clutch noise...with engine off!

[flyin2wheeler]

406,2004,90 hdi
jump into the car in the morning before its started and depress the clutch pedal.
Clutch is very heavy and a rasping noise at the very bottom off the pedal stroke coming from the engine bay
start the engine...normal clutch,no issues
clutch aint slipping and car has 100k miles.
any ideas?

[grasmere59]

Possible clutch release bearing dry on first motion shaft sleeve?

[PeterN]

Yep, I would go along with that.

Peter

[flyin2wheeler]

At the bottom of the stroke of the pedal,maybe 3/4 way in,pedal feels a bit rough and its more like a clonk as opposed to a rasp sound on closer investigation.
Definetey feels heavy when the engine is off but once started,feels pretty normal
Any hand fix?When you say release bearing I assume you mean thrust bearing?

[grasmere59]

Yes the thrust bearing,the chap that had my car before me had virtually the same symptoms and in the end the clutch jammed in the disengaged position and when the garage had the gearbox out the thrust bearing had jammed on the dry/corroded slider tube.Theres no quick fix I can think of.

[flyin2wheeler]

any chance of creeping inside the bell housing some way and giving the shaft a light spray of wd40 to free things up?
Really don't need the headache of taking a gearbox out in the middle of the estate

[PeterN]

I was going to suggest that, would have been my first course of action but don't know if you can get in there.

Peter

[flyin2wheeler]

quick fix on this one,dont know if its a lasting repair
Fresh new tin of wd40 and use the straw with the wd40,give it a quick blast toward the centre off the gearbox through the opening where the lever for the thrust bearing is.Nice light clutch now after a bit of mild town driving