Pajero Owners Club of South Africa

Initially the engine was removed to replace timing chain, cure oil leaks from the front casing and diesel pump.
The Engine was re=installed and my Pajero was on the road again but the clutch slipped. Pajero back in the garage Engine out again to inspect clutch friction plate. Previously before any work done there was no issues with the clutch or gear changing before the engine was initially removed for repairs. I think that this was the first time ever the engine and gearbox had been split from new as I bought the Pajero directly from Japan with Kms 40,000 on the clock back iin 2006, the speedo now reads Kms 250,00. According to the 4 x 4 workshop in Bethlehem their foreman sent the friction plate to Clutch & Brake, they re lined the friction plate and stepped the flywheel (the machine work on the flywheel I do not understand )
Initially I thought just a matter of bleeding the clutch system. However on assembly and driving it for the past few days 1st and reverse gear is almost impossible to engage whilst the engine is running on tick over whilst depressing the clutch pedal to the floor, this happens when the Pajero is stationary generally at traffic lights.
When I switch off the engine I can engage these gears easily, I am now going back to the garage has anyone experienced this problem. The mechanics in the garage are adamant they have done everything correctly, even looking through the inspection hole in the bell housing using a screw driver managed to spin the friction plate whilst the pressure plate assembly action released the disc it was free spinning. On driving about the other gears are sticky in motion there is no slip.
On another note the 4 x 4 green warning indicator light is flashing for front wheel drive engagement for some reasons the garage mechanic cannot determine why.
Stu Bowen
Bethlehem

That is generally the sympton with a worn / faulty clutch (ie will not allow 1st to engage - however switch off and 1st engages = clutch not releasing enough). So I would not accept any excuses from them and get them to sort it out. It definitely has to do with the clutch.
Is the rod that extends from the slave cylinder to the clutch fork adjustable ?. You can extend the rod slightly and it will help overcome the problem.

Peterpot is correct . The clutch cylinder has an adjustable rod, but it is difficult to get to. You may have to loosen the fluid container retaining nuts to make easier access to the rod/locking nut at the pedal end. You must grip the rod with vice grips to loosen the nut.

The flashing 4x4 light may be caused by one of the two limit switches on the gearbox. Each switch has an aluminium sealing washer. if that washer is missing, this could be the cause of the trouble.

Many thanks, the problem still persists, a lot of time back and forth to the garage to try to solve the problem, no luck, still sticky in all gears at times but all the time reverse 1st is almost impossible unless engine is switched off.
After some follow up recently I was told from the clutch and brake company that they had skimmed the flywheel (stepped the flywheel in about a mm or so to accept the pressure plate housing and securing bolts, this due to the re-line of the original friction plate possibly being a bit thicker than perhaps a brand new clutch friction plate. This I was told by C & B to ensure correct mating of the flywheel to clutch to pressure plate, although on a 2nd visit to Clutch and Brake the chap said they could rectify the problem maybe and would shave some lining off the friction plate and this should solve the sticky gear shift issue. A lot of work for perhaps a Pajero that could still end up with the same issue.?
Before this modification whilst the engine was out for timing gear issues, the friction plate appeared to be in good condition according to the N5 garage about 7 mm thickness and could be go back in to the vehicle ok which was the case. However the reason the Pajero was returned after work done on the engine was due to clutch slip. I did ask if they could bleed and check the system however, out came the engine and Flywheel Clutch assembly sent to C & B as per the above scenario Skimming re line. Hence now we have this irritating issue of the sticky gear shift. Sounding like a dogs breakfast isn't it.
Question the fork operating shaft remains constant in the bell housing a movement that is permanent , could the skimming of the flywheel create an issue with distance travel of the pressure plate assembly being slightly closer to the engine whereby the thrust bearing cannot reach or am I going overboard with technicalities, I am not a mechanic but trying to use logic, would such a small skimming g make a difference or is it possible the friction plate is the big problem. Someone said put spacers in between the pressure plate securing bolts to flywheel to lessen the distance which the thrust bearing has to travel to see if it make a difference. I will really appreciate the advice to put this one to bed at the garage.

If the basics have been checked and the problem persists then it is most likely that something is seriously amiss / wrong / damaged. Unfortunately the only way forward now that everything has been checked out as correct, is to open it all up and find out where the problem is. There can be a number of possibilities including that the pressure plate or spigot shaft or spigot shaft bearing was damaged during fitment of the engine to the engine. The most likely for example, is in fitting the engine, the last centimeters or so of fitment is sometimes hindered by misalignment of the spigot shaft and spigot shaft bearing. This bearing is located in the flywheel. Mechanics sometimes use the bad practise of fitting bolts to the bellhousing and force the fitment, damaging the bearing and or the spigot shaft. This for example would give a symptom very similar to what you are describing.

I would not accept any corrective / compensative machining. Clutch plates, pressure plates etc are all according to manufacturers specs. Once you start machining and trying to compensate for something that is not correct is where things go wrong (a small can of worms quickly becomes a big can of worms!). If something is incorrect then replace it. (ie - If you have the wrong clutch plate that is too thick, then get the correct clutch plate - do not go and machine to compensate - it should have been the right one in the first place) ie Keep it standard and to factory spec. Some flywheels are stepped yes, but the step must be kept to factoty spec otherwise you will cause problems.

I think the time has come for you to get tough with these guys as they do not seem to be getting it right (and their corrective measures do not sound professional). Any one can make a mistake. Once you have given them reasonable opportunity to correct their mistake then you are entitled to go else where. ie If they cannot fix it (and I mean fix it properly with the correct parts / proceedure) then you must find someone else who can. If you get someone else and find that the problem was as a result of their negligence and it is correctly documented and recorded, then they can be held liable for the costs.

Thanks Peter, It is unanimous thanks, also by coincidence my father in law phoned me from the UK last night he also said never in his days as a Qualified Motor Mechanic that a installing a recon clutch was an option. no ways, Fit New Parts Only. He does not recommend messing about with flywheels to match either. Okay lets see what I can do and hope to get back to you eventually with good news.
Please warn everyone with clutch issues not even to go there with the scenario, unfortunately the work had been done without my prior knowledge. Go well.
Stu

Most suppliers of new clutch assemblies insist that the flywheel surface must be refaced otherwise they will not honour any warranty. When the flywheel is resurfaced, it is very important to ensure that if the flywheel is of the stepped type, that the exact / precise height of the step is retained.

I had similar issues with my Jeep. Turned out that the pressure plate was faulty...
In your case, it could have perhaps been on the brink of failing prior to the removal of the engine, or dropped and damaged whilst at the clutch place or otherwise.
But more likely your flywheel was incorrectly machined, although any good clutch place should know how to do this!

I made a contraption where I removed the clutch slave cylinder and replaced it with a plate and long screw that I would tighten until the fork eventually made contact with the pressure plate (!). The gears would still not engage, telling me the pressure plate was pap.
In the case of a pull clutch, not sure it's that easy, but likely possible.

Good luck!