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markgp4 Alfa Sprint
Joined: 27 Oct 2005 Posts: 126 Location: N.W of UK
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Posted: Sat Apr 29, 2006 10:04 am Post subject: Clutches |
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Hi,
Can anyone tell me if the Series3 8 and 16v engines share the same clutch assembly?
thanks, Mark. _________________ make it go faster  |
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johnboy 16 Valve

Joined: 26 Jun 2003 Posts: 1061 Location: margate U.K
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Posted: Sat Apr 29, 2006 12:37 pm Post subject: Re: Clutches |
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Hi Mark
you proberly can use the same.but i would think the 16v would be stronger.as its got more power? East kent components did an exchange clutch, which was about £40. which is well cheap.have look if there is one near you.i think they are all over the place. ive got an AP racing clutch on mine.i was lucky.its was on an old 1.5 engine i bought off a kit car.that fitted fine on the 16v.so i think theres your answer!!
regards john _________________ WODA WE NEED? MORE POWER!!
Alfa gt jtdm blackline
1990 S2 16v veloce sleeping!
2002 ts gtv the wifes now
1997 seadoo gsx 800
1999 freestyle superjet |
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markgp4 Alfa Sprint
Joined: 27 Oct 2005 Posts: 126 Location: N.W of UK
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Posted: Sun Apr 30, 2006 2:37 pm Post subject: |
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thanks John
i will keep it as a spare then, you never know i may need one after Spa  _________________ make it go faster  |
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johnboy 16 Valve

Joined: 26 Jun 2003 Posts: 1061 Location: margate U.K
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Posted: Sun Apr 30, 2006 4:25 pm Post subject: |
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Hi Mark
Yes that would be wise
regards john _________________ WODA WE NEED? MORE POWER!!
Alfa gt jtdm blackline
1990 S2 16v veloce sleeping!
2002 ts gtv the wifes now
1997 seadoo gsx 800
1999 freestyle superjet |
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ZeNiTh-PbArM Alfa 33

Joined: 14 Mar 2003 Posts: 388 Location: Paris, France
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Posted: Mon May 01, 2006 6:31 pm Post subject: |
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Hi,
clutches are supposed to be the same.
however, i would prefer the original valeo unit over the APracing ones.
the release bearing design is different.
in the valeo unit, contact zone is thin and the bearing "grinds" the end of the diaphragm
in the APracing unit, the bearing doesn't like high revs and mine went noisy after less than 5000 miles, without revving the car that hard.
the valeo units last 120 000 miles without trouble.
regards,
zp |
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sportston Alfasud

Joined: 15 Feb 2006 Posts: 87 Location: Lowestoft, suffolk
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Posted: Wed May 24, 2006 11:01 pm Post subject: so does that mean ? |
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Does that mean they all share the same flywheel?
What about the different splines?
I've just taken my box off today and found that the spline is different on the replacement box. So I'll have to change the clutch at the same time as the box.
What clutch kit do I need then?
Mine is a 1.7ie 8v 1994. I think the new box is from an older model because the gear linkage is diferent too. |
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tvatavuk Gold Cloverleaf
Joined: 13 Mar 2003 Posts: 673 Location: Split, Croatia
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Posted: Thu May 25, 2006 11:50 am Post subject: |
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ZeNiTh-PbArM wrote: |
Hi,
clutches are supposed to be the same.
however, i would prefer the original valeo unit over the APracing ones.
the release bearing design is different.
in the valeo unit, contact zone is thin and the bearing "grinds" the end of the diaphragm
in the APracing unit, the bearing doesn't like high revs and mine went noisy after less than 5000 miles, without revving the car that hard.
the valeo units last 120 000 miles without trouble.
regards,
zp |
Zenith
while clutch disc and cover are OK.
I can tell nothing good about Valeo thrust bearings nor I would suggest them to my worst enemy.
They have poor design, and from 3 obvious design flaws, they had in 1998, they managed to correct only one till today. _________________ Tino Vatavuk
Little black dress which replaced Alfa Romeo 33 S 16v Permanent 4 GMo |
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sportston Alfasud

