406 clutch judder/noise

[timtheenchanter]

I have developed an interesting "fault" on my 406 its a HDI90 on a 53 plate.

with the clutch depresses, all is fine, release the clutch in any gear, or in neutral, there is a skweak coming from that area, depress clutch, all is quiet again.

on pulling away it has also developed a judder, not particulaly severe, but noticable, this happen weather pulling away with low revs, or high.

it had a new clutch last year (after 96K), and has done about 5K on the new one, Im also 99% sure it doesnt have a DMF, the bearings and sleve were replaced at the same time as clutch.

any ideas? Io get the feeling this car is going to want to cost me some pennies soon, the fuel guage already lies to me...

 

[Burnerman]

The squeak is likely to be the release bearing fork - its just a bit dry and probably contaminated with clutch dust.
As for the judder, this is some sort of contamination of the clutch friction plate.....it could be oil or even rust on the flywheel, if the car has been standing for a while. Worn engine / gearbox mounts can also cause this symptom, but not likely on a 52 plate.
Cheap clutch replacements can also judder - it can sometimes depend on how carefully they are replaced!
John

 

[timtheenchanter]

cheers.

Whilst not being an OEM part, it wasnt a cheap and nasty clutch, whislt I didnt replace it, (I needed it doing quickley as the release bearing decided to go a week before my hols) , I know where it came from, but hey, ho I can live with it.

is there any way to clean the fork without dismantling the lot???

just an after though, are you supposed to "bed" in a clutch the same as brakes? if so, I could be the culprit for the judder, I towed my caravan with it after driving 20 miles on the new clutch.

 

[Burnerman]

Its not really feasible to clean out the clutch fork without getting the gearbox off unfortunately - although some might say that a good squirt of solvent in the general area wont do any harm. Thats rubbish, of course!
Towing a caravan with any car is a bit of a task for any clutch really - what happens if the clutch overheats is that the spring fingers on the clutch pressure plate can lose some of their 'springiness' - which can cause judder in its own right. More often though, if this happens, is that the clutch doesn't fully disengage.
There's no need to bed in a clutch - the surface of the friction plate will be worn in in a matter of minutes on its own.
John

 

[timtheenchanter]

cheers, Im not a "clutch slipper" and try to be gentle on my cars, I dont want them to break!!

I have been know to be able to get another 800miles from a clutch thats slipping before it was too far gone...

and nuts to cleaning the fork then, I seem to remember my mechanic having a few choice words about the workings of a 406 clutch (something to do with pushing rather than pulling to release, or was it the other way around.)

Ive not changed a clutch since my '91 ZX, managed that in a day...

 

[kevindgas]

if the mounts are worn you normally just get a clunk when you change gear or accelerate.

judder is normally associated with a fault on the clutch check that the bolts haven't come lose that hold it to the engine. you can do this from underneath on the left hand side when looking back from gearbox.

get it sorted ASAP as my clutch shattered and it cost £900+ to put right! new clutch and gearbox housing plus labour to do the gearbox (we did everything else.