Clutch

Pic. 6.1. Clutch: 1 - flywheel; 2 - driven disk; 3 - clutch cover with pressure plate; 4 - diaphragm spring.

For Ford Mondeo vehicles equipped with a manual transmission, a dry single-plate clutch with a central diaphragm spring is installed (pic. 6.1).

The pressure plate is mounted in a steel stamped casing 3, attached with six bolts to the flywheel 1 of the engine. The driven disk 2 is mounted on the splines of the input shaft of the gearbox and is clamped by a diaphragm spring 4 between the flywheel and the pressure disk.

Pic. 6.2. Clutch release bearing, combined with the clutch release actuator slave cylinder: 1 - clutch housing; 2 - clutch release bearing; 3 – the working cylinder of a drive of deenergizing of coupling; 4 – bolts of fastening of the working cylinder of a drive of deenergizing of coupling.

Bearing 2 (pic. 6.2) clutch release is structurally integrated with the working cylinder 3 of the clutch release drive, attached with three bolts 4 to the clutch housing 1.

Pic. 6.3. Clutch release hydraulic drive: 1 - clutch release hydraulic drive pipeline; 2 - the main cylinder of the hydraulic clutch release; 3 – retraction spring of the clutch pedal; 4 – nuts of fastening of a pedal of coupling; 5 - clutch pedal; 6 - clutch pedal bracket; 7 - fork of the pusher of the main cylinder of the hydraulic clutch release.

The hydraulic clutch release consists of…



..from master cylinder 2 (pic. 6.3), installed in the cabin..



... working cylinder 3 (see fig. 6.2), combined with the clutch release bearing..




…pipeline 1 (see fig. 6.3) …



... and clutch pedal 5, the bracket 6 of which is attached with nuts 4 to the front end shield of the body. The pedal is returned to its original position by spring 3. The rod of the master cylinder of the clutch release drive is connected to the pedal with a fork 7. The master cylinder is connected by a hose to a reservoir mounted on the master brake cylinder (reservoir common to both master cylinders). The hydraulic clutch release uses brake fluid. Adjustment of the clutch release drive is not provided, it is only possible to check the clutch pedal travel in order to determine the technical condition of the clutch.

USEFUL ADVICE: 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, while the driven disk slips and wears out. In addition, despite the fact that the release bearing is designed to operate in constant rotation mode, when the pedal is pressed even slightly, it is under increased 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 can be easily determined with a tachometer. If, while driving, with a sharp press on the accelerator pedal, the speed rises sharply, and then drops a little and the car starts to accelerate, the clutch needs to be repaired.