Driving your car is always smooth when all parts are working efficiently and are in the proper condition. When a single part of your car fails, you will probably notice as the entire running of the vehicle is affected. For example, the clutch pedal is a susceptible part of a car that links the engine and the wheels.
However, the clutch shaft sometimes can encounter issues that result in it becoming hard as a rock when pressing down. If you are not aware of what is happening with your car, you can mess up with other parts trying to figure out why the clutch system doesn’t work.
If your car clutch pedal is hard a rock when pressing, here are possible causes: damaged throwout bearing, cross shaft issues, blockage in clutch lines, and lousy pivot ball.
Other causes include damaged clutch assists and clutch release bearing, bad linkage, damaged clutch cable, and pedal blockage. For more details, some of these causes of the clutch pedal being rock-solid when pressing are discussed below.
Contents
So, what causes a hard-to-press clutch pedal?
1. Broken, bad, or damaged Throwout bearing
The clutching system is featured to work under a release bearing that brings separation between the clutch and pressure plate. This mode of operation happens when you depress the clutch pedal. The work of Throwout is allowing the clutch and pressure plate to spin at separate velocities.
However, over time the throwout loses lubrication, and as a result, the bearing wears out hence losing the spinning power. The impact of bad bearing is damped to the pedal clutch, and pressing it becomes problematic.
But it is easy to notice a bad or worn-out throwout bearing because you will hear a sound like chirping when the pedal clutch is released. Therefore you can choose to lubricate the clutch release bearing if it’s not worn out or replace the damaged one.
2. Damaged transmission lever
A transmission lever commonly known as cross shaft may cause the clutch pedal to be hard when pressed if it is bad. The function of the cross shaft is to impact the clutch bearing release from pressure caused by your foot. As well, the lever is connected to several cables and a clutch fork to enhance efficiency.
Once this cross shaft gets worn out, dislocated, or bend, the clutching system becomes affected, especially when pressing the clutch shaft downwards. Therefore, before operating your car, ensure you inspect whether the clutch shaft is in good condition. If the lever is worn out or broken, consider replacing it with a new one.
3. Blockage in clutch lines
The clutching system is designed to operate under hydraulic, where several lines transmit pressure from the foot to the respective parts of the car. Most used clutch lines include hoses, and sometimes they can collapse or blockage occurs, affecting the hydraulic liquids.
If such issues happen, pressing the clutch pedal can be harder. You can solve this problem by inspecting all hydraulic parts of the clutch shifting; if any damaged part, replace it or remove the blockages.
4. Worn out Pivot Ball
A pivot ball in the clutch system plays a vital role in making the clutch pedal pressing smoothly to move. But over time, the pivot ball can wear out due to lack of lubrication or prolonged use. If the pivot ball is broken or damaged, it may not roll smoothly, making the clutch pedal hard when pressing. But you can free yourself from such clutch pivot ball issues by replacing the damaged ball.
5. Damaged Clutch assist
The clutch system may consist of clutch boosting to smoothen the pressing of the clutch pedal. The most used clutch assists are vacuum. With time, these vacuum assists may get issues such as blockage in vacuum lines, which fails to boost the clutching system.
As a result, pressing the clutch pedal becomes very hard. Although not common issues, damaged clutch assist can be figured out quickly and rectified by replacing worn out or broken parts.
6. The clutch is not in a proper spec
This is a common issue affecting many cars’ clutching systems, especially if the clutch is newly installed. In a clutch running out of spec, you will realize that it disengages, and the pedal clutch rests on its climax point.
As well, this can result from installing a new clutch master cylinder. However, consider adjusting it to the correct position before driving the car when you realize your clutch is way out of spec.
Conclusion
Hard to press the clutch pedal can make driving overwhelming, tendentious, or even stop the whole operation of the car. Several causes can lead the clutch pedal to be rock-solid, such as a failed or damaged part of the clutching system.
Again, a blockage can occur in the clutch lines making the hydraulic liquid unable to move. Therefore, it is good to inspect your car’s clutching system and replace the worn-out or broken parts for the proper running of the vehicle.