Joined: 15 Feb 2006 Posts: 87 Location: Lowestoft, suffolk
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Posted: Thu May 25, 2006 12:19 pm Post subject: what about Luk? |
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OK then Valeo are no good and AP are no good! What about Luk are they any good? Are there any other makes you can suggest? |
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tvatavuk Gold Cloverleaf
Joined: 13 Mar 2003 Posts: 673 Location: Split, Croatia
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Posted: Thu May 25, 2006 4:13 pm Post subject: |
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Valeo bearings work great in ideal world. Problem is we don't live in ideal world.
I don't have anything to suggest bearings I used (SKF) are no longer produced, so year ago I fitted Valeo and again problems with it.
Any bearing can fail in little time, it just happens from time to time, trick is to find bearing which has hard enough housing, and wide enough base. _________________ Tino Vatavuk
Little black dress which replaced Alfa Romeo 33 S 16v Permanent 4 GMo |
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Ken McCarthy Alfa Sprint

Joined: 16 May 2003 Posts: 153 Location: Brisbane, Australia
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Posted: Fri May 26, 2006 12:12 am Post subject: Clutch |
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We seem to get Sachs clutches here. I have replaced a couple (one in the previous engine/transmission and one in the current 16V unit). The first one had to be replaced again because it was seriously out of balance but my AR mechanic had not had that problem before so may be a one-off problem. The have both performed OK. _________________ Ken McCarthy - 16V Sprint |
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ZeNiTh-PbArM Alfa 33

Joined: 14 Mar 2003 Posts: 388 Location: Paris, France
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Posted: Fri May 26, 2006 6:01 pm Post subject: |
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Hi,
i'd be interested in the sachs part number if you have it.
i might try one soon.
my oem valeo unit lasted till 220 000kms
then an APracing was fitted, 35 000kms
then again valeo unit and 263 000kms so far...but soon to be replaced i think.
i'm quite unhappy with the design of the bearing, a flat contact zone like the 75TS clutch would have been better, but so far on my 33, the unit has proved reliable enough.
Tino, what brand/model do you suggest? Sachs? Luk? APracing again?
How long did your clucth last? My 33 has 518 000 kms on it and i want to reach a million kms on the new clutch!
Regards,
zp |
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tvatavuk Gold Cloverleaf
Joined: 13 Mar 2003 Posts: 673 Location: Split, Croatia
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Posted: Fri May 26, 2006 8:39 pm Post subject: |
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P4 is very hard on clutch asembly it shortens it's life about 30% compared to 16v. And all of my driving is 90% city.
1st was original AR part made by Valeo, lasted less then 20k km, bearing housing failed after around 10k km, making olympic circles all over cover, sawing of 75% of leafs and all that junk burned/glazed clutch disc Thrust bearing fork also bite the dust.
After it I fitted some noname italian junk + SKF bearing which I replaced after 35k km when I had more money. Clutch was ok, cover had groves around 30% deep.
Replaced it with OEM Valeo again with SKF bearing, this one lasted around 90k km. I replaced it last year, after 4 year of service, when I did general overhaul of engine. Cover had about 50% deep grove on it, but it was probably good for next 1-2 years.
At that point I couldn't buy SKF bearing no more so I fitted new Valeo one.
Again strange feel in clutch after around 10k km and I think that clutch disc isn't that well balanced.
I'm thinking of fittin some OMP or similar racing clutch plate with harder leafs, if I find good enough bearing
SKF bearing was harsher on clutch cover leafs then Valeo one, but it never lost any part of it housing, no matter how you abuse it. _________________ Tino Vatavuk
Little black dress which replaced Alfa Romeo 33 S 16v Permanent 4 GMo |
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Driver X Alfa Arna
Joined: 03 Feb 2006 Posts: 6 Location: Zagreb, Croatia
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Posted: Thu Jun 01, 2006 1:08 pm Post subject: |
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tvatavuk wrote: |
1st was original AR part made by Valeo, lasted less then 20k km, bearing housing failed after around 10k km |
I also had a bad expirience with the Valeo clutch, killed it in less then 10 000 km, only it was on my 8v, now it's time for a new clutch on my 16v, and I'm not fitting Valeo for sure.
So I found a set by "Borg & Beck", HK6186, has someone had this? |
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ZeNiTh-PbArM Alfa 33

Joined: 14 Mar 2003 Posts: 388 Location: Paris, France
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Posted: Thu Jun 01, 2006 8:19 pm Post subject: |
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sure,
that's the APracing i was referring to. Borg&Beck = APracing = Lockheed = Delphi
poor stuff, release bearing exploded after 35000kms, poor thing had been noisy for the last 10 000kms...definitely a pain in the ass.
or perhaps did i pick the wrong one?
regards,
zp |
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ZeNiTh-PbArM Alfa 33

