[Badskillz]

Hey guys, new member here and i'm in a spot of bother 

I have just spent the past 2 days underneath my car installing a brand new clutch, finally got it all finished up last night, sat in the car, started the engine and i can't get it in gear at all.
The clutch pedal has gone super soft and takes some time to return after.
I can select gears with the engine off and it jolts backwards and forwards if i turn the key.
The only part of the hydraulic system that was touched was the slave cylinder which I only unbolted and moved to one side whilst removing the gearbox.
I have checked the slave cylinder for leaks and there are none.
Would it be possible that the system would have somehow got air in it just from moving the cylinder out the way?
I really can't think of any reasons why this would be the case.
Any help would be appreciated as I currently am out of ideas.

Another note, I had been struggling to get the car in gear for the past 6 months once driven a few miles, seems as the car gets hotter, the gears would be harder to find, especially reverse.
I bought a sump plug to blank the damper off and I also have a new slave cylinder as a spare as I have read that these can be an issue but opted for changing the clutch first as i'm not too confident with bleeding the system and which way to go about it.

[nzenigma]

Ok , sounds like air in the line , but you need to get someone to work the pedal while you check that all mechanical parts are in the right place and the slave is not moving.

Then reverse bleed the clutch slave eg fluid is forced in through the nipple. See our search.

[Badskillz]

Thanks for your reply, i've ordered a one way hose and a bottle of Dot 4 which is arriving on Tuesday, i'm going to install the new slave cylinder and blanking plug (as an extra precaution) and then attempt the reverse bleed method by connecting the hose between the brake and slave cylinder nipples and pumping the brake... (I think that's right) 
I'll report back after I have completed it!

[nzenigma]

 
Good boy.   
I await the report. G luck

[Badskillz]

Ok so here's an update, I blanked the damper off and also put a brand new slave cylinder on.
I've bled the system thoroughly and still nothing.
The slave cylinder pushes in the control arm without any problems so I know that everything there is fine, the clutch pedal also feels fine now too.
I still can't put it into gear. HEEEELLP
Could this possibly be a pressure plate issue? I don't know what else to do apart from maybe taking it all apart again and putting the old clutch back in to see if that works.
Is there any way that I could have put the clutch in wrong? I did have to fight with it to get it onto the 3 dowels, it was pretty stiff to go on.
Might is also be worth shimming the pivot ball or is that not advised? Or is there an adjustment at the clutch pedal to give more movement to the slave cylinder?

[nzenigma]

Ok so here's an update, I blanked the damper off and also put a brand new slave cylinder on.
I've bled the system thoroughly and still nothing.
The slave cylinder pushes in the control arm without any problems so I know that everything there is fine, the clutch pedal also feels fine now too.
I still can't put it into gear. HEEEELLP
Could this possibly be a pressure plate issue? I don't know what else to do apart from maybe taking it all apart again and putting the old clutch back in to see if that works.
Is there any way that I could have put the clutch in wrong? I did have to fight with it to get it onto the 3 dowels, it was pretty stiff to go on.
Might is also be worth shimming the pivot ball or is that not advised? Or is there an adjustment at the clutch pedal to give more movement to the slave cylinder?

From what you say, it sounds like internal mech ( clutch). Pull off the slave and try to push the fork/lever by hand. It should not move too far without the thrust bearing meeting resistance from the pressure plate.
did you put the clutch driven plate in the right way round? It will foul up on the flywheel if in wrong way.

Basically, its a simple device, the clutch pressure plate is self adjusting. No shims needed. you may need to go back in there.

[Badskillz]

I definitely put the the plate in the right way round, (Flywheel this side), Checked the lever and it meets resistance however, the rod from the slave cylinder looks to be fully extending which leads me to believe that either the fork/lever is bent or maybe the pivot ball has worn.
I've heard in the past that pivot balls sometimes need to be shimmed where a new clutch is installed because a new clutch will be thicker so will need more movement on the pressure plate.
Regardless, raining all day tomorrow but I will inevitably be stripping it down again on Friday to try to see if anything is obvious.
Another note worth mentioning is when I tightened up the bolts around the clutch assembly, the diaphragm spring in the center of the pressure plate sunk in towards the clutch plate leaving very little play for it to be pushed in by the release bearing... is this normal?

