2.

0 OPERATION FUNCTION

Figure 2.1: Single Plate Clutch Operation

 When the driver presses the clutch pedal, the clutch release mechanism pulls or pushes on the
clutch release lever or fork. The fork transfers the release bearing into the centre of the pressure
plate, affecting the pressure plate to pull away from the clutch disc releasing the disc away from
the flywheel. The engine crankshaft can then turn without rotating the clutch disc and
transmission input shaft.

 When the driver reliefs the clutch pedal, power can flow through the clutch. Springs in the
clutch vigour the pressure plate against the friction disc. Where this action will clamp the
friction disk tightly between the flywheel and the pressure plate. At this time, the pressure
plate and friction disc rotate with the flywheel. As both side surfaces of the clutch plate are
used for transmitting the torque, a term ‘N’ is added as to include the number of surfaces
which used for transmitting the torque. By way of rearranging the expressions the equations
can be improved and provide a general form of the equation which can be written as below:

T = N.f. 𝑭𝒂 . 𝑹𝒎

 T is the torque (Nm)

 N is the number of frictional discs in contact
 f is the coefficient of friction
 𝐹𝑎 is the actuating force (N)
 𝑅𝑚 is the mean or equivalent radius (m)

*Note that N = 𝑛1 + 𝑛2 -1 28

Where:

𝑛1 = number of driving discs , 𝑛2 = number of driven discs

Values of the actuating force F and the mean radius for the two conditions of analysis.
3.0 CAUSES
Clutch pedal vibration either can be stated that whenever it got the pedal fully disengaged, when the
launching, or a constant vibration. There are the several most common clutch issues that can cause
this vibration problem such as:

1. Clutch Misalignment
Misalignment in the clutch happens when the assembly is not accurately aligned with
the vehicle’s flywheel. This will cause the clutch to engage inconsistently, putting an
unbalanced load on the surfaces of the clutch and flywheel. It’s not uncommon for the result
to be chattering, pulsating, and vibration coming from the clutch pedal.
Misalignment between the engine and gearbox of a vehicle is a common problem
which is not fully understood or accepted in the market. The presence of a misalignment
condition between the engine and gearbox of a vehicle will result in serious damage to the
gearbox as well as premature and recurring clutch failures. Most vehicles have two dowel pin
or bush locations on the rear engine flange or front bell housing flange, and some vehicles
have a separate gearbox and bell housing which also has dowel locations on the front gearbox
flange and rear bell housing flange. The dowel locations are designed to centralize the engine
and gearbox to within 0,1mm, as it is impossible to centralize the engine and gearbox correctly
by means of the gearbox mounting bolts and/or flywheel pilot bearing alone.
Misalignment is commonly caused by damaged or missing dowels or damaged dowel
locating holes between the engine and gearbox, with the result that the engine and gearbox
are no longer correctly centralized. Misalignment is also caused by bell housing distortion or
cracking, welding repairs to a damaged bell housing, and engine or gearbox conversions where
the adaptor plate or conversion bell housing has missing or inaccurately-positioned dowel
locations. Misalignment can also be caused by fitment errors such as trapping a wire, pipe or
bracket between the engine and gearbox when fitting the gearbox, distortion of the sheet
metal cover plate on the rear engine flange, or failure to clean old hardened dirt or sealant
from the mating surfaces of the engine and gearbox flanges before fitting the gearbox.
Misalignment of the gearbox input shaft relative to the engine crankshaft in excess of
the maximum permissible tolerance of 0.1mm causes rapid driven plate torsion damper
spring, spring window, friction washer, hub spline and stop pin wear, cushion segment failure
and premature driven plate failure, and will cause recurring clutch failures unless the
misalignment condition is rectified. The rapid driven plate torsion damper assembly wear also
results in severe driveline torsional vibration which can cause severe damage to the gears and
 bearings in the gearbox. Misalignment places excessive strain on the flywheel pilot bearing,
resulting in premature and recurring pilot bearing failures and subsequent clutch non-release
and noise problems in the vehicle. Misalignment also prevents the release bearing from
centralizing itself on the cover assembly diaphragm, resulting in clutch shudder, vibration,
severe diaphragm finger wear, premature release bearing failure, and severe gearbox input
shaft sleeve wear.

