Is this a Broken Clutch??

Furp

My sisters car broke down this morning, it is a 2000 Fiat Punto.

the way she described it as she heard some clunking noises and then the car wouldnt go.

The clutch pedal has no resistance and you can put the car into any gear, but the engine can still be reved and the car won't move, just like when the car is in neutral.

Does this sounds like a worn out clutch? or could it be the gearbox, she got it towed to a garage not a fiat dealer.

Any idea how much a new clutch is for a punto my guess is 200+ labour?

She did say the car felt differant in the last few days and she heard some grinding type noises once or twice!

Sleipnir

Does the gear level move ok, any grinding or stiffness?
Sounds more like the clutch to me.

Merrion

A clutch usually fails into the engaged position which would mean you couldn't change gears at all.
As far as I know the only thing that might cause it to appear to fail in the disengaged setting is an input shaft breaking or the clutch plate breaking away from the input shaft. If that is the case then it could be quite expensive.

Seth Brundle

clutch cable?

Kermitt

thats definitely a clutch problem, exact symptoms were in a clio i had last year,i could cput car in gear but it wouldnt move, it failed when i kicked down to third overtaking, just went bang.. clutch would be that price alright, dont get fiat dealer to fit it, will cost a fortune

BrianD3

It does sound like a knackered clutch. Contrary to what someone posted above, when a clutch fails it's usually in the disengaged position (the cause is that the friction plate wears out or disintegrates)

The result is no drive getting to the wheels, the car goes into gear but when you engage the clutch nothing happens, the car doesn't move and the engine just revs. What is exactly as you have described.

IME when a clutch cable fails, it's almost always in the engaged position. The car can be driven but it's tough to change gear and you must push the lever into neutral to stop. In any case, the Punto may have a hydraulic clutch rather than a cable operated one, I don't know.

The cost of replacing the clutch will be around 300-500 quid including labour.

BrianD3

Seth Brundle

AFAIR it is a cable Brian (cheaper to manufacture)

Merrion

Could be gearbox - as per this case.

Unlikely to be the clutch cable snapped because this would leave the clutch engaged (press pedal down applies pull to cable diconnects clutch - no cable means no disconnect clutch) which would mean you couldn't engage/disengage gears.

There is a review site similar to the above that suggests the Fiat Punto engine mounting can come loose but I think that would be a good deal more dramatic than just a "bang".

Furp

Thanks all, my own thoughts are that it is the clutch itself, will know for definite tomorrow, as if it was only the clutch cable it would have left the clutch in the engaged position.

Plus the fact that the gearstick can be put into gear without too much effort and then teh engine free rev's and car can be rolled.

did my own search on the net and it looks like quite a few people have had to replace clutch's on the punto.

my sister did say that the biting point of the clutch seemed to be getting "higher or more spongy" as in it wouldn't grip as well.

its in a garage now that specialise in replacing clutch's and gearboxes that type of work so hopefully it will be cheaper than the fiat dealer which I heard can be quite expensive.

kayos

Yep that sounds like the clutch is knackered... When the clutch went in my car last year there where all the same problems along with the horrible smell of a burning clutch .

Furp

Just heard from my sister the garage has told her that the gearbox in her punto is knacakered some shafts are borken and the clutch is worn, and they are going to have to replace the whole lot.

Any idea how this will cost, i reckon a gearbox is at least a grand plus the clutch 200 and then labour how long does it tkae to do a job like this i reackon about 10 hours or more.. and the car only has 24000 miles on it..

I don't think she will be buying a Fiat again.

Merrion

Maybe see what PartsGateway quote you for the parts. Or see if anyone is breaking one in the AutoTrader back pages?

(Worst case scenario: I have an engine hoist and torque wrench you could borrow if you decide to do the job yourself...)

Belchlord

k , basically similar thing with my girlfriend...

2000 Punto ELX.

first 3rd gear goes a bit notchy, and then keeps popping out when you disengage the clutch (unless you hold the stick in)

so.. i gets a quote for a new gear box, from a dealer they range from 1500 Euro to 2000 Euro. And, a reconditioned box, came in at about 600 to 700 euros....

So i got in touch with a crowd called Euro Clutch & Gearbox on the Ossery Road, near east wall,

for 450 - They will take out the gear box, repair the nackered parts and put it back

for 500 - They'll replace it with a reconditioning gearbox, keep your one, fix it sell it
on to some other poor unfortunate with your problem.

for an extra 100 to the clutch, so 600, for a reconditioned box, and a clutch plate, bearings and disc.

And a 12 month warrenty

so we went with that... have it back 2 weeks, and she's getting a strange pop like noise when she turns at faster speeds down hill or or up hill, seems to come from the left wheel.. was told it could be the CV joints.

Least the full gear box and clutch is under warrently for 12 months.. hopefully she'll sell it well before then.

Belchlord

also it took these guys 2 and a half hours to do the work, replace the gearbox and do the clutch parts.

Euro Gearbox + Clutch (or Euro Clutch and Gearbox) they are called, I have their number in my mobile but i left it at home, look them up they are on Ossory Road, the guys name was James i think, nice fella.

Belchlord

also, when i was lookin into all this.. it turns out that Punto Gearboxs are in high demand, theres nearly an entire industry that supply them fix them etc etc, when i took the girlies car in to get it done, the lads had 3 other puntos a 92 ford escourt and an opel something, so they had 4 puntos that weekend.. mental so it is...

Kermitt

And the moral of the story is dont buy a bloody FIAT!!! (F ix I t A gain T omorrow)
Lay out the extra cash at the start and buy somethin like a VW or a Jap car (Toyota; Mitsubishi) if you want reliability in the long run..... - I have a 98 VW polo and its a tank.. not a rattle or a squeak... and i do 20,000 miles a year............ Hindsight is 20/20 eh!

Furp

Wll my sis got the car back yesterday afternoon, that place put a reconditioned gearbox and new clutch in the car for 700 yo yos plus she has her car back quickly...

Se was going to be selling it soon and now she definitely will be.

Belchlord

95 Ibiza myself.. basically its a polo, with out the badge and a cooler body :P

Have her 18 months, worst thing thats ever happened was a 10 cent got lodged behind the back passenger seat causing the worst rattle ever!