Clutch pedal squeezing/roughness issue Jimny 4th Gen

Hi All,

I recently bought a second-hand Jimny Sierra 4Gen (year 2023) with 28k km still under warranty (no clutch covered) and under a pre-paid service plan up to 45k km.

After a couple of hundred km, the car started showing a consistent roughness on the clutch pedal. At first, I thought that the reason was linked to a dry o-ring in the hydraulic actuator that connects the clutch pedal with the clutch release arm that pushes the clutch disk inside the transmission. For this reason, I added silicon grease to the hydraulic line but the issue didn't go away.
So I had a look under the car and I checked the sound/vibration location (please have a look at the attached video) to Identify the possible issue.
The sound/vibration is located inside the transmission box. Every time that the clutch pedal is depressed the displayed noise/vibration is transmitted throughout the clutch line up to my feet. The feeling suggests that the system is missing grease/lubricant in the axial shaft or the release bearing.

The feeling transmitted at the clutch pedal is a general sense of roughness which results in an imprecise takeoff for the car and imprecise gear change sometimes. However, globally the car runs smooth, no other mechanical noises and the whole transmission runs smooth (apparently). 

I inspected the clutch release bearing throughout the hole on the clutch transmission (very small visibility) but it seems fine. 

I brought the car to the service but no issues were found and the mechanic gave me the car back specifying that the behavior observed seemed normal. I paid half an hour for the service since the clutch line is not covered under warranty.

I would like to know if possible from this community of experts and passionate people how to fix the problem or where to focus my attention to mitigate the roughness of the clutch pedal and prevent any actual/future issues. 

Video link:  vimeo.com/1072886859/5f732aa379

Thank you for your availability!
Alex 

I'd be taking that back to the dealer if I were you, for a couple of different reasons ...

First - whilst clutches are generally excluded from warranty, this is because they are a "wear item", in that they are expected to wear, and also because the rate of wear is often direct related to the driver's "style", an inexperienced driver can destroy a clutch in a very short space of time.  That said, the noise emanating from that bell housing is unlikely to be the result of driver inexperience.

Second - reading your "assumptions & corrective actions" gives me the heebie jeebies, adding silicone grease to the hydraulic line to treat a dry O-ring in a hydraulic actuator sounds quite unusual, and if you did what I think you did, then you've potentially contaminated not just the clutch hydraulics, but also the brake hydraulics as they share a common fluid reservoir.

The repairs, whatever they are, are going to involve separating the engine & transmission, which is not a trivial task, you may be tempted to take the vehicle to an independent garage, but before you do, consider the "down the road" impact that this may have on any other warranty claims that may arise.

Everything that @fordem said is on the money.  And every point is important.

The noise sounds a bit louder than a normal clutch in your video, though clutches always make some noise in operation and I can't say I've been under the J with engine off to listen to clutch actuation. 

There is not a quick fix to diagnose this, let alone repair it: one has to drop the gearbox and put eyes on the components to know whether there is a mechanical issue.  Throw-out bearings, pivot bushes, and clutch covers do fail early sometimes, so it wouldn't be completely unheard-of.  None of those things are really showstoppers, in my opinion, and perhaps you have the option of simply continuing to use the car until the condition worsens.  Not everyone is comfortable with that approach, I recognize.

Don't be tempted to try a shortcut fix; in the end, it is best to take it to a professional -- and not by shy about getting a second professional opinion if needed.  And like fordem, I have to say that I really hope you didn't add something to the hydraulic fluid.  Perhaps you could restate that part of your message?

Thank you @fordem and @Motacilla for the quick response!!

I would like to precisely (as correctly suggest) that I did not add any silicon grease to the clutch/brake fluid reservoir. The only addition made was next to the clutch pedal where the return spring is positioned under the steering wheel.

I would like to precise also that the sound shown in the video is made with the engine off and the car parked in a safe and flat spot. 

Thank you for your availability!

 

The clutch on my Gen 4 developed a funny feeling, perhaps similar to yours last year. I pressed the pedal and it appeared to jump just at the point it disengaged. It only did it in traffic when warm and the clutch was pressed a lot. Stop using the clutch for a few miles and it was back to normal.

The car had just been serviced, but as you say the clutch wasn’t covered, but the hydraulics are, so took it back to the garage. However, by the time I could get an appointment the problem had disappeared and despite the garage having the car all day and road tested it over a lot of miles couldn’t find anything wrong. I couldn’t feel the problem either on the trip to or from the garage.

That was about six months ago and by coincidence I felt a similar problem just yesterday (stuck in traffic), but it soon went.

Mine feels like a master or slave cylinder (covered on the warranty) or possibly a sticking clutch plate (not covered) or perhaps water ingress in to the thrust bearing (most likely not covered).

Like you the clutch still works fine and the garage couldn’t find anything wrong, so I have decided to wait and see if it gets worse (then it will be diagnosed and fixed) or if it is just something that happens now and again.

My best guess is that will be about £1k to replace the clutch, not nice to have, but not the end of the world on a £25k car.

Robin