Nissan Navara Clutch replacement

Ford Focus Clutch: Diesel TDi 2004

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Ford Focus Clutch

Ford Focus Clutch
Ford Focus Clutch

Ford Focus Clutch

So, over recent years, I seem to have had a run of cars with clutch problems. Consequently, that has been brought into my garage, Pellon-Autocentre, here in Halifax, UK. I think that most garages will have these kinds of cars with different problems. Sometimes it may be brake problems or sometimes we have a run of exhaust pipes dropping off. This particular time, there have been clutch problems.

Yesterday was no exception? Sure enough, first thing in the morning, an AA transporter turned up on the forecourt. So, with a silver car strapped to the back,. Fortunately, an old customer of ours was in the car. When his Focus was unloaded. He came into the reception to explain what had happened.

He told us that he had recently been working away in the south of England. While he was away, he started to have problems with his clutch. He told us that one morning he was driving to work from his accommodation and called in for some diesel. When he arrived back at the car, the biting point of the clutch was very close to the car floor. Also, the rest of the pedal was very sloppy and loose.

He managed to drive the car to his job, Ford Focus Clutch

Subsequently, he is a builder for a housing association. Who own properties all over the UK, The head office is here in Halifax .He sometimes has to work away to help sort problems out. Although he was having great difficulty selecting his gears. When he first bought the  Focus about 18 months earlier, he was told that the car had recently been fitted with a new clutch ! Of course, this was one of the reasons that he had bought the car. Visibly, it appeared to be in good condition.

He called out a local garage that topped up the slave cylinder. I was also telling him that the clutch pedals on these Fords have a black plastic hinge-type thing attached to it. Importantly, this is what pushes the master cylinder in. A metal rod attaches this hinge to the pedal. A clip is what holds the hinge in place, and this clip is detachable. So causing the cars clutch problem. The garage resolved this, and for a few days, everything appeared to be fine with the Focus.

Ford Focus driver could smell clutch fluid? Ford Focus Clutch

He noticed a slight smell coming from the car’s cab, but he did not know what it was. It was apparently clutch fluid that had leaked from his previous problem. The guy told us that after the

garage reportedly had sorted the Ford Focus 1.6 TDCi problem out, but the car gear change was still a bit lumpy. After the job was complete, the guy decided to risk it and drive the car back home to the north via the M1.

He decided to call in at the services for something to eat and a rest. On his return to the car, he found that once again the clutch pedal was down to the floor pan of the car, but unlike before, there was no bite at all on the clutch. His company had provided their staff with AA breakdown cover for their employees who travelled away to work, and so the guy promptly called the AA out to the services.

Inspected by the AA

The AA man inspected the cars clutch cylinder to check the level but soon noticed that the cylinder was empty of fluid. He said that the Ford  was susceptible to these type of  problems and diagnosed a broken master cylinder. There was nothing that he could do as far as road side assistance, and so he proceeded to load the car onto the back of his transporter in order to take the car to the garage of his choice, which was our garage in Halifax.

When I proceeded to put the car on lift, I found that clutch fluid was seeping out at the bottom of the clutch housing through one of the vent holes that are there to collect dust and dirt to evacuate the housing. We diagnosed the problem as a master cylinder failure and reported back to the customer, who by this time had borrowed one of our courtesy cars and gone back to work somewhere here in Yorkshire.

We removed the Ford Focus gearbox and clutch housing to reveal yet more problems?

The engine was dropped, as was the gearbox. Removed, and then the Ford Focus clutch housing was separated. Revealing the clutch assembly. We found that the hydraulic cylinder bearing had, in fact, a broken seal and needed replacing. Then we found that although the Focus diesel should have been fitted with a duel mass flywheel,. Subsequently, this car had been converted to a solid single flywheel.

Including a normal-type clutch plate and to make matters worse! Incidentally, both were damaged. The flywheel was broken, and the clutch plate was worn out and also needed replacing.

We phoned the customer on his mobile! Of course, he was not very pleased, to say the least. Having expected the clutch to last him more than the 18 months that it had lasted since he bought the car. The old parts were saved for the customer to look at as we always do. Another small problem also occurred? We had some difficulty matching a new single clutch plate with a new solid flywheel, as the old one was a cheap clutch plate and had no part numbers on to match a new one.

