This Spring Makes Gear Shifts Easier & Clutch Pedal Wear After 10 Years of Learners
Summary
TLDRThis video explores the intricate design and functionality of a clutch pedal, particularly one that has endured extensive use in a learner car. The host demonstrates how the pedal assists in smooth gear changes, explains the hydraulic system, and reveals the wear and tear on the pedal after 208,000 miles. The video concludes with a discussion on the decision to replace the entire pedal due to its worn components, highlighting the improved driving experience.
Takeaways
- 🚗 The clutch pedal discussed is from a learner car that has been used extensively, covering over 208,000 miles or about 330,000 km.
- 🔧 The pedal has been used more frequently than in a typical town-driven car due to its use in teaching driving, potentially equivalent to 1 million miles.
- 📚 Understanding the hydraulic system is crucial for grasping how the clutch pedal functions, involving the master and slave cylinders and the clutch release bearing.
- 🔧 Pressing the clutch pedal forces hydraulic fluid from the master cylinder, which then pushes on the slave cylinder, releasing the clutch.
- 🔄 The clutch pedal's design includes an over-center spring, which changes the pedal's weight at different points of travel for better control and feel.
- 🔍 The pedal's weight changes as you approach the clutch bite point, making it easier to determine when the clutch is engaged or disengaged.
- 🛠️ After years of use, the clutch pedal shows signs of wear, particularly in the pivot pin and bush of the master cylinder, affecting the pedal's smoothness.
- 🧐 The nylon bearings in the pedal show minimal wear despite extensive use, indicating a durable design.
- 🔧 Replacing worn parts like the master cylinder, pivot pin, and bush can restore the pedal's performance, but sometimes it's more practical to replace the entire pedal.
- 💰 The decision to replace the entire pedal was influenced by the difficulty of sourcing individual parts and the potential for improved performance and ease of installation.
- 👍 The video concludes with a recommendation for viewers to check out links for car insurance options, highlighting the benefits for learner drivers and car owners.
Q & A
What is the purpose of the clutch pedal discussed in the video?
-The clutch pedal is a crucial part of a manual transmission vehicle that helps the driver change gears smoothly by disengaging and re-engaging the clutch.
How long has the clutch pedal in the video been in use?
-The clutch pedal has been in use for 10 years and has covered over 208,000 miles, which is approximately 330,000 kilometers.
What is unique about the clutch pedal's design in the video?
-The clutch pedal is designed to change its weight as the driver approaches the bite point, making it easier to tell when the clutch is fully engaged.
How does the clutch pedal's hydraulic system work?
-The hydraulic system works by forcing hydraulic fluid out of the master cylinder when the clutch pedal is pressed, which then pushes on the slave cylinder to release the clutch.
What is the 'over center spring' mentioned in the video?
-The over center spring is a part of the clutch pedal that provides a different feel to the pedal at different points of its travel, making it easier for the driver to locate the bite point.
Why was the clutch pedal in the video replaced?
-The clutch pedal was replaced due to signs of wear and tear, such as the worn bush in the master cylinder and the play in the pivot pin, which affected the pedal's feel and smooth operation.
What is the significance of the clutch pedal's pivot pin and bush in the video?
-The pivot pin and bush are critical components that connect the clutch pedal to the master cylinder. Wear on these parts can affect the smoothness and feel of the clutch pedal.
What did the narrator do to diagnose the wear on the clutch pedal?
-The narrator stripped down the clutch pedal, examined the pivot pin, bush, and bearings for wear, and explained how these parts contribute to the pedal's performance.
Why did the narrator decide to replace the entire clutch pedal instead of just the worn parts?
-The narrator decided to replace the entire clutch pedal because the individual parts were not available for purchase separately, and it was more efficient to replace the whole pedal in one go.
What was the outcome of replacing the clutch pedal?
-After replacing the clutch pedal, the narrator found it to be much smoother and quieter than before, with a lighter feel, which improved the overall driving experience.
What additional information is provided in the video for those learning to drive or looking for car insurance?
-The video provides information about Conwood and Confused.com for car insurance, offering discounts and the ability to compare multiple insurance quotes easily.
Outlines
🚗 Clutch Pedal Design and Usage
The video script begins by highlighting the unique design and durability of a clutch pedal that has been in use for a learner car for ten years, covering over 208,000 miles. The narrator explains how the pedal assists in smooth gear changes by changing its weight near the bite point, making it easier for drivers to identify when to engage the clutch. The script also delves into the basic hydraulics of how the clutch pedal operates, detailing the interaction between the master and slave cylinders, and the role of the diaphragm spring in re-engaging the clutch. The narrator emphasizes the importance of the clutch pedal's feel and the role of the over-center spring in providing a lighter touch at the bite point, enhancing the driving experience.