Misalignment problems should be properly rectified by ensuring that all damaged or missing
dowel locating pins or bushes are replaced with new parts and all dowel locating holes are
undamaged. A new or undamaged second hand bell housing should be fitted if the dowel
holes are damaged or the bell housing is cracked or distorted as it is extremely difficult and
expensive to attempt a proper repair of a damaged bell housing. The entire front gearbox
casing will require replacement where the bell housing is an integral part of the gearbox
casing.

Figure 1.1: Misalignment clutch Figure 1.2: Severe Misalignment Mating Surface
 2. Diaphragm Issues
The amount of pressure applied to the pressure plate and clutch disc is controlled by
a diaphragm spring that seats these against the flywheel. Should the diaphragm spring
become damaged or broken, this will cause the clutch plate to engage unevenly with the
flywheel when applied or released the result is vibrations and pulsations in the clutch pedal.
Worn clutch disc facing fibres and dirt lodged between diaphragm spring and clutch
cover housing causing loss of clamp load. One of the cause is the bell housing not degreased
and cleaned. Careless installation of new clutch. The new clutch disc has not worn but the
fibres that have become lodged in the new clutch cover are that of the previously worn clutch.
It is a requirement due to ventilation designs that the bell housing area be free from old fibres,
dirt and grease when installing new clutch. This problem is common in 4 wheel drive vehicles
when an inspection cover or a clutch fork cover boot has not been replaced when installing a
new clutch.
Excessive wear on the diaphragm tips and a highly glazed pressure plate casting is
because of the lack of free travel/bearing riding on diaphragm. The driver resting foot on
clutch pedal. Besides, quill shaft worn/bearing stuck on a worn spot and not returning to
original position. The clutch slave cylinder corroded or worn and piston not returning to allow
free travel. Stretched or sticky cable also might be the cause of the excessive wear on the
diaphragm tips.
Clutch diaphragm fingers or levers are uneven and caused the pressure plate cover
assembly was torqued down incorrectly or not diagonally. The pressure plate cover assembly
was torqued down with an air wrench.

Figure 2.1: Diaphragm spring clutch parts Figure 2.2: Uneven diaphragm
3. Warping of the Clutch Disc
It’s the clutch disc that actually connects the engine flywheel to the driveshaft/axle
when the clutch is engaged. It is constructed of materials similar to brake pads and operates
on the same principals of friction. To work properly, the contact surfaces must be smooth and
flat. If the clutch disc becomes warped due to wear or overheating, it won’t engage smoothly.
The result of a lack of smooth engagement with the flywheel and pressure plate is chattering,
vibration, and pulsation in the pedal.
The car’s clutch connects to a spring that controls the movement of a pressure plate.
This pressure plate presses against the clutch disc whenever you let up on the clutch pedal. As
a result, the clutch disc encounters the flywheel, which attaches to your engine’s crankshaft.
This system ensures that anytime you don’t actively engage the clutch, your engine and
transmission rotate at the same speed. When you press down on the clutch, the clutch disc
pulls away from the flywheel, allowing the engine and transmission to spin separately. This
separation allows the transmission to switch gears before re-engaging the flywheel. Because
the flywheel attaches directly to the engine, the flywheel experiences many extreme
temperature swings. Over time, the stress of these changes may cause the flywheel to warp.
This makes the clutch disc engaging the flywheel more difficult. Eventually, as the problem
grows more pronounced, the engine may not start at all. Yet in the early stages, a warped
flywheel often manifests in your clutch pedal. We may notice that the clutch has begun to
vibrate when we release it. Known as clutch chatter, this problem stems from the bumpy
flywheel knocking against the clutch disc as the two grow closer. You must replace an
excessively warped flywheel to restore proper functioning to the car.
Worn clutch disc can cause the high-friction surface of the flywheel will take its toll on
the clutch disc as time goes on. Simply put, the face of the clutch disc will wear down over
time. No matter how responsibly we use the clutch pedal, we can’t do much to prevent the
clutch disc wearing down over time. In this regard, we can think of the clutch a little bit like
the brake pads. Allowing the clutch disc to wear down too far, however, can end up damaging
the flywheel. If the disc excessively wears down, the bolts that attach the clutch disc to its hub
may become exposed. These bolts will then dig into the surface of the flywheel each time we
take foot off the clutch. The more worn down the clutch disc becomes, the higher the clutch
pedal’s release point will be. This change in height corresponds to the farther distance that
the clutch disc has to travel to meet the flywheel. Eventually the clutch disc simply won’t be
able to exert the necessary amount of pressure on the flywheel.
 At this point, you may notice that the car has a much harder time accelerating up
inclines or carrying heavy loads. To prevent this potentially dangerous scenario, next time the
clutch pedal’s release point seems much higher than usual, be sure to have a mechanic
properly and thoroughly inspect the clutch disc.

