Still a Clutch return fault

[Joe Page]

Hi there I’m Joe from Essex England. I could do with some help. I’m a mechanic and have been for around 10 years I don’t know as much as The Master Eric but I’m not a novice.

So my customer has a 2011 Vauxhall/Opel Corsa 1.2 petrol with a manual transmission. She first came to me about 3 weeks ago with the complaint that the clutch pedal wasn’t retuning properly after she had depressed it and believed as she describes it “a sound like a spring coming off.

I came and test drove the vehicle and didn’t have any issues. I had a visual inspection around the pedal assembly which is difficult to see but I couldn’t see anything amiss. So I sent her on her way.

Next about a week later she explains that it is getting worse and nearly every time she changes gear she has to lift it back up with her foot and also occasionally struggles to get gears. I inspect the vehicle no leaks no clutch slipping. No noises. I take the cap off to check the fluid now it’s slightly discoloured but not terrible. Annoyingly the slave cylinder is concentric and lives inside the gearbox so I can’t check it. So I recommend to the customer as a first logical and cheaper step to replace the master cylinder as if the one way seals are starting to fail maybe that is causing a lack of pressure which means the pedal dosnt return. So I replace that reblead the system. I test dove it and I now experience the symptoms she has been describing. I reblead the clutch to double check it but no joy.

So I now remove the gearbox to inspect the clutch and slave cylinder. The thrust bearing part of the slave is heavily worn the friction plate has some heat spots especially on the springs inside it. But nothing drastic. The slave did not seem to operate exactly as I would have thought. So I replace the slave and a new clutch kit.

I test drive the vehicle it feels great gears are nice the pedal seems to return.

I receive a message the next day from the customer saying when she first starts driving the vehicle she agains has to lift up the pedal as it’s not returning properly but after 10 mins or so it works fine.

I haven’t checked it yet but I’m starting to run out of things I think it could be has anyone had this sort of problem? is there something blatantly obvious that I’m missing? Should I remove the pedal box which will be a nightmare to check but to see if there is some sort of return spring fault?

Please help people and if I’m in the good books Eric himself

Thanks so much.sorry it’s such a long message I just wanted to try and give a full picture.

Thanks Joe

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