🔧 Clutch Pedal Disassembly and Wear Analysis
In this section, the narrator proceeds to disassemble the clutch pedal to assess its wear and tear after extensive use. The main pivot point and the nylon bearing are examined, revealing minimal play and a significant amount of white dust, indicating wear. The pivot pin for the master cylinder is identified as a significant point of wear, with the bush around it having turned to dust. The narrator demonstrates how the excessive play in the pin affects the pedal's feel, leading to a less smooth operation. The decision to remove the master cylinder to inspect the bush further is discussed, with the narrator noting the extensive wear and the need for replacement parts to restore the pedal to its optimal condition.
🛠️ Replacing Worn Components of the Clutch Pedal
The narrator continues by discussing the replacement of worn components in the clutch pedal assembly. After removing the cotter pins and pivot pin, the master cylinder is extracted, revealing significant wear on the pivot pin and the bush. The narrator observes that the nylon bush has worn away, causing the pedal to feel less smooth. The decision to replace not just the master cylinder and pivot pin but also the bearings is considered, given their wear. The narrator also mentions having a spare master cylinder from a previous incident, which influenced the decision to replace the entire pedal assembly. The script concludes with a discussion on the availability of replacement parts and the narrator's choice to replace the entire pedal for convenience and long-term reliability.
🏁 Final Thoughts on Clutch Pedal Replacement and Car Insurance
In the final paragraph, the narrator reflects on the decision to replace the entire clutch pedal and the benefits observed post-replacement, such as a smoother and quieter operation. The narrator also notes the unexpected reduction in the weight of the clutch pedal after the replacement. The video concludes with a recommendation for viewers to consider car insurance options, specifically mentioning Conwood and Confused as providers for learner drivers and those looking to insure their own vehicles. The narrator encourages viewers to use the provided links for insurance quotes, emphasizing the ease of comparison and the potential savings available.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Clutch Pedal
💡Bite Point
💡Hydraulics
💡Master Cylinder
💡Slave Cylinder
💡Clutch Diaphragm
💡Over Center Spring
💡Wear and Tear
💡Nylon Bearing
💡Pivot Pin
💡Maintenance
Highlights
The clutch pedal is a special piece of design that helps the driver change gears smoothly.
The clutch pedal has been used extensively in a learner car for 10 years, covering over 208,000 miles.
The clutch pedal is used four to five times more per mile than a typical town-driven car.
The clutch pedal's design changes its weight when near the bite point, making it easier to identify the clutch bite point.
The clutch pedal's hydraulic system uses brake fluid and involves a master and slave cylinder.
The clutch pedal's diaphragm spring helps return the pedal to the top without needing a separate spring.
The over-center spring in the clutch pedal adjusts the pedal's weight, making it lighter at the bite point and heavier above it.
The clutch pedal's pivot point shows minimal wear, indicating potential for many more years of use.
The pivot pin for the master cylinder shows significant wear, affecting the smoothness of the clutch pedal.
The master cylinder's bush has worn away, causing a noticeable play in the pedal's movement.
The clutch pedal's bearings show minimal wear, suggesting they could last as long as the pedal itself.
The clutch pedal's nylon materials are prone to wear but provide a quieter operation compared to metal.
Replacing the clutch pedal and master cylinder can make the clutch feel lighter and smoother.
The decision to replace the entire clutch pedal was influenced by the difficulty of sourcing individual parts.
The new clutch pedal installation resulted in a smoother and quieter clutch operation.
The clutch pedal's design and wear analysis provides insights into its functionality and longevity.
The video concludes with a demonstration of the improved clutch pedal's performance after replacement.
