Clutch issues.... 360GLT

[whiskeyonesix]

G'day all.

I'm starting to have a few issues with the clutch on the 360. I know a bit of judder is fairly normal ( and with 228,000KMS on the clock I really can't expect anything really good ) but recently I think the clutch has started to slip......

Take-off in 1st is fine, but when changing up through the gears rapidly, the gearbox seems to take its time in "catching up" Now bearing in mind we've had a lot of rain here recently (one of my rear light lenses filled up with water, though I'm buggered if I can find out where its leaking in!!) so i'm wondering if that would have something to do with it? .......

Will this problem get worse, or is it something I can treat with kid gloves until I can afford to get it replaced, I do around 50km a day round trip to work and back, so it's racking up the kms fairly rapidly. As soon as my place back in the UK sells, I'm going to treat the car to a full service and get the air-con regassed, and all that...

I know the clutches in these are fairly robust, but if anyone can tell me about any other issues to look out for, i'd be grateful!

Tom.

P.S. How much would a replacement clutch for these cost? Bearing in mind i'm in perth, OZ. I've scoured t'interweb but can't seem to find any prices....

[volvodspec]

make sure engine is warm, drive at 40kmh or 25mph, put gearbox in 4th and then put the pedal to the metal.
- if engine rpm raises and the speed doesn't; the clutch is gone
- if engine rpm raises and the speed is raising along; the clutch will be fine

[whiskeyonesix]

Thanks for the advice, appears clutch is ok, but i'm going to keep an eye on it nevertheless, i'm not an aggressive driver (got no hope of burning off all the Aussie V8s around!) so i'll look after it!
I'm going to get a price on clutch supply and fitting from the local volvo specialists anyway.