I have just had new tyres fitted to my 97k mile Mazda 626 2.0 petrol, and the fitter brought to my attention that the clutch biting point was very low. I have only had the car a couple of months and accepted this 'as normal' but he was trying to be helpful ( I think!) and as it is a hydraulic clutch (he says) could go at any time without warning. I do not want to be stranded in the back of beyond so is this correct and should I get it replaced as a matter of course in the near future?
Presumably cars with clutch cables give some warning, but that will not happen with mine I will just find myself parked up by the roadside miles from anywhere with no mobile signal!!
Edited by Webmaster on 20/01/2008 at 22:48
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Had the tyre fitter driven enough Mazda 626's to know what a clutch should feel like on one of these?
Drive to an empty car park. Apply handbrake firmly, and with the engine running, select 1st gear and slowly rlease the clutch. As it begins to bite, increase engine revs. If you can force the clutch to slip in this way, then it is on its way out.
If, however, the engine stalls, then you've still got life left in your clutch. (Mind you, it would not be surprising to have your clutch failing at your sort of mileage)
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Had the tyre fitter driven enough Mazda 626's to know what a clutch should feel like on one of these?
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depending on how long he has been fitting tyres, probably yes he has.
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I may have seen similar symptoms. My daughter-in law has a 1998 Mazda Capella (which is a 626). Last week she asked me for my opinion on the clutch as it was taking up very close to the floor. I tried it and she was right. The clutch felt OK, just took up right at the bottom. I checked the operation, and it is hydraulic, taking a feed from the brake master cylinder reservoir. There appeared to be a large amount of free play on the arm that pivots into the bell housing. My opinion was that either the pressure plate, driven plate or the clutch release bearing were faulty. I advised a check at the garage as I didn't want to do the job myself, but I haven't heard back as to the verdict. I will report back when I hear if this thread is still active.
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Hydraulic clutches are inherently self-adjusting, so the bite point does not change much as the clutch wears. On most cable clutch cars the bite point moves up as the clutch wears - the fingers on the pressure plate stick out more as the centre plate gets thinner. There are one or two exceptions to this rule though.
It could be that the fitter was indicating a fault with the release mechanism rather than with the clutch itself.
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At that sort of mileage the clutch may well be nearing the end of its life.
However the hydraulic fluid in the clutch system has probably never been changed. It is worth bleeding the system through the slave cylinder, topping up the master cylinder as you go.
I did this with my daughter's Mitsubishi Shogun and it made all the difference in the world. The old fluid was filthy and obviously there will have been water, and very probably air in the system. The fresh fluid firmed up the clutch pedal, and the clutch bite point returned to normal.
People sometimes remember to renew their brake fluid but forget about their hydraulic clutch fluid.
Ron
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