Figure 3: Worn clutch

 4. Throw-Out Bearing Problems
The throw-out bearing is an essential part of the assembly that engages and disengages
the clutch. When you compress the clutch pedal, the throw-out bearing will move forward to
push on the pressure plate fingers this then releases the spring pressure and pushes the
pressure plate against the disc. If this part is installed improperly, the contact with the
pressure plate fingers will be uneven. This will result in uneven clutch disc contact, which often
results in vibrations.

Figure 4.1: Throw out bearing on clutch Figure 4.2: Throw out bearing

These are the most common causes of vibrations in your clutch pedal coming from the
clutch/transmission.
3.0 DIAGNOSING
Here is the diagnosing of the clutch performance issues
1) The car starts out slowly but the engine races
This is known as clutch slippage. As we release the clutch pedal and accelerate, the vehicle
moves slowly while the engine races, usually in high gear. Slipping is common when a clutch
disc is worn out. With the friction material almost worn away, the clutch disc has less surface
with which to grip the flywheel and pressure plate, making it hard for the engine to transfer
rotating power to the transmission. Another symptom notice is the clutch releasing sooner,
without much pressure on the clutch pedal. But there are other common causes for a slipping
clutch, besides a worn-out disc:
 Clutch linkage in need of adjustment
 Clutch linkage or cable binding (cable housing filled with rust)
 Clutch linkage bent, misaligned, or damaged
 Blocked master cylinder compensation port
 Pressure plate weakened or warped
 Clutch assembly contaminated with oil (because an engine or transmission oil seal is
leaking)
 Broken motor mount

2) Hard to get into reverse

Clutch problems can also prevent you from getting into or out of reverse or third gear. A
stuck gear may indicate problems with the linkage adjustment, a linkage malfunction, or a
warped or damaged clutch plate.
3) Can't get the transmission into gear
On a hydraulic system, failure to get into gear may indicate problems with the master or
slave cylinder or both. Usually, this is accompanied by a change in the way the clutch pedal
feels spongy, loose, or not catching as before. On a mechanical system, you may be having
problems with the clutch disc or pressure plate, release lever, release bearing, shift lever
assembly, or control cable.
Diagnosing clutch noise issues
1) Clutch pedal makes Noises
With the engine off, you can hear a noise when you depress the clutch pedal or release
it, or both. Usually, the noise comes from the clutch release mechanism. The release device
can be hydraulic (as in many modern vehicles) or mechanical. The device is likely to become
noisy as lubricant dries out and the mechanism wears down. A cable, rod or connection may
begin to scrape, squeal, or clunk. First, you need to locate the source of the noise with the
help of an assistant. With the engine off, have your assistant work the clutch pedal.
Open the hood and use a mechanic's stethoscope or a length of rubber hose (a vacuum hose
will do) to listen closely along the release mechanism.

2) My transmission makes noises in neutral

If the car is noisy when the transmission is in neutral, but the noise goes away when
you depress the clutch pedal, it's possible the noise is coming from a worn-out input shaft
bearing.

