Most people who responded to my clutch =
problem post
thought it was low or dirty brake fluid. Its funny because after looking =
at my
Bentley the level was the first thing I checked, I must actually be =
catching on
or something.
The level was about half way between =
Max and Min so
I think its OK, but the fluid itself seemed pretty dirty. Moreover I was =
hit
with an additional "symptom". I was driving along and the vehicle =
hesitated or
lurched. It was open road and not necessarily accelerating, nor was
I touching the clutch at all. It didn't feel like slipping like =
clutch
problems I've had in other vehicles where the revs climb and the vehicle =
doesn't
accelerate. Is it possible that the brakes came on momentarily, because =
that is
what it felt like...
Next question, I want to replace the =
fluid in my
brakes myself and I'm wondering if anyone has any recommendation on a =
good brake
bleeding tool to buy? Plus, I'm not really happy with Bentley's =
instructions has
anyone seen a better description of =
how-to-bleed-brakes-for-the-complete-idiot?
Also, I heard you really have to watch out for the bleeder screws as =
they can
break... any thoughts?
Thanks,
Chris Gronski
Toronto,
Ontario,
'80 Westy "Pokey"
'87 Chevrolet Sprint 5-Door
'91 =
Pontiac
Firefly Convertible
Things seem to be getting worse with my =
clutch.
I usually leave the westy in gear after I shut down =
the
engine, then push the clutch when starting the engine. This morning when =
I tried
to start my westy I got that kind of hesitation and lunge you get when =
you try
to start the car in gear, even though the clutch was FULLY depressed. =
With the
engine off I shifted into neutral and managed to start her, but then had =
trouble
finding a gear. I also heard a couple of "clunks" while =
looking.
First gear was impossible to find but I =
got her
into second and she did finally get going. After I got moving the =
problem seemed
to go away, I have only owned her a short time and I've always found it =
somewhat
difficult to find gears. See below for earlier symptoms.
I assume this is a problem with my =
clutch, but I'm
open to suggestions. Any thoughts on how many hours a shop would charge =
to redo
the clutch?
Thanks,
Chris Gronski
Toronto,
Ontario,
'80 Westy "Pokey"
----Original Message =
Follows----
From:
"Christopher Michael Gronski" <chrisgronski@hotmail.com>=
Reply-To:
"Christopher Michael Gronski" <chrisgronski@hotmail.com>=
To:
<vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM&g=
t;
Subject:
Dead / not dead clutch pedal
Date: Fri, 11 Aug 2000 16:48:48
-0400
I'm still trying to diagnose exactly when this =
happens but
here's what I know so far: Today I was driving along in 4th and saw the =
light
changing ahead, I pushed the clutch in and everything was fine but when =
the
pedal reached the bottom it felt dead, like it didn't have the spring =
back or
resistance that it should. I came to a stop at the light, shifted into =
1st,
lifed my foot off the clutch and everything was fine. Any thoughts? Is =
this just
because I'm not used to my vehicle yet or is it a symtom of an impending =
problem?
Thanks,
Chris Gronski
Toronto, =
Ontario
'80
Westy "Pokey