Sticky Clutch Pedal - any ideas on what it is?

[leehamescort]

My clutch pedal is not smooth when I release it, it grabs and sticks as I release the clutch making it extremely hard to take off smooth.

I have a Surf gearbox mated to a dellows kit to a 253 holden using a hydraulic clutch. I have replaced a hilux G-box and CRS bellhousing to the R-series box with dellows kit.

Info:
- Its not clutch shudder.
- The clutch was working fine before new kit so its not the pressure plate/clutch
- new dellows thrust bearing, clutch fork & bearing holder.
- clutch master 6 months old, slave is same one from old setup.
- Works perfectly smooth when engine is not running!
- gets worse as engine warms up
- clutch engages and disengages completely (drives fine apart from sticking when releasing)

Anyone had a similar problem?
Any ideas on what it could be?

I'm stumped.

cheers for any help.
Leeham

[Struth]

Mine clicks audibly at the bottom of the clutch stroke, did you modify the clutch, ie: sleeve down the slave cylinder or similar.

Or is yours sticking in the disengaged position?

Cheers

[tt6_lux]

Just throwing up ideas here:
- Hydraulic line boiling, i.e. too close to headers?
- Spray some lube on the clutch pedal pivot point

[Goatse.AJ]

Had the same thing recently on mine.... cable operated clutch though. It got worse and worse until it went BANG and no drive. Upon pulling it apart, I found the whole clutch assembly had grenaded Flywheel was stuffed too

[Troopy93]

Did you grease the shaft that the Thrust Bearing slides on?

[leehamescort]

Thanks for the replies.

Troopy93 - No, been told not too otherwise crap gets in the grease and makes it stick.

tt6_lux - Hydraulic line is well clear of the exhaust as it tucks under the sump before it gets to the bellhousing. Tried spraying wd40 in the pivot when it firststarted doing it in the bush, made little if no difference. I might try and pop the fork off and grease the pivot properly to see if it helps.

struth - It engages and dissengages completely. It seems to stick right on the takeup point of the clutch, As I release the clutch I can either dump it and launch the car or let it slip right on the grabbing point (seems to stick at this point the most) to get moving a bit before it releases.

Thanks
Leeham

[Guy]

I know on Suzukis the tube the throwout bearing rides on can get chewed up causing a very similar sensation

[Chucky]

when it's slippng, does the pedal come all the way up with your foot off, or does it stay down at teh point of sticking?

Had a kinda similar problem int he 80, the pedal stayed down though and I could 'flick' it up all the way with my foot. Turned out to be a stuffed master cylinder that I had replaced only about 3 months earlier.
Because I disregarded the M/C at first as it was so new, it took forever for me to find the problem. Got a replacement under warrenty and haven't had any problem since.