Transcripts
there is more to this than meets the eye
yes it's a clutch pedal but it's quite
special for one just how much use this
one has had yet it's still in one piece
and it works well albeit not quite as
well as it did when it was new and also
it's an ingenious piece of design to try
and help the driver change gear smoothly
it changes its weight when you get near
the bite point so it's easier for you to
tell when you're at the clutch bite
point so in this video I'm going to
strip it down this manle it show you
what has survived and what hasn't and
I'm going to let you know how it works
firstly I need to clarify just how much
use this clutch pedal has had it's been
in this learner car for 10 years and
it's covered over 208,000 miles or about
330,000 km now you may be thinking lots
of cars do that these days and you're
right it's not the norm most cars are
scrapped long before that mileage in
Great Britain at least but it is very
possible for a car to go that far or
much further but this car has not done
mostly Motorway miles not much of the
miles have actually been on the motorway
neither has it been driven around town
normally it's been used by people who
are learning to drive people get in this
car and use this clutch pedal to
practice how to use it and I would
estimate that per mile driven this
clutch pedal has been used four to five
times more than than a typical Town
driven car not Motorway car but town car
so really this pedal was done the
equivalent of around about 800 to1
million miles or
1.6 million kilm I'm surprised it hasn't
turned to dust I was expecting it to a
long time ago in fact bits of it have
I'll get to that soon firstly I'm going
to show you how this clutch pedal can
help you change gear smoothly but before
I do that you need a basic understanding
of how the Hydraulics work only a basic
understanding though so this won't take
long this is the clutch pedal when you
press it down which is that way it
forces hydraulic fluid out of this
master cylinder they actually use the
brake fluid as the hydraulic fluid that
hydraulic fluid goes through this pipe
and pushes on the slave cylinder so the
master cylinder pushes the slave
cylinder the slave cylinder pushes the
clutch release bearing which pushes the
clutch diaphragm fingers that way on the
pressure plate which then brings the
pressure plate back this way so how does
pressing on the diaphragm fingers that
way bring the pressure plate back this
way well look at my
fingers if you push the top of my finger
this way it brings my Thum back you see
how that works and that is how pushing
on the clutch can actually bring the
clutch pressure plate back and release
the clutch the clutch is now disengaged
but these fingers are strong the moment
you let off the clutch pedal they want
to return to their rest position so I'll
demonstrate that now when you let off
the clutch pedal you are no longer
providing Force to the pressure plate so
the pressure plate Springs back to
normal pushes back into the clutch that
re-engages the clutch to the engine the
fingers also press the release bearing
back which pushes the slave cylinder
back and the fluid goes back down the
pipe into the master cylinder and pushes
the pedal back up to the top so you
don't actually need a spring on your
clutch pedal to get it to return to the
top when you let off the pedal the
diaphragm spring will do that for you on
the clutch pressure plate the spring on
this clutch pedal is there for clutch
feel this is the over Center spring and
watch how it compresses when I press the
clutch in a little bit and if I let go
of the clutch pedal the clutch pedal
Springs back up to the top but also
notice how it's pivoting now if I press
it down enough so it's about halfway
down so the clutch is near the bite
point now you can see the clutch isn't
springing back up to the top or the
bottom it's staying still and that's
because the spring is only acting on the
pivot point of the pedal it's not
pushing this up or down and you need to
push this bit up or down to move the
pedal if I was to lift the pedal up
slightly you can see this bit goes down
and when this is able and got enough
angle and it push that down it's going
to bring the pedal up quite quickly and
if I was to go halfway again it's going
to stay still so halfway is about there
and if I go slightly Beyond halfway it's
going to push this up forcing the pedal
down like so and I nearly traed my thumb
there keep my thumb on the outside of
that that was
close so you don't want your pedal to
fly down like that but it won't if this
was attached to the car you would always
have an upward force on this pedal from
the clutch pressure plate this is how it
will behave if it's attached to the car
what the over Center spring does is it
makes the clutch pedal heavier at the
top when I get to the bite point it's
noticeably lighter and when I press the
clut all the way down it's lighter still
this makes it easy for me to push the
clutch down the change gears but also it
makes it easy for me to hold the clutch
down for a few seconds if I'm waiting to
pull out of a junction because it's not
very heavy down here as I lift the
clutch up when I get to the bite point
it gets noticeably heavier that confirms
to me that I'm at the bite Point not
just the vibrations of the engine or the
fact we're moving but I got a difference
in the weight of the pedal to make it
easier for me to judge where that bite
point is and then when I'm above the
clutch bite point the pedal is heavier
yet confirming that the clutch is now
done don't rest on it not all clutch
pedals have a system like this some are
linear so they're the same weight at the
