Clutch smell?

[waltraud]

Dear all,

1.9DG, 4speed, recent new rear brakes,cables,cylinders. Unknonw clutch age.
Just back from campng in Debden and on a slippery hill I had a bit of wheelspin and general trouble getting her parked up on a hillside. After I had parked I smelt something quite strong but unfamiliar and thought must be clutch having started to/burnt out?? I/m pretty sure brakes were not binding.
Other poss issue but i thinkk unlikely is that I recently had new brake shoes and cylinders and cables at the rear and noticed that afer a few weeks I had almost no handbrake....having only noticed this properly in the campsite carpark i tightened up the handbrake 'rod' underneath van to effecticely allow less play in the handbrake lever and cables. The cables still had some play when I had tightened it up but the handbrakle worked better.
So.....having driven back 20 miles I found that the clutch worked ok but as i'd previously thought it seems to bite quite near the top of pedal travel.

Is there any way to know if the clutch has any more life left?
What happens when it starts to go?
Does a bit of burnt clutch smell necessarily spell looming probs? THANKS .Tim

[kevtherev]

Dear all,

1.9DG, 4speed, recent new rear brakes,cables,cylinders. Unknonw clutch age.
Just back from campng in Debden and on a slippery hill I had a bit of wheelspin and general trouble getting her parked up on a hillside. After I had parked I smelt something quite strong but unfamiliar and thought must be clutch having started to/burnt out?? I/m pretty sure brakes were not binding.
Other poss issue but i thinkk unlikely is that I recently had new brake shoes and cylinders and cables at the rear and noticed that afer a few weeks I had almost no handbrake....having only noticed this properly in the campsite carpark i tightened up the handbrake 'rod' underneath van to effecticely allow less play in the handbrake lever and cables. The cables still had some play when I had tightened it up but the handbrakle worked better.
So.....having driven back 20 miles I found that the clutch worked ok but as i'd previously thought it seems to bite quite near the top of pedal travel.

Is there any way to know if the clutch has any more life left?
What happens when it starts to go?
Does a bit of burnt clutch smell necessarily spell looming probs? THANKS .Tim

Rear shoes are adjusted with the brake adjuster through the back plate, by turning the little "cog" with a screwdriver. Not by the rod. There's a post on here about that, do a search.
A hot clutch will smell like fish.. especialy if it's been excessivly slipped, to much slipping and it will smell like a burnt cinder
I doubt it is worn out because of a few mins slipping.
A test is a steep hill. second gear, if the engine rpm rises without a gain in speed then it's slipping, and will need to be replaced.
£60 from GSF,
without seeing it, you won't know how worn it is.
bite position sounds about right.

[waltraud]

Thanks Kev, so would I be right in thinking that this highish bite position does not necessarily mean anything, i.e. its self-adjusting or something and not necessarily indicative of age? Used to have a bay and adjusted brakes through back hole so sounds the same as that ish... THANKS.

[kevtherev]

Thanks Kev, so would I be right in thinking that this highish bite position does not necessarily mean anything, .

yes, there's less than 10mm of material on the friction plate, so if it wore away I doubt it would be noticed.

when it slips under load... change it.