Gearboxes, clutches and 2.1 Tuning

[Tim]

Ayup all

Was there a 406 with a 6spd box? My 2.1TD is 5spd and on the motorway it really feels like it needs a 6th gear to knock the revs down - if not 406 , 306GTi6 box possibly?

Do you think this would be possible (or worthwhile)?

My clutch also bites very high in the pedal stroke - is this normal for these cars? I cant notice it slipping even under hard starts, and cant say its got any worse, but don't want to get caught out with it if its on its way out - 147,000 miles and i think its the original clutch in the car. To change a clutch does the gearbox have to be dropped out of the car or can it be done In-Situ - if the box has got to be dropped out anyway then a 6spd one could be slipped in :-)

also - What does the 2.1 rev to under normal use - mine struggles to reach 4k, and stutters when it hits that, so i've not dared to rev it further - all the power is at 3k, so thats fine, and its perfectly driveable, but surely it should rev more than that? Restriction in the exhaust system possibly? Is there much more that can be gotten from the 2.1 without making it awful on fuel?

So many questions, sorry :-)

Cheers!

Tim

[mjb]

Do you think this would be possible (or worthwhile)?

Maybe (and not really)

My clutch also bites very high in the pedal stroke - is this normal for these cars?

If it's a hydraulic clutch (I believe it should be in the 2.1) then yes - they all seem to bite high. You'll get used to it

mine struggles to reach 4k, and stutters when it hits that, so i've not dared to rev it further - all the power is at 3k, so thats fine, and its perfectly driveable, but surely it should rev more than that?

Can you hear/feel the turbo spooling up?

Is there much more that can be gotten from the 2.1 without making it awful on fuel?

I think the ECU can be re-mapped to give a substantial increase in power/torque while actually improving economy too

[Captain Jack]

My turn

Was there a 406 with a 6spd box? My 2.1TD is 5spd and on the motorway it really feels like it needs a 6th gear to knock the revs down - if not 406 , 306GTi6 box possibly? Do you think this would be possible (or worthwhile)?

There was some discussion on this before and, while it's possible, it seems to be a waste of time trying to fit a GTi6 'box to a diesel engine due to different gearing. Maybe an HDi 6 speed box from a 307 would do trick, but don't quote me on that. But yes, it does need 6th gear.

My clutch also bites very high in the pedal stroke - is this normal for these cars? I cant notice it slipping even under hard starts, and cant say its got any worse, but don't want to get caught out with it if its on its way out - 147,000 miles and i think its the original clutch in the car.

Yes it's normal. I actually took my 2.1TD to the garage thinking the clutch was on the way out, but the mechanic said it was normal on these cars and true to his word it's still OK 68k miles later (on 142k now).... Damn, is that how much I've driven it....

also - What does the 2.1 rev to under normal use - mine struggles to reach 4k, and stutters when it hits that, so i've not dared to rev it further - all the power is at 3k, so thats fine, and its perfectly driveable, but surely it should rev more than that?

Mine revs quite freely to 4k but torque drops after 3k quite quickly. When I want to leave someone chocking in black smoke, I rev it to 4.5k rpm in 2nd or 3rd gear

Btw, when I first bought the car, there was a problem with the needle lift sensor, which made the car lose some power and very hestitant after 3k but still ran fine. Doubt that's your problem though. Maybe you're just not used to driving diesels? They are not high revvers by nature..

Restriction in the exhaust system possibly? Is there much more that can be gotten from the 2.1 without making it awful on fuel?

Yes, take it to the Derv Doctor in Derby to have it remapped - makes a huge difference in power and acceleration. Economy also went up a bit (from 42 to 45 on the same routes).

Hope this helps

[steve_earwig]

Looks like you need to start off with some diagnostics - I really don't think it should stutter! If you can't rev your car over 4,000 then I can see why you'd want a 6th gear!!

[Tim]

Cheers guys - good replies as ever!

I realise talking about a car not revving high, and not having a 6th gear is a bit odd, but two different trains of thought colliding :-)

I'm quite used to diesels, and have done 20,000 in this one so far :-) The turbo spools up freely and nicely, with a nice whine. It just made me think that it seems to hit a wall too much after about 3.5k, and then won't really pull anymore. Maybe i just need to be brave and give it a blast in 2nd or 3rdto clean it out, as it doesnt really smoke much

Cheers!