Ford Focus (1998 - 2004) - 1999 1.8 Possible Clutch fault ?

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Mon 9 Feb 2009 17:30
1999 1.8 Possible Clutch fault ? - jp147
The car concerned is a 1999 Ford Focus 1.8 petrol which has done 78k miles.

I have owned the car since 2004 and have always thought that the clutch "biting" point is near the top of the pedal travel compared with other cars I have driven.

The problem with this is that on hill starts it is quite difficult to balance the clutch pedal and the accelerator pedal in order to move off from a standstill. This applies to reversing on a hill or slope. The other thing that I notice is that when I have reached the biting point and the car is about to move, the engine revs on the tachometer come down to not much more than 1000 rpm. For example, if prior to bringing the clutch pedal up to the biting point I rev the engine up to say 2250 rpm and then bring the clutch pedal all the way up to the biting point, the revs drop right down to like I said about 1000rpm.

Does this sound normal ?
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Mon 9 Feb 2009 18:43
1999 1.8 Possible Clutch fault ? - shadyarea
For example if prior to bringing the clutch pedal up to the biting point
I rev the engine up to say 2250 rpm and then bring the clutch pedal
all the way up to the biting point the revs drop right down to like
I said about 1000rpm.



If the clutch was going engine revs would not die.
Best way to check a clutch is to park on the flat and select 5th release handbrake and try to pull away if car stalls clutch is fine if revs increase and clutch is fully out it is gone.
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