Joined: 14 Mar 2003 Posts: 388 Location: Paris, France
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Posted: Thu Jul 27, 2006 6:54 am Post subject: |
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Hi,
digging through my junk in the garage i found my old Borg & Beck clutch kit ; after inspection it looks to me the bearing in this kit is SKF (letters engraved on the release bearing).
Might be useful if you have trouble sourcing the SKF bearing.
regards,
zp |
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sportston Alfasud

Joined: 15 Feb 2006 Posts: 87 Location: Lowestoft, suffolk
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Posted: Thu Jul 27, 2006 10:33 am Post subject: incorrect assembly |
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There seems to be a recurring problem here. I don't believe that all these thrust bearings are naff. Perhaps it is something else causing the premature wear.
Is the clutch slave cylinder sticky near the end of its travel, thus causing the thrust bearing to never completely dissengage?
Problems on the slave cylinder are frequently blamed on something else. They often get a bit sticky or too tight when corrosion sets in, especially if the car has been idle for long periods of time.
Where the pivot is, on the arm that actuates the thrust bearing, is there only one washer or two? Is the washer of the correct thickness? Problems here could also cause the bearing to never fully dissengage.
If it never fully dissengages then the bearing is bound to wear out far too quickly.
Any clutch on practically any car, unless it is being poorly used (e.g. riding the clutch pedal etc.) should last at least 80-90,000 miles. Frequently a good driver may make it last up to about 160,000. |
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sportston Alfasud

Joined: 15 Feb 2006 Posts: 87 Location: Lowestoft, suffolk
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Posted: Thu Jul 27, 2006 10:35 am Post subject: p.s. |
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P.S. there should be only one washer I believe. |
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sportston Alfasud

Joined: 15 Feb 2006 Posts: 87 Location: Lowestoft, suffolk
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Posted: Thu Jul 27, 2006 10:40 am Post subject: racing ones |
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Racing clutches are not designed to last long. They have a stronger pressure thereby putting more strain on the thrust bearing. The friction surfaces also have a shorter lifespan. This is normal. If you are using a car on the road it may be wise to use a standard clutch or just a sports clutch instead of a full racing one. |
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ZeNiTh-PbArM Alfa 33

Joined: 14 Mar 2003 Posts: 388 Location: Paris, France
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Posted: Thu Jul 27, 2006 5:06 pm Post subject: |
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Hi,
bearing failure happened on a car that's my daily driver (read : taken care of,no race, not much revving, low mpg driving)
when replacing the kit, the following parts had been replaced too :
-slave cylinder
-bearing guide tube
-bronze bushing in the crankshaft
-fork pivot (beware : always replace this part, those wear and break)
-full clutch kit
and everything was re-assembled using a little grease where needed.
the bearing lasted 8000kms (no more than one month and a half)
on my previous daily driver (not alfa) my clutch reached 400 000kms and i sold the car without replacing it.
so i say this is definitely a bearing defect.
regards,
zp |
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sportston Alfasud

Joined: 15 Feb 2006 Posts: 87 Location: Lowestoft, suffolk
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Posted: Thu Jul 27, 2006 5:59 pm Post subject: sounds good |
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Sounds like you did a good job of replacing everything correctly. Is this still a racing clutch your talking about though? I was chatting to a rally driver owner recently and he reckons with a race clutch to only get about 2 or 3 rally weekends maximum from a racing clutch. If this is all they are designed to last, then maybe the thrust bearing is not designed with longevity in mind. Or you could just have a faulty bearing! |
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guest Guest
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Posted: Mon Aug 07, 2006 1:48 am Post subject: |
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i thought the reason for the bearings (relative) short life was do to the fact that the bearing works in reverse to most clutch designs - its is allways spinning when driving and when you put your foot donw on the clutch is the only time it disengages? |
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sportston Alfasud

Joined: 15 Feb 2006 Posts: 87 Location: Lowestoft, suffolk
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Posted: Mon Aug 07, 2006 8:39 am Post subject: Really? |
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Mine works exactly the same as most of the other clutches I've done. Same style as an escort, fiesta, alfa 164, peugeot 405, citroen xantia, bx etc.
Does that mean there is more than one type of clutch on the 33s? Perhaps you have one type and I have another? I know this is the case on the 164s and also minis. |
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guest Guest
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Posted: Tue Aug 08, 2006 5:18 am Post subject: |
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well im just going on what my mechanic said (he only deals with euro) he was of the opinion that clutches lasting to 50k was 'good' - usually because the bearing is stuffed by then.. he also metoined that the quality of the bearings has dived in the last 10 years...early cars had very long lived ones - not so now |
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