Clutch Clinic: Hyundai Getz 1.4
Renewing the clutch on a Hyundai Getz 1.4 job is time-consuming and attention to detail is required at every stage. But the job itself isn’t difficult, says Kim Henson.
This 2006 Hyundai Getz 1.4 was suffering from a seriously slipping clutch and it was only just possible to drive the car to the workshop of J&C Motors in Bournemouth.
If the clutch has started to slip, almost always indicating wear on the driven plate, stop driving the car as soon as possible or overheating of the flywheel drive face may occur due to excessive friction. Tackle the clutch change as soon as you can, to minimise damage and keep costs down.
Our advice is to always fit a complete kit of the three main clutch components: the driven plate, pressure plate assembly and release bearing. It takes a long time and much effort to remove and refit the gearbox and clutch assembly. In our view, renewal of individual clutch components is always a false economy, particularly since any that you don’t renew probably won’t last very long when integrated with new parts.
Most of the work in reaching and removing the gearbox takes place from the left-hand side of the engine bay. At first glance, this seems a daunting prospect as this area is packed with electrical cables, hoses, gearchange assembly components and support brackets. However, if you work methodically, the step-by-step procedure isn’t too tricky, although it would be best to set aside a whole day for the job if tackling it for the first time.
Be particularly careful when detaching the various electrical cables and their plastic clips/connector assemblies, of which there are many, especially around the battery tray. These may have become weak and brittle with age, so can snap or crack if you don’t treat them with care. It is a good idea to make notes and draw diagrams of the cable layouts, to ensure correct refitting of components in their original positions. It’s also helpful to carefully store all the parts removed in clearly-labelled containers.