a cigarette lighter socket.ho hum. :-/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard B Posted May 31, 2007 Share Posted May 31, 2007 Did Mrs Helicopter not notice some Slippage, or did she think you had an automatic? :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helicopterdcr Posted May 31, 2007 Author Share Posted May 31, 2007 It's funny you should say that Richard; it's a natural question to ask of course, but disappointingly, no - to both questions. That's why I thought it odd that the thing should just pack up without a moment's thought. One moment it was going OK (and I drove it the day before, without any slippage being present at all) - the next, nothing. There wasn't any noise, just a lack of forward motion.Mrs H is a colonial type, being Canadian, so she might have assumed she was back home in an automatic (sssh, she failed her first driving test last year, because she drove out of the test centre, came to a T junction and on being asked to turn left, turned left, but on to the right hand side of the road!!! ::) ) I think the air turned blue when the examiner grabbed the wheel - she sometimes has a fine turn of phrase...Anyway, now to find a live wire for that cigarette lighter socket.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lordleonusa Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 I don't have the information here at work with me, but I uprated the clutch on my Herald 1200 using a Ford Escort Mexico Clutch and redrilled mountings on the flywheel. A most succesful conversion, added a lot of reliability.I think the Escort Mexco was 1600cc wasn't it?RegardsLéon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heraldhabitat Posted June 2, 2007 Share Posted June 2, 2007 I had a similar experience with my first Courier Van but it was the halfshaft sheared in the hub, so basically everything was going around except the wheel , it looked like it had been cut with a saw! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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