clutch died

[grendal13]

im really stuck and could with some advice! my diesel 406 died yesterday the car was vibrating very badly went to the petrol station, engine running in gear with the clutch pressed down then for no reason it makes a clunk noise reves drops abit but seemed tobe fine,i took it out of gear released the clutch and a second later pedal dropped to the floor,i tried pulling it back but it sprung back down,turned the engine off and back on the pedal came up but it wont go down now no matter how hard i press.It goes in all gears no problem,but when the engine is started it sounds like the clutch is partially engaged as it make a slight grinding noise,any ideas?

[mjb]

So the engine is permanently mostly disengaged from the gearbox, but there's still some hint of drive? I'd have to guess some of the clutch pressure plate fingers have snapped, freeing the release bearing, which usually pushes back against the pedal (via the release fork and hydraulics). If this happened, the slave cylinder piston will have been left in the 'pushing out' position because the fork's not pushing it back in. Pulling the pedal up, especially if there's a lot of friction on the piston, can cause extra fluid to enter the hydraulic system, causing it to jam

If it is this, repair could be costly - see my clutch change howto

Just a guess - I'm not a mechanic but I've spent a vast amount of time dealing with my 406s clutch.

[steve_earwig]

I'm not sure if this is a 1.9 (cable clutch) or a 2.1 (hydraulic) but, either way it sounds like it's new clutch time Actually, it reminds me of the time the release bearing on my Craptina (cable) ate through the fingers on the pressure plate...

[puggy]

Just had this problem , 2000 hdi pressed clutch pedal almighty bang pedal stayed
down , pulled it up would not go down again , thrust bearing had disintegrated .

[grendal13]

is the thrust bearing difficult to replace on these?

[puggy]

drive shafts out gear box out , may as well have clutch done at same

[steve_earwig]

Is this a 2.1 or a 1.9?

[grendal13]

its a 1.9

[steve_earwig]

Oops, I've just been reading my Haynes again and this one also has the pull-type clutch Have a squint viewtopic.php?f=5&t=10217&hilit=clutch+dmf#p90725. I think it's a case of make sure you have something you can use before offering the gearbox back on the engine...

[grendal13]

thanks for all the replys, im gonna have a look over the weekend

[grendal13]

ive just had a quick look and the hydraulic system is completly dry,how do i go about bleeding the system?

[mjb]

You can't - you'll need to acquire a replacement hydraulic system. About £200 from dealers iirc, or you can get one from a similar 406 in a scrappy. Changing is very easy - just push the cylinders inward and turn about 45 degrees anticlockwise to free them up

[steve_earwig]

But I thought the 1.9 was a cable

[mjb]

hmm me too...

[grendal13]

ive decided to sell it for scrap anybody intrested? im in north wales