Jump to content
  • Welcome to 205GTIDrivers.com!

    Hello dear visitor! Feel free to browse but we invite you to register completely free of charge in order to enjoy the full functionality of the website.

lagonda

BE3 clutch lever pin removal

Recommended Posts

lagonda

The clutch lever appears to be pinned to the release shaft with a threaded pin. Am I right in assuming that the pin is tapered, and that, theoretically at least, winding on an 11mm nut with a spacer/collar should pull the pin out?

 

My lever is pretty rusty so I daresay the pin will be rusted in, and the lever rusted to the release shaft. Is reasonable heat (without melting the plastic bearings!) the best method to separate these parts? I've applied freeing oil, but rarely find it helps!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Tom Fenton

It’s a parallel pin with a few ribs running down the length. In theory yes you could draw it out using a slide hammer on the external thread, but my experience is that it will be well and truly rusted in place and drilling it out is the only way. Needs doing very carefully to drill it centrally otherwise you’ll scrap the arm and/or shaft.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
lagonda

Thanks Tom, ... well, what a surprise, yet another easy job on the CTi.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
welshpug

I have used washers/spacers and an M7 nut, worth a crack, nothing to lose !

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
lagonda

Trying this at the moment. Annoyingly, it's all pretty rusty ... Why? Most of the gearbox is covered with oily crud, yet this lever and pin are quite heavily rusty!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
petert

Strange. Aren't they normal a roll pin within a roll pin? ie you need to remove the small roll pin first, then the larger one. Or am I thinking of something else?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
lagonda

Searching on here for this topic, I found a photo of someone else's, and that has the same arrangement as mine. As mine, their pin (externally) appears to be a bolt with the head broken off ... in fact, it's only through seeing that photo that I realised it wasn't a mullered bolt. What a crap way of joining two components. To me the GTi/CTi is a great car ruined by bean counters! To be fair, I guess they didn't expect the assembly to rust as it does. If I do get it apart, I'll be greasing it all on reassembly.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Tom Fenton
1 hour ago, petert said:

Strange. Aren't they normal a roll pin within a roll pin? ie you need to remove the small roll pin first, then the larger one. Or am I thinking of something else?

The gear linkage bell cranks are like that, but the BE3 clutch arm is this solid pin.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
pug_ham

The last one of these I managed to get out needed heat to get it free, lovely to do as the plastic bush melts before it all comes free enough to move.

 

I tried the washers & M7 nut but it just stripped the nut without moving the pin.

 

g

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
lagonda

Hi,

  Hmm, I suspect as much with mine. I've tried heat, and got as close as I dared to melting the (bloody stupid) plastic bush ... edge just starting to bubble ... but no joy, no movement. I've got the 11mm nut as tight as I dare too ... can't risk stripping it as it's one of the throttle body nuts.

 

Fortunately, this is a "nice to do whilst I've got the opportunity" job as opposed to something desperately needing changing. My main concern is getting the release arm shaft bearing surfaces clean and properly greased ... and, as the shaft lifts up, at least as much as the release fork allows, access for that is reasonable.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
welshpug

I would just order new bushes and crack on with  the heat, get some spare M7 nuts.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
lagonda

In an ideal world, yes, but I need to get the car back on the road ... driving to Spain in less than a week's time. Present bushes are worn, but not knackered.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Tom Fenton

I would feed a bit of grease into the bush/shaft and otherwise leave it alone.

Get it wrong and you will need a shaft pin and arm as well as the bushes.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
lagonda

Hi Tom,

 Yes, that's the plan. Looking forward to getting it all back together.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Thijs_Rallye
On 5/27/2022 at 4:37 PM, lagonda said:

I've got the 11mm nut as tight as I dare too

I assume you've made sure you aren't running out of threads? I've had succes before with a good penetrating oil and the method Welshpug suggested.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
lagonda

Yes, plenty of thread, plus a stack of washers so nowhere near the start of the thread. If I had a double or triple length nut, I could wind it up tighter, but won't risk going any tighter than I've tried. Happy enough to put the gearebox  back as is ... if I need to have the gearbox off again, I'd aim to remove it and fit a new shaft and bushes.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Thijs_Rallye

You can try tapping it from the other side while having tension on it with the nut / washer stack.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
lagonda

Tried that! Greased the shaft bearings, gearbox back on car now. Got to eat dinner at 11.30pm last night, thanks to how "easily" the gearbox went back. Should I be surprised ...

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
pug_ham
On 5/27/2022 at 3:37 PM, lagonda said:

Hmm, I suspect as much with mine. I've tried heat, and got as close as I dared to melting the (bloody stupid) plastic bush ... edge just starting to bubble ... but no joy, no movement. I've got the 11mm nut as tight as I dare too ... can't risk stripping it as it's one of the throttle body nuts.

On the one I did recently, the box was off a ~250k 306 hdi and I had to get the top of the arm glowing before the pin would move, definitely not a job to do hoping to spare a top bush for a bit of grease but luckily I was robbing the arm to do a push to pull conversion on my Xsara.

 

You should have been able to get enough movement to get to the most the bearing surfaces on the shaft without taking the pin out / arm off, if you're going to the trouble of getting the arm off, I'd just fit new bushes regardless.

 

g

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
lagonda

Yes, fortunately a fair bit of up and down movement on the shaft, enabling me to work grease into the bearings. The shaft bearing surfaces are pretty rusty, and I've had liked to clean that off ... but on the other hand, the shaft would be thinner then, so the rust is at least providing a bearing surface. Clutch movement nice and smooth now ... hope to drive the CTi later today.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

×