ronboyracer Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 Can anybody share experiences of sudden clutch failure on very low mileage vans ie 15000 mls 2 yrs old (swift sundance 600s) and also the charges made for fitting new clutches in uk. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 Although clutches can (and do) fail prematurely, I'm not aware that this is a 'known problem' with pre-2006 Ducatos with the 2.3litre motor. If you don't get lucky with motorhome-forum feedback, you might try asking about this on the Fiat forum as there is plenty of Ducato-related information and technical knowledge there. See http://www.fiatforum.com/ducato/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
euroserv Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 We have never heard of a clutch failing that early. What happened? Did you suddenly have no drive or did the pedal go to the floor and you had to pull it back up? Was there any indication of 'slipping' beforehand? Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 What has actually gone? Is it the clutch plate or the bit that pushes to engage/disengage the clutch (can't remember the proper term!) ? We had a Rapido 709F with the Ducato 2.3 jtd engine, it was a brilliant engine but it didn't like slopes at low speeds and really spat its dummy out at levelling ramps, and got quite smelly in the process as the clutch was burning - this was from new. It eventually settled down but we never felt it was quite how it should be. As the Swift 600 is a larger heavier van, maybe yours has just given up the ghost at last. We did have an old Transit ambulance where the pushing bit broke, no warning other than the gear change started to get really noisy and within an hour we could only get 3rd gear ... we had to drive all the way home like that from North Yorkshire as at the time we didn't have recovery, only road-side assistance. Of course, it will depend on how the van has been driven over the years too - how long have you had it? Excuse manners ... forgot to say welcome to the nut-house! :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronboyracer Posted March 18, 2009 Author Share Posted March 18, 2009 Thclutch pedal must have gone right down to the floor , one second it was there , the next it was gone , very scary .I had noticed a slight judder in 2nd , when used in the follow on , not wanting to go into first on some occasions , no sign of slip at all . Oddlly enough the pedal did come back to its normal position , but it was solid . By the way can anybody tell me what the sensor switches are for behind both the clutch and the brake pedal. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Grumpy Posted March 18, 2009 Share Posted March 18, 2009 If you have a Cruise Control fitted then they could be sensors for the dis-engagement mechanism. Our 2.3 has (so far, touch wood) not shown any problems with the clutch and we are well over 30k miles. If you have an X-250 model then check out all the previous posting concerned with gear box problems, yours could easily be related. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
euroserv Posted March 18, 2009 Share Posted March 18, 2009 If the pedal goes straight to the floor, with no resistance this is a hydraulic problem. Behind the pedal is a master cylinder which provides the push of fluid down a pipe to the slave cylinder which on these vehicles is outside the gearbox. The slave cylinder operates the clutch. The first thing that you need to do is get the slave cylinder changed. It can even be done on the floor by someone that knows what they are doing. Once this is done and the system is bled you should have your clutch back. If the pedal is still solid then you need to change the master cylinder as well because the seals will probably have been damaged during the loss of pressure. This is extremely unlikely to be the case though. Remember to top up your clutch/brake fluid reservoir while doing the bleeding. The slave cylinder is only available from Fiat but is a reasonable £30 ish. Anyone reading this should also note that whenever you have a clutch changed, if the clutch is hydraulic and the slave cylinder is inside the box you MUST get it changed at the same time. I strongly recommend that even if the cylinder is outside you should have it changed. The failure rate for slave cylinders shortly after clutch replacement is very high so it is better to play safe. Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob b Posted March 18, 2009 Share Posted March 18, 2009 Keep posting Nick ! I for one, find your replies very helpful and informative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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