With the help of the motor factors, we were able to find the correct parts and rebuild the whole assembly. The car works fine now, and the customer went away highly delighted after his initial shock.

The diesel Ford Focus can be converted to a solid single-clutch system, Ford Focus Clutch

When the customer had left, I looked at some Ford forums about the conversion to a single clutch assembly, and the general consensus is that it is fine to do it. In fact, Ford Transits can be converted by using genuine Ford parts. That is made especially for these conversions. Also, I have heard that many taxi companies convert their taxis to the single clutch system.

For more Ford Focus clutch problems,

Eric Roberts

batteries

Car batteries-Cold weather

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Car batteries-Cold weather

Car batteries-Cold weather
Car batteries-Cold weather

Car batteries-Cold weather

AA is getting a record number of calls for storm-related problems, with nearly half being for dead batteries.

Another warning to vehicle users! Have their car batteries checked before the winter and you will reduce the risk of being caught out in a snow storm?

Of course, Car batteries and Cold weather do not mix! It would be like your battery sitting in a fridge. I am sure that it happens to some people. Remember that when it is cold, we use all the electrical appliances in your car. Importantly, if your battery is not up to scratch,. Then it will let you down and it could let you down in an isolated place. Frighteningly, or a snow drift if you live on the east coast of America. Of course, with the massive snow falls that they are having at the moment,.

Batteries let you down when you least expect it- Car batteries-Cold weather

After years of experience of selling car batteries. I know that it is the last thing on a drivers mind when they set off on a journey. It is like any other battery situation, you only know about it when the battery runs out of power. The best example which happens in most households is the mobile phone. Specifically when the phone  goes flat! It is total panic and the phone must be charged up at all costs.

Fortunately your car battery is a better engineered system. It will probably never let you down in a five year period. However, when it does, you will be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Of course, in most cases it will not be a simple case of charging it back up again.

Statistically, your regular car batteries would fail in the cold winter months. This would always apply when I was first-time Lucas battery retailer in the 1970’s. I would stock up in the summer when the battery companies would always have a quantity deal, all ready for the winter explosion of car battery sales. The first cold spell in November would bring in number of cars with our first rush of cheap Cheap Car Batteries, it never failed us.

Since the early days, car batteries have changed- Car batteries-Cold weather

There were a couple of marked differences concerning car batteries then compared to modern day cars. First the car manufacturers would make millions of one model of car. Say Vauxhall made millions of Vivas and Cavaliers. Including, Ford made millions of Escorts and Cortina’s. Then of course came the original Minis. They outcome of this was that the size and part number of the batteries were all the same. The 038 battery fitted almost every car other that the Fords. Opting for square bolt on terminals part numbers 037 and 085, later the 065 battery became more popular.

As years went by we started to import many makes of cars from the Far East. Such as Toyota, Nissan at first and then many more cars came into the UK. This had a massive effect on battery sizes and part numbers. Making the car batteries market more specialised.

This is where I made am good business decision! Deciding to make the battery market a key part of my business strategy. Although I did not know it the time this decision gave me contacts that were to last me right up to today.

Car batteries remained much the same

Significantly, the only thing that changed was the different terminals. Including, the physical sizes of the batteries. Of course, battery plates, became a new mix of alloys and lead alloys. So, companies the likes of Lucas batteries became one of the first to introduce practically sealed batteries that were maintenance free. Of course, there were no screw tops on the Car batteries. Consequently, for the driver to check the acid levels.

Also there was the evolution of the cars. Cars were now coming out on more sophisticated electrical systems, which required car batteries with more power. We found that a difference in the old type battery and the new type of battery was that the new types of battery did not give you much time after failure, one morning the battery light would come on in your car and you would need a new battery, there and then; you do not have the time any more.

This is why it is important to check the battery before the winter

and when the car has a service. The cold weather that I have recently seen in the east coast of the USA makes me cringe at the number of drivers who must have been stuck in their cars with a dead battery. Remember, they will let you down when you least expect them to! Car batteries do not give you much time. Subsequently, batteries now fail very rapidly, not giving the driver much time. So, to have a new battery fitted after the failure of the old battery.

Simply put, the large amount of electricity that a modern car has onboard now affects lack of change time!

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