6.1. Clutch and its release drive: 1 - driven disk; 2 - clutch cover with pressure plate; 3 - clutch release bearing; 4 – a cable of a drive of deenergizing of coupling; 5 - clutch pedal; 6 - clutch release fork
The pressure plate is mounted in a steel stamped casing 2 (pic. 6.1), bolted to the engine flywheel.
The driven disk 1 is mounted on the splines of the input shaft of the gearbox and is clamped by a diaphragm spring between the flywheel and the pressure plate.
The closed type clutch release bearing 3, which does not require lubrication in operation, is mounted on a guide sleeve pressed into the hole in the clutch housing. The guide sleeve is a non-separable unit that includes an oil seal and front input shaft bearing. The bearing is moved by a fork 6 mounted on a ball bearing screwed into the clutch housing. The fork is inserted into the grooves of the bearing coupling without additional fastening.
On the free shoulder of the clutch release fork, sealed in the clutch housing with a rubber boot, the cable 4 of the clutch release drive acts, the second end of which is fixed on the sector of the clutch pedal 5. The pedal stroke in operation is adjusted as the lining of the driven disk wears out with an adjusting nut mounted on the threaded end of the cable (see «Replacing and adjusting the clutch release cable»).
The clutches of engines with a working volume of 1.4 and 1.6 liters are identical in design and differ only in the diameters of the driven and pressure plates. For a 1.4 liter engine, the diameter is 180 mm, for a 1.6 liter engine - 200 mm. The working stroke of the outer shoulder of the clutch release fork is somewhat different, which for a 1.4 liter engine is 28–33 mm, for a 1.6 liter engine - 30–35 mm.
Note. In order for the clutch to serve for a long time and without fail, do not constantly keep your foot on the clutch pedal. This bad habit is often acquired while learning to drive in driving schools for fear of not having time to turn off the clutch while the car is stopped. In addition to the rapid fatigue of the foot, which is all the time above the pedal, the clutch is at least a little, but squeezed out, and the driven disk slips and wears out. In addition, although the release bearing is designed to operate in constant rotation mode, when the pedal is depressed at least a little, it is under load and its life is reduced.
For the same reason, we do not recommend keeping the clutch in the off position for a long time (e.g. in traffic jams). If you do not have to immediately move away, it is better to put the gearbox in neutral and release the pedal.
Clutch slip is easy to determine with a tachometer. If, while driving, with a sharp press on the accelerator pedal, the speed rises sharply, and then falls slightly and the car starts to accelerate, the clutch needs repair.