Clutch problem

[joemaxi]

Hi guys, hope you can help me with a problem I have with the clutch on my 2006 s40 diesel.

Under harsh acceleration, just as the turbo kicks in, the clutch seems to slip slightly. The revs jump up about 500 rpm very quickly but the clutch seems to be slipping. The clutch pedal is quite high any way and the slightest of pressure on the pedal will cause it to slip. The car has only just turned 3 years old with 22k on the clock. I'm not a maniac driver so I don't think it's me being too hard on the clutch but I'm a bit bamboozled by this!

Hope you guys can help!

Stevie

[castellsmith123]

What are your driving habit's? Do you use the car in town alot? Do you keep your foot on the clutch pedal? I have found that town driving can wear both the pressure plate and the fiction plate quite quickly! It is possible that it is normal wear and tear ,but it could be a fault! I have only changed clutches on a volvo around 10 times in 25 year's as a mechanic! They are ,most of the time, pretty good! I have not seen a 2006 model yet,so I am not sure which engine/box combo is in it!

[joemaxi]

its a ford focus engine-I think?

My driving habits are not too bad-I drive hgvs so I like to think I`m quite sympathetic to the engine when I drive.It`s mostly town driving,mainlt to and from work.

I`ve had a wee bit of bother since I bought the car about 18 months ago.The steering reck had to be replaced 3 months ago as the seals had all knackered up and volvo did this as a goodwill gesture as the warranty had just ran out.

I have had the car since it was just over a year old and before that it was the managers car at the main Volvo dealer in Stirling so I don`t know who or how it was driven before I bought it.

[Dangerous Dave]

Well, could be the rear main seal has gone and is leaking oil onto the clutch. Is there any oil underneath on the bell housing?

Or could be the clutch is worn. One of my clutches only lasted 12 months!!! (about 11000 miles)

[t5_monkey]

The way you describe your clutch is exactly how my clutch is on my 2004 S40T5.

it does it if you don't get right off the clutch after a gear change, the revs do jump when the boost comes in too (nothing to do with the clutch though as far as i know, mines fine or so I'm told.)

I didn't notice it on stock suspension but you can feel it go 'wobbly' when you start to lose traction, that's when the revs jump a few hundred rpm.

Not saying you don't have a fault - however it sounds just like how mine is to drive!

Have you put your car in it's peak torque band up a hill in 4+ gear and floored it? that should let you know if its clutch slip or not.

[joemaxi]

I phoned the main dealers today to find out where I stand. The car was supposed to go in on Thursday but they don't have the parts they think they might need. I asked for a worse case scenario and they said new clutch, etc is £730 includig fitting and vat!!!

But on the plus side,if it's a manufacturing fault, Volvo will make a contribution. Depending on what the fault is, it could be not too bad!

Will keep you posted!

[t5_monkey]

£730 including fitting? Sounds like a lot.

Have you tried the performance garages around? they may do it a lot cheaper - and they're probably used to the Ford Focus ST's which are very similar so shouldn't have any problems.

Shop around before you take the plunge unless its super urgent!

I've seen performance clutches available from the USA on the web, Perhaps partsforvolvo or some of the other parts websites have an OEM clutch you could take to a cheaper garage :)

[joemaxi]

It is a lot of money!But I'm pretty sure that it's a manufacturing fault and not just general wear and tear so I'm hoping that Volvo will pick up a major share of the cost. When my steering rack knackered up, just after my warranty expired, Volvo paid the full amount of the repair. The service manager at the garage is a decent guy and he said that he will see what he can do regarding the cost!

fingers crossed!!!

[joemaxi]

Solved the problem!


I got rid of the s40!

I've had enough of things going wrong-now the car is taking 2 turns of the key to start. I've heard it maybe a problem in the key reader thingymijig that disables the immobiliser. That was the final straw! I loved my Volvo and have spent a fortune keeping it looking good(£130 on a tub of wax) and loads more but I've had to regretfully say enough is enough.

So, I've went and bought a 2009 Mazda 6 2.2 diesel sport in sunlight silver. It's 185 bhp so has plenty of pulling power. Doesn't look as good as the Volvo but I hope it will be a wee bit more reliable. New abs modules, steering rack, clutch, and now the problems with the key on a car with 22 k and just turned 3 years old? No wonder I'm going bald........