1988 volvo 5 speed clutch disengagement

Hi! Just got a nice 240 4-door which supposedly had a broken clutch return
spring - ended up needing much more! When depressing the clutch pedal the
arm at the clutch housing moves but the clutch definitely does not
disengage. I wondered what this might be as I am very familiar with this
car but have not dissected a 5 speed clutch assy. I would like to get the
parts before I take it apart because the car is located about 300 miles
from my home. Any help on what might cause lack of clutch disengagement
would be greatly appreciated!~ bob

 

Although you see the arm moving, consider that it may not be moving
enough. If it is a hydraulic clutch, this could be because the system
needs bleeding, or a seal has failed (look for fluid leaking around
the slave cylinder under the car, or inside the car behind the pedal,
from the master cylinder). If it is cable operated, it could be a
damaged or maladjusted cable.

If all this checks out OK, then it could be any of the three main
parts that make up a clutch kit - friction plate, pressure plate or
thrust bearing. All three of these should be replaced during a clutch
change. There is also a chance that the actuating arm could be
damaged, although this is quite rare.
--

Stewart Hargrave


For email, replace 'SpamOnlyToHere' with my name

 

I've seen both a failed (broken) arm and the pivot point worn out. Oil
leaking on the clutch can cause an otherwise functional friction disc to
stick to the pressure plate or flywheel. So if you want to be safe,
you'll want to take the 3 normal clutch parts, release fork, rear main
engine seal, front transmission seal, pilot bearing, and something to at
least sand the surface of the flywheel.

--
Mike F.
Thornhill (near Toronto), Ont.

Replace tt with t (twice!) and remove parentheses to email me directly.
(But I check the newsgroup more often than this email address.)

 

Thanx for the help. On this car, will I be able to see the pressure plate
and any problem thru an inspection area or will I need to remove the
transmission to find the problem? This will be handy to know before I dig
in. thanx, bob

 

You'll probably have to go in. You can see some by pulling the clutch
arm boot out of the way but not much. I would do what Mike F. said plus
a clutch kit. Most of the aftermarket (ATE) clutch kits come with a disc
alignment tool.

Bob

 

OK - thats great - I think I will just yank it - thanx for all the help,
bob ps I am very familiar with this car , and anyone needing any info on
the 240 series just let me know.

 

I once did a far-from-home clutch replacement on a 1987 240. The only piece
I forgot to take with me was the gasket between the transmission and the
bellhousing. I fashioned one on the spot from cardboard. Big mistake. I
made it home o.k. but had to take the transmission back out to put in the
right gasket two weeks later.

On a related note, I once had a clutch failure on my 1976 264 where the
lever point of the release lever snapped off the aluminum bellhousing. I
had to replace the bellhousing.

-RL

 

Why did you even separate the tranny from the bellhousing? I've only ever
done that once and it was because the original gasket had started leaking.

 

Great info - thanx to all. I have a 1984 volvo 240 wagon that recently
failed the new NOx standards for Ohio Echeck. It runs fine, and passes
all other aspects of the emissions check. Any ideas? See no other
problems. thanx, bob

 

High Nox is created by high combustion temperature.

Common causes:

1) The compression ratio can be increased by carbon buildup. Cleaning
the combustion chamber with a top end cleaner may help if this is the
cause - my uncle had good results with Goodwrench (GM) brand.

2) Advanced ignition timing - make sure the timing is set correctly.

3) The catalytic convertor reduces NOx in a different part than it
cleans up HC and CO - if this part of the convertor is dead, then you'll
need to change it.

4) This only applies to the "MPG" version of 1981-1982 and electronic
injected 240s from 1982 up to 1988 model year (yours is one). These can
be identified by the ignition box mounted on the bracket with the
windshield washer bottle. This ignition system tries to run the spark
advanced as much as possible without detonation for fuel economy
reasons. If everything else is operating correctly, disconnecting the
vacuum connection to this box will make it "think" that the engine is
running at full load all the time, with the resultant more conservative
advance curve.

--
Mike F.
Thornhill (near Toronto), Ont.

Replace tt with t (twice!) and remove parentheses to email me directly.
(But I check the newsgroup more often than this email address.)

 

Hi! Thanx for all the info - I will check all this out asap. bob