top of the pedal as they are at the
bottom some are heavy all the way
throughout some are light all the way
throughout some are in between some are
super light at the bottom and really
heavy at the top so as you get near the
bik point the pedal wants to throw you
off I haven't driven a car like that for
a while but I did drive some '90s Rena
that were like that I like a clutch
pedal to have a little bit of feel just
a little bit firmer near the bite point
just to communicate to me that I'm there
I don't need it but it's nice and it
certainly makes it easier for people who
are learning to drive now it's time to
strip this thing down to see how worn it
is after so much time this is the main
pivot point of the clutch as you can see
it's where it pivots and you can see
quite a lot of white dust in here from
the nylon bearing if I put my finger on
it you can see there look white bearing
dust there isn't actually a huge amount
of play there is a little bit but I
think there's years of life left in that
yet where this is really worn is this
pin here this pin is the pivot pin for
the master cylinder I don't think the
pin is warm very much but the bush that
goes around it I think that's turned to
dust there's quite a lot of white dust
down there you probably can't see that
so I'm going to take it out to show you
but the problem is when I push the
clutch down I can press it that much
before it actually starts to press the
master cylinder in doesn't affect how
the car drives it just means the clutch
pedal doesn't feel very nice because
when you press the clutch pedal down
it's not really smooth there's like a
little step of dead travel before it
then actually starts to work to take the
master cylinder out so we can see how
worn it is or how worn that bush is I
need to squeeze these two cotter pins in
and push them out and squeeze these two
tabs of the pivot pin in and push that
out too and then hopefully the master
cylinder will come out the back and
we'll see how much of that bush is
remaining so I've removed these two
cotter pins and this pivot pin and you
can see there's a lot of wear on this
pivot pin and in fact there's a lot of
black plastic on it as well which
suggests that the bush here is worn away
and the black plastic of the master
cylinder is pushing against this and
there's a lot of white dust about from
the bush I believe that bush has turned
to dust let's take this out and have a
look at the bush
oh yeah look at that can you see that
how worn away that bush is there's Bush
at the top but not really much at the
bottom in fact I can see some black
plastic there and some black plastic in
there as well which explains why there's
black plastic on this pin because it's
been pushing against the black plastic
instead of the Bush this should be snug
and it's not moves around this does
pivot as it should the um Bush but look
how much play there is in that pin I can
move the pedal a lot before it actually
starts to move the piston so this pin is
connected to the pedal when you move the
pedal this pin moves and it moves the
piston and there's a lot of play there
before the Piston moves which explains
why the pedal felt so bad now you could
say that this should be made out of
metal and well maybe you're right but
then it would squeak you could grease it
but that would dry out and you'd need to
regrease it again which means taking
this off the car to get to it CU you
can't regrease it when it's attached to
the car and taking it off and putting it
back on probably about 3 hours for
someone who knows what they're doing so
a lot of people aren't going to bother
that and you're just going to end up
with a squeaky pedal so I'm actually
quite glad it's made of nylon it does
mean it's going to wear out eventually
but most cars most clutch pedals in most
cars are never going to see that amount
of use before well they're scrapped for
some other reason so I think overall
it's quite a good design but I do an
abnormal amount of use now I'm going to
see how this has worn how the bearings
here have worn by taking that apart to
do that I think I need to twist this
this way which means I need to lift
these up at the same time as twisting
then pull it out and then we'll see what
they look like okay so I've Twisted this
which did break off one of these and it
did say in the workshop manual that that
may break and I'm going to pull it out
and oh white nylon bear ing dust a lot
of it let's see if I can get this pedal
out now it should just oh there we go
again very
easy dust is falling on the cardboard
these are the bearings and you can see
actually if you can see that there it's
quite clean here and this isn't worn at
all so this bearing does stay still this
bearing doesn't turn here it
turns here which is good it means it
only wears on one end it doesn't
actually wear this plastic pedal so if
you wanted to replace this you could
replace these bearings and this pin and
then it'll be back like new and on this
side as well yep again this bearing
hasn't spun round it's been fairly
stationary but looks things no wear on
it but a lot of wear on the inside
however as I said earlier there wasn't
much play in it it is worn but not badly
I think there's a lot of life in this
left yet a lot of life left in this yet
should I say you can see the bearing
there there is a bit of play but it
wasn't affecting the use of the pedal it
wasn't rocking from side to side maybe
not as good as new but it could probably
do as long as it's done again I would
guess so not a big problem there and we
got this part of the pedal here this bit
here which goes on this over Center
spring which has now come out nice and
that doesn't look very badly worn either