3) Hear squeals or growls when push the pedal

As you begin to disengage the clutch that is, as you start pressing the clutch pedal you
may hear a squealing or chirping noise. This usually points to problems with the release
(throw-out) bearing. The release bearing can be worn out, the internal lubricant dried out, or
the bearing itself damaged. Another potential source of trouble is a crankshaft pilot bearing.
A pilot bearing that is worn out or damaged can squeal or grind when the clutch pedal reaches
the floor. This is because the pilot bearing leaves a gap large enough for the transmission input
shaft and clutch disc to vibrate. So you can tell whether the release bearing or the pilot bearing
is the source of the noise. A bad release bearing will start squealing or chirping with a slight
depression of the clutch pedal, or before it's fully depressed a bad pilot bearing will start
squealing or grinding as the pedal reaches the floor. So check the pilot bearing carefully if the
clutch release bearing seems in good condition.
4) Hear Grinding When Shifting Gears
This problem is known as a dragging clutch. It happens when the friction or clutch disc
remains engaged or stuck, so the transmission input shaft keeps spinning even when you fully
depress the clutch pedal. Since the input shaft is still spinning, trying to shift gears, especially
into reverse, will cause them to clash or grind.
- This grinding may point to any number of problems: problems with the pressure plate,
throw-out bearing, or release mechanism. On a mechanical release system, the cable
may be broken, frozen, overstretched, or in need of adjustment (consult your vehicle
repair manual). On a hydraulic-type system, grinding may indicate problems with the
clutch master cylinder (low fluid, or air in the system or the internal cylinder
mechanism).
- Another possibility you want to look into is the clutch pedal assembly. The pedal may
have too much free travel and will need adjustment (consult your vehicle repair
manual).
Diagnosing clutch pedal issues
1) Clutch chatters when accelerate
This clutch problem makes the pedal vibrate or, if the problem is severe enough, makes the
car jerk during acceleration. The vibration comes from the clutch disc intermittently losing
its grip on the flywheel.
Possible causes of vibrating or chattering include:
 Clutch disc lining (friction material) worn out
 Clutch disc lining burnt or contaminated with oil
 Clutch disc glazed
 Clutch disc hub with worn out splines
 Warped pressure plate or flywheel
 Pressure plate diaphragm spring weakened or with broken fingers (bouncing)
 Pressure plate with hot spots
 Pilot bearing worn out or damaged
 Flywheel worn out
Before you go to the trouble of dropping the transmission, make sure to check the engine
and transmission motor mounts, because motor mounts can also be the source of chatter.
Check the mounts for cracks, damage, or loose bolts.
Also, check that the transmission is correctly aligned with relation to the engine. The
transmission clutch housing should be resting fully against the engine otherwise, this can
cause vibration and lead to damage to the clutch disc lining and torsion springs.
2) Clutch Pedal Pulsates
A clutch pedal may pulsate because a rotating part is wobbling or vibrating inside the
transmission. The pulsation may be caused by a warped flywheel, or by a release lever that
needs adjustment or is damaged. If the pulsation or vibration started after servicing the
transmission (the transmission was dropped or just separated from the engine for
inspection), it is possible the transmission housing is improperly aligned with the engine.
3) Clutch Pedal is Hard to Push

A clutch pedal that's hard to push or "stiff" may point to problems with the release mechanism
(or the hydraulic system, on modern vehicles). Release mechanism components to check
include the cable, linkage, clutch fork, pressure plate, and throw-out bearing. Check for a part
that is in need of lubrication or worn out. Consult your vehicle repair manual for the
maintenance service the system needs.

4) My Clutch Pedal Stays on the Floor

Just like a stiff pedal, a clutch pedal that stays on the floor can point to problems with
the linkage or release bearing. Either component may bind. Check that the springs in the
linkage are not over-stretched. You may need to adjust the linkage. Also, check that the pedal
stop is in place, and, if necessary, inspect the release bearing.

