Mechanic needed in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne

Hi All,
My clutch has gone and I desperately need an Alpine knowledgable mechanic in Newcastle.
Can anyone help me?
Thanks.[/b]

How about explaining the symptoms?

Hi,
Whilst going up through the box the car suddenly stopped engaging gear. once the engine was stopped I could slot into any gear desired and continue in gear. It was interesting holding her at roundabouts etc!) The clutch seems to engage enough to enable the car to be held on the brakes whilst in second without quite stalling.
She went to a local classic car guy who says that he thinks both master and slave cylinders are ok but that when he tries to prise the arm it won't budge. (Excuse my lack of technical knowledge here).the car has always ground slightly when going into reverse but I'm not 100% sure if this has been worse recently. If anyone has any help or advice I could sure use it as I don't know enough not to get ripped off!
Whilst I'm here does anyone also know why my handbrake seems to not want to release properly on the rear discs/ (This is far secondary as I need clutch advice first.)Thanks in advance.

There's a lot of postings on here re clutch problems. From what you say, your clutch is dragging (rather than slipping). The quickest and cheapest option is to try bleeding it to see if it improves. Use the search option above for 'Clutch Slave Cylinder'.

Thanks Stuart,
I'm off to the garage tomorrow to see what I can see!
I will suggest the 'bleeding'(obvious) excuse the pun.
I'm praying that it's anything that doesn't involve removing the engine as the guy is already making mechanics air sucked over the teeth noises and telling me he expects it to be a weeks work!
I'll let you know how I get on.
Thanks again.

A weeks work to change the clutch!!???? You definitely need to change your garage. Apparently a competent mechanic can have the engine and gearbox out in a couple of hours.

Also check the clutch peddle. the link pin that goes through the peddle into a connecting rod has 2 silly plactic washers as a bearing. When the washers break, the pins wears down and the peddle inherits non usefull travel which means the peddle hits the bulkhead and may be stopping the clutch from fully disengaging. just wiggle the clutch peddle back and forward lightly and see where the play is. A new pin is only a couple of quid, but you may need someithing to plug the wear on the peddle. Some have drilled it out and used a bigger pin.
Good Luck.

I agree with Peter's and Simon's points. You will see from previous posts that I had three Renault dealers quote me £1000 to cure a similar problem, yet I cured it myself for less than £5 in parts and about 20 minutes work!

Hello All,
Firstly thanks for such a response.
I had a good look at the car again this morning and the pedal is still connected by the pin although there is some wear and free play (nothing like a problem to make you have a really good look at all the things you normally just put up with is there!) The master cylinder appears to be operating normally. The mechanic says that there is no movement within the clutch housing when bypassing the hydraulics and using brute force.
They are happy for the car to sit at their garage for a few days without charging me so I'm hoping to find someone with more knowledge and far faster labour in the meantime!
Keep all help coming please.
Thanks again,

[Alpineandy]

It may end up cheaper for you to get it towed to petergs part of the country.

I doubt that brute (manual) force would have much effect on the operating arm. I suggest you ask the mechanic to try bleeding the slave cylinder. It's a 5 minute job!

Is the fluid level in your brake/clutch reservoir down? This may indicate that the slave or master cylinder is leaking. It is possible to see the rear of the clutch master cylinder down near the pedals. Is it wet with fluid there? It shouldn't be.

The slave cylinder on the turbo model is a mongrel to get to, and requires the removal of the turbo apparently, but an atmo is not too hard at all.
With the clutch pedal depressed get someone to watch the clutch fork. It should hold in one position, and not slowly release. The clutch fork pin as mentioned is another problem area.

I also agree that moving the clutch fork manually with a big lever would be very difficult, given the clamp pressure of the clutch. Might be easy on a Fiesta, but hard on something with a real clutch.

Paul Sage (ARR) says it's normally a 2 day job to remove the engine, sub-frame and 'box to replace the clutch and any other things that need attention (in my case the clutch fork, the spigot shaft, gearbox seals etc), but while I was in London he managed to do it all in one day. Total price - £1035 inc VAT (includes clutch, A610 clutch fork, spigot shaft, seals, gaskets and a few other things)

Tell u what, the missus didn't speak to me for a week after having to spend that money on the car! (Not necessarily a bad thing ) Said she could've redone the kitchen counters and sink for that! Needs to get her priorities straight methinks!!!!

[Alpineandy]

A) he managed to do it all in one day.

B) the missus didn't speak to me for a week after having to spend that money on the car!

A) I don't know many garages who'll get in before 6am to make sure it's done in a day!

B) I can get that much cheaper... try 'yes it does make your ass look big dear'.