Rover 200 (1995 - 1999) - 1997 214 - Clutch has gone funny!!

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Mon 4 Feb 2008 16:54
1997 214 - Clutch has gone funny!! - bbroomlea{P}
Ok heres the problem...

Drove 7 miles in car yesterday to watch footy match at a mates, - no problems with clutch on journey. Coming home everything seemed ok but i kept crunching the gears. By the time I got home, I had to push the clutch right down to change gear.

Biting point is right at the bottom of travel - it used to be 1/2- 3/4 way up. You hardly have to move your foot before it takes up drive!! Its girlfriends run around and she has just called to say that shes struggling to change gear.

Any ideas what it might be? I thought that the clutch was biting a bit high before and now its gone right to the bottom of travel in about 10 miles. Its done about 40 miles today and she has to get home from work yet (another 30 or so) and seems to be getting worse.

Is it new clutch time? This one has done 125,000

Edited by Dynamic Dave on 04/02/2008 at 18:51

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Mon 4 Feb 2008 17:06
Clutch has gone funny!! - 1997 214 - Carse
If it is a hydraulic clutch it sounds like you have a leak and need to check the reservoir. If it is not it sounds like you need a new clutch

Carse
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Mon 4 Feb 2008 18:54
Clutch has gone funny!! - 1997 214 - bbroomlea{P}
I am almost certain its a cable one.

Perhapes should have also mentioned that the pedal has been stiff for a while - almost giving you a dead leg in heavy traffic! Could it be as simple as it needs adjusting?
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Mon 4 Feb 2008 19:34
Clutch has gone funny!! - 1997 214 - mfarrow
Could it be as simple as it needs adjusting?


Not with it failing as quickly as this - cable's stretch over time.
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Mon 4 Feb 2008 19:37
Clutch has gone funny!! - 1997 214 - andyp
A clutch cable where the inner cable is starting to wear into the outer cable can give you a stiff or heavy clutch pedal, but combined with the other symptoms you describe i think you have a problem with the cover plate and could be looking at a new clutch.
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Mon 4 Feb 2008 20:26
1997 214 - Clutch has gone funny!! - octa
See my text 25th jan.RoVer 45...........sounds like same problem!
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Tue 5 Feb 2008 18:42
1997 214 - Clutch has gone funny!! - bbroomlea{P}
The plot thickens!

Its done now about 200 miles and got no worse - I will check the selector fork at the weekend - although would be very odd to just bend.

Local independant suggested its probably the auto adjuster gone on the cable so something else to check..

however....

The brakes dont feel right and have co-insided with the clutch issue. Basically feels like brake fade on high speed stops - ie from motorway speeds. Any chance they can be related?
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Tue 5 Feb 2008 19:56
1997 214 - Clutch has gone funny!! - Altea Ego
Is the pivots in the pedal box ok? sounds like they might be falling out!
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Tue 5 Feb 2008 20:10
1997 214 - Clutch has gone funny!! - bbroomlea{P}
Never thought of that, thanks for the suggestion - I will check that tomorrow as well whilst its on the ramps!!

Old cars eh, who'd have em!!
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Thu 7 Feb 2008 11:07
1997 214 - Clutch has gone funny!! - bbroomlea{P}
As the weather was nice, I didnt bother with trying to fix it - washed and waxed my MG instead!!

However, drove the 200 last night and the clutch has gone back to normal and biting about half - 3/4 way up the pedal - very odd!!

I can only think the tensioner on the cable is about to fail so will replace it anyway - must be the worlds first self repairing car!!!
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