[nzenigma]

I definitely put the the plate in the right way round, (Flywheel this side), Checked the lever and it meets resistance however, the rod from the slave cylinder looks to be fully extending which leads me to believe that either the fork/lever is bent or maybe the pivot ball has worn.
I've heard in the past that pivot balls sometimes need to be shimmed where a new clutch is installed because a new clutch will be thicker so will need more movement on the pressure plate.
Regardless, raining all day tomorrow but I will inevitably be stripping it down again on Friday to try to see if anything is obvious.
Another note worth mentioning is when I tightened up the bolts around the clutch assembly, the diaphragm spring in the center of the pressure plate sunk in towards the clutch plate leaving very little play for it to be pushed in by the release bearing... is this normal?

Thats normal. As mentioned its self adjusting , they rise up as the driven plate wears down

Thats your problem! My guess is that the fork is not sitting on the pivot properly.  You may be able to sort it from outside, perhaps 

Bypass all the 'Ive heard' stuff. Most of it comes from facebook dickheads who have only ever worked on one car, and it wasn't an i30.
The pivot is case hardened steel.

 good luck

[Badskillz]

Thanks for all your help, I'll report back on Friday/Saturday.

[nzenigma]

Mate, just thinking about what you have said.

1. Just to clarify, the  thrust bearing should be almost touching the pressure plate, therefore most of the slave travel will be under load.

2. You do have the correct clutch? I think petrol and diesel ones are different. Did some wally sell you the wrong one?

[Badskillz]

It's a sachs 3000 951 556, a quick google of this product leads me to believe it's the correct one.
I'm about to start pulling the car apart, i'll see what I can find.

[Badskillz]

Ok, I've got it all apart and this is what i've found..

Upon inspection, the clutch pressure plate is far too close to the clutch plate itself for there to be any movement to release it.




I took it out and compared old to new and found it's noticeably bigger than the old one..
 






It looks to me that I might have ordered the wrong one.

The one that I ordered was this one below and i've just noticed that even though it shows that it's suitable for my car, it says "5-Speed Manual, 6-Speed" (Sachs 3000 951 556)




I've found this one which is again suitable for my model but only says "5-Speed Manual Transmission" and the part number is different. (Sachs 3000 950 564)



I think that the one that I have bought is specifically for a 6 speed box and that's why it's larger.

[tw2005]

Is there a part number on individual clutch plate and pressure plate? I'd be interested to have that info. The  5 and 6 speeds have the same clutch but there are changes through production and 2 types

[tw2005]

Also what month is the built date for this car.

[tw2005]

4130032021 pressure plate
4110032021 clutch plate

oct 08 - end of production

In another catalog it gets more complex, so I think it will depend on where this was built, when, possibly a change in flywheel , your VIN is the best way to figure out the original fitted but best practice is to compare the pair prior to install.

I got caught many years ago someone supplying wrong clutch plate, wrong splines. Lost a whole day before someone asked if I had slipped thew plate over the splines to confirm it was good. It was not.

[Badskillz]

The date of first registration for the car was 1st April 2008, not sure what the build date was or where it was built.

The clutch that came out of the car was the same as this:




And the one I bought mistakenly was the same as this:




As you can see, there is a visual difference, I just failed to spot the part where it said "6 Speed" and assumed that it would be ok... I should have compared the 2 before installing.

Another thing I noticed was the clutch plate on the "6 Speed" one measured 235mm compared to the original which was 240mm even though both are advertised as 240mm.

[nzenigma]

2. You do have the correct clutch? I think petrol and diesel ones are different. Did some wally sell you the wrong one?

You done a number 2 mate, 

You should be able to return it if they gave wrong dimensions.
At least problems are solved 

[Badskillz]

Quick update, the replacement clutch arrived yesterday and after a few more hours of reassembly works like a dream!
Lesson learned and an expensive mistake later, we got there.
Thanks for your help and advise! 

[Dazzler]

Quick update, the replacement clutch arrived yesterday and after a few more hours of reassembly works like a dream!
Lesson learned and an expensive mistake later, we got there.
Thanks for your help and advise! 

Good news but ouch... Assuming they wouldn't refund the first clutch which is kind of understandable. 

[mickd]

Quick update, the replacement clutch arrived yesterday and after a few more hours of reassembly works like a dream!
Lesson learned and an expensive mistake later, we got there.
Thanks for your help and advise! 

@Badskillz

Attention : Badskillz ( getting better bit by bit  )
Has a clutch for sale or swap. Not used as such  .
Only used for personal training and brain work by those who replied probably probably looked at post. 

[Badskillz]

Yeah, unfortunately it was my mistake and the pressure plate shows signs of use where the release bearing was pushing against it leaving marks so I won't even try to return it.
I guess it'll just sit in the shed for however many years till I either sell it of buy another CRDi with a 6 speed box! 
Gotta work on the back brakes next as they lock up whenever I apply the handbrake, i'll save that for another day and another topic!