A310 V6 Clutch

Hi All

Quick intro first from a long-ish time lurker. I've had my '82 A310 V6 since 1999, using it in Holland till 2006 when we returned to New Zealand. We brought the car back with us, and after a few years of wallet draining work, it's now on the road in the land of the long white cloud. The only one!

Now, I have a small clutch issue, which, if I recall correctly, I had when it was in NL. When the car is cold, the gear shift is smooth into first and reverse. As the car gets warmer, getting into reverse becomes harder and harder. First will still go in, but not as easy as when the car is cold. So, it seems like the clutch is not fully disengaging when the car is hot.

If the car is hot, the easiest way to get it into reverse is to switch the engine off, then shift into reverse, then restart. A bit of a pain! The system has been bled twice, and there is no air in the system. The clutch pedal travel has been checked and seems OK. There is no clutch slip either.

I did read on this board (I think) that the GTA had a similar problem with getting reverse without making nasty noises. It came down to something with some plastic hose that got a bit soft when the engine was hot.

Any ideas, thoughts or other areas to check?

Hmm, can't edit posts....

Anyway, another picture!

I'm the one posting about hose expansion issues because it's a long standing and well known DeLorean issue that's long since been solved by swapping out the original plastic clutch line for a stainless braided one.

Of course this won't make up for failed/failing cylinders.

Sometimes I find reverse hard to get into in my GTA.
While stationary, try
Neutral
clutch down
2nd
clutch up, clutch down
then reverse.

And sometimes I have to do it twice...... otherwise it is a graunching of gears.

DeLoreans with working hydraulics and properly adjusted linkages never have any problems selecting gears. It uses the 369 'box common to the 310 too.

So, is the plastic line an issue with the A310 as well? Getting a new braided line made up won't be an issue, but I'd rather not do it if it's not likely to be the culprit.

Is it more likely that one (or both) of the cylinders is in less than ideal condition? Is there an easy way to test (the system has no air in it, and no apparent leaks)? What tests can I do or adjustments can I make, if any, at the clutch end of the system?

Getting hold of parts is not necessarily as easy down here in NZ, and having a French language repair guide does present challenges for the mechanics.... Any way I can narrow down the problem?

Thanks

Paul

Thought I'd post an update with fix here for future reference.

The fix has been in place for a year now, and everything is still working fine.

Someone over on the AussieFrogs forum suggested that I sleeve the slave cylinder down, thereby increasing the travel. This is a fix this person has done a number of times, as part of a "standard fix". Now, their (AF) site went tits up not long ago, so I've lost the PM with the exact dimensions. If I can track down the guy that suggested it, I'll try and get the dimensions back off him.

I think it was Steve K from Aussiefrogs that suggested stainless sleeving the slave cylinder without boring it out to give more travel. He has done it to GTAs as well.

I think the standard arrangement works OK until the clutch plate gets some wear on it and so requires a larger depression of the diaphragm to release.

I am finding mine is heading that way with around 250 000Klms on the clutch. It doesn't slip but picks up much closer to the floor even with all cylinders in good condition and a braided flexible line.

My clutch doesn't have that many k's on it, and has been like that pretty much since I bought the car. The last time the engine was out (in Holland), it was checked and there was very little wear.

Now, I have a small clutch issue, which, if I recall correctly, I had when it was in NL. When the car is cold, the gear shift is smooth into first and reverse. As the car gets warmer, getting into reverse becomes harder and harder.

Here is a theory for us to chew over guys. This takes me back to the days before Syncro cones (now called synchronizer rings) were not fitted to 1st gear. This graunching of 1st and reverse was common due to the slow slowing down of the gear train when the oil was hot and consequently thin. Of course when the oil was cold and thicker, so to speak, the friction of the oil slowed the gear train much quicker, so graunching did not occur. Clearly, where there is no syncro, the gear train must be stopped in order to get a noiseless selection of gear......there is no syncro on reverse in the Alp.
My Alp, when hot, will graunch if I pull up quickly and immediately go into reverse, however if I pause allowing the gear train to stop, it goes in quietly.
This theory is blown out of the window if there is a actual fault, but before ripping things apart, it might be worth considering