5) Clutch Pedal Feels Loose

If your clutch pedal feels loose:
 Check the release bearing or fork for damage.
 Check for a failure of the pressure-plate diaphragm spring.
HOW TO FIX IT
1. The misaligned clutch
It is necessary in virtually all cars to remove the gearbox from the car in order to
replace the clutch, which is why it's such an expensive and time-consuming piece of work to
get done - regardless of the price of the parts themselves. Hence, even though it's often just
the clutch plate that needs replacing, it is worth buying the whole kit, including the pressure
plate and release bearing. A lot is said about dual-mass flywheels. They effectively dampen
out vibration in cars that produce high torque at low speeds, but can cause problems in all
models depending on the type of driving the car is mostly used for. The mechanism weakens
and breaks up over time, which can lead to poor starting and running. It is a popular
conversion on some cars to change from a dual mass flywheel to a solid flywheel setup. Often
because they are cheaper but often because dual mass flywheels get a lot of bad press about
reliability but they are there for a reason and replacing yours with a solid conversion will result
in a noticeable increase in vibration through the clutch pedal and the cabin in general.
To avoid this, it is important to degrease and inspect the gearbox bell-housing
thoroughly, ensure a transmission jack is used correctly, and use the relevant clutch alignment
tool during installation.

2. The diaphragm issues

To avoid over stroking of the diaphragm, clutch adjustment should be checked and
set according to manufacturer specification. Before leaving the production facility all cover
assemblies are checked for clamp loading, pressure plate lift and diaphragm run-out utilising
computerised test equipment.
First of all, check engine to gearbox dowels and replace if necessary. Then, check the
gearbox nose cone for wear and repair or replace if necessary. Next, check clutch fork and
pivot ball/cross shaft and repair or replace if necessary. Lastly, adjust free travel to
manufacture’s specification and if available use self-aligning bearing.
3. Warping of the clutch disc
Pressure plates must be carefully inspected before being placed back into service.
An initial visual inspection of the pressure plate, clutch disc, and flywheel can usually be done
through an inspection cover. Remove the pressure plate bolts a few turns at a time, and in a
crisscross pattern. Failure to do so can result in a warped pressure plate. Inspect the pressure
plate for warping and hot spots. This part is often replaced when replacing a worn clutch disc.
Inspect the plate's surface for cracks, scoring, and chatter marks. They leave dark and
then light spots around the plate’s surface. This can be the result of a worn disc or incorrect
free-play adjustments. Free play is the distance between the release bearing and the
pressure plate fingers. Anytime the clutch slips, it's creating heat and damaging the pressure
plates surface
Excessive wear on the diaphragm’s fingers can be caused by a defective or worn release
bearing. These fingers fan out as the disc wears, reducing free play and riding on the release
bearing. For constant running release bearings refer to the manufacturers manual for
specifications.
Any defects on this surface cannot be removed like its counterpart the flywheel. The
flywheel is removed from the vehicle and resurfaced if within specifications. Disassembling
and resurfacing the pressure plate may be hazardous due to intense spring pressure.
Hot spots are dark blue discoloured patterns caused by excessive heat. These spots
are often caused by clutch slippage. The pressure plate can become warped from this heat.
Check the pressure plate’s surface with a straight edge and a feeler gauge.
4. Throw-out Bearing Problem
The throw-out bearing is a small bearing that assists in the disengagement of the
clutch. When changing the clutch make sure to change the throw-out bearing also. Replacing
a throw-out bearing is simple but it needs to be installed properly to avoid uneven of the
contact with the pressure plate fingers. Inspect the pressure plate for any scoring, grooves
and chips. Also, inspect the flywheel for any rivet grooves, warping or gouging. Surfaces should
be smooth. Make sure all teeth on the flywheel are also in good shape.
At this point, inspect the release bearing and replace it if worn. Check the pilot bearing
for wear and replace if necessary. Apply a light coat of moly-base grease to the transmission
input shaft, wiping off any excess. If any signs of wear or distortion are present these parts
should be replaced on installation.