Stiff Clutch pedal

kluivert

I was driving the Girlfriends 03 Astra and the clutch pedal is alot lighter than mind.

As a car ages the clutch pedal gets stiffer, what is the reason for this and is there a way to make it lighter again.

Same with the steering, the steering is heavier on my car than hers' and mind is a 99 Astra.

Any ideas?

layke

She has a new car. Better design, less weight in it =easier to steer. also you may want to check your power steering fluid.

Clutch or release bearing might be on the way out in your car.

mloc123

Newer model may use a hydraulic clucth and the old may still be a cable. Hydraulic is alot lighter imo.

kluivert

Exact same model lads so not sure that the lighter theory works there.

Thanks for the 2 cents anyway.

Ill check into that thanks.

crosstownk

It could be that the pressure plate is beginning to go dodgy resulting in a stiffer pedal action. It could also be the release bearing as layke suggests.

Steering may be a result of different tyre sizes. Also, afaik, Astras use an electric power steering pump and I've known these to go faulty from time to time.

kluivert

Pressure plate and release bearing ill look into that thanks.

Yes the Astra using electro-hydralic steering pumps and I have heard a few people having to change them.

Be nice to get that newish car feeling back into the clutch pedal.

MercMad

The Astra uses a cable, which gets hot and eventually gets stiff ovver time. A new cable is about €30 and will change things considerably !

Most likely cause of the steering situation is the tyre pressure, tyre thread dept or the actual make !

kluivert

MercMad wrote:

The Astra uses a cable, which gets hot and eventually gets stiff ovver time. A new cable is about €30 and will change things considerably !

Most likely cause of the steering situation is the tyre pressure, tyre thread dept or the actual make !

Thanks for that.

I had a read around, somewhere said that the stiff clutch pedal was a sign of a slipping clutch where the material on the clutch plate wears away and the clutch plate can not connect with the the flywheel properly.

Thats grand but the clutch is not slipping.

So a change in the clutch cable will free up the pedal movement.

Not to bother about the steering as its ok. The steering wheel itself is off alignment and the car goes straight - ish but ill get the wheels tracked and balanced should sort that out.

Thanks for the advice again.