yeah there's no grooves worn in here a
little bit a little bit of a Groove a
little bit of GrooVe there considering
the force of the spring as well it's
quite a strong spring I'm surprised
they're not worn more and this isn't
worn away that still fits in there well
and pivots nicely and then on this bit
here you've got these little bushes
don't know how to take these out yet I
think I can I might just have to figure
this out and come back to you these
weren't too difficult at the end they
just took a little bit of a technique
squeeze at the back like that and then
they pushed out like so these sit in
here in these little holes there to
protect this bit of plastic whilst this
sits in there and pivots and of course
this bit's not worn because they're
there to protect it but then these
aren't worn either and neither is this
these little shafts on the end so I
didn't need to replace any of this in
fact all I was planning to place was my
master
cylinder and the pivot pin including the
bush inside the master cylinder and then
I was thinking actually whilst I'm
taking it out it's probably a good idea
to replace any bearings so any of these
bearings and any pins and maybe even
this spring assembly uh just in case it
is worn cuz I didn't know until I got it
out but I ended up buying a whole pedal
for £400 I was thinking all these bits
going to be too much and I actually had
one of these knocking around um so I
think I should probably explain why I
ended up replacing the whole pedal when
all I needed was a few plastic bits and
I already had the main bit as a spare
anyway so why is it then I have a spare
Master of the knocking around as you do
well it's because in 2017 my slave the
failed and I thought it'd be a good idea
to have one of these just in case this
fails it's ready to be fitted and there
won't be too much downtime in lessons
and my plan was actually to fit it when
I have a chance just to play it safe
truth is I had plenty of chances to fit
this but I don't like working down there
I always had better things to do when I
replaced the clutch pedal my back was
sore and stiff for 6 days I had
scratches all over my arms and putting
my arms up in places where I can't see
and the sharp things still got one scab
coming away now so yeah I really didn't
want to replace this and it was never
urgent but from the last winter we just
had it started to get a bit more urgent
because when the car was cold it started
to Creek
like clutch would Creek when the cabin
was cold once the cabin got warm the
creek went away so I was
thinking let's just pay someone to fit
it and then job done don't have to worry
about it but then I thought a bit more
and thought what if it's not this that's
at fault or obviously this is badly worn
it's been used so much what if there's
something else that's worn so I had a
look under there put a torch on the
pedal could see a lot of white dust and
I was thinking yeah that pedal does need
some work let's overhaul it completely
let's get all the bushes and pins and
the bearings and give it a re a refresh
to make sure it's going to be fine went
to say it ask for those parts no we
can't sell you those parts we can only
sell you this bush for2 but the rest of
the parts you can't get you have to buy
a whole new pedal if you want those
parts so I had two options one was to
replace this and hope that the pedal was
nice and smooth and quiet and risk
taking the pedal out twice which I did
not want to do or replace the whole
pedal brand new job done in one go so I
decided a bit of a compromise I thought
okay I'll buy the whole new pedal but
I'll fit it myself and the money I'll
save and paying someone to fit this I
know I could fit this myself as well but
the way I did it in my head is the money
I Sav in paying someone to fit this I'll
put towards the pedal and I know the
job's done in one go and I'm actually
quite pleased because the pedal is so
much smoother I don't remember it being
this smooth from new but also it's quiet
but it's lighter as well I didn't expect
replacing the pedal and the master
cylinder to make the clutch lighter but
it has and when I've been driving a new
petrol manual car and I've got back into
this one quite often I feel like they
don't really Drive much different they
kind of Drive the same cars petrol
manual cars haven't moved on much in the
last 10 years but what I did notice when
I got back into this car was how heavy
and rough my clutch was
now it's nice and smooth so I'm happy I
spent the money I'm happy I did the job
I just need to figure out what to do
with this thing but I hope you found the
video interesting and how the clutch
pedal can actually make it easier for
you to feel the bite point and change
gear and just how worn a clutch pedal is
after that much use I was certainly very
interested in that I'm glad I replaced
it looking at these bits of all this
dust yeah probably why this one feels so
much better now if you did find it
interesting give the video a thumbs up
and if you're looking for car insurance
check out the links to Conwood and
Confused in the description if you're
learning to drive and want to ensure
yourself on somebody else's car then
Collingwood are there for you because
you can do so without affecting the
owner's policy and that takes away a big
stress from the owner of that car that
you're using to practice your driving in
via the link at the moment is up to 35%
off and a 20 Amazon gift card if you
want to ensure your own car I recommend
check out the link to confused.com
because you fill out one quote form and
you get loads of quotes back from many
insurers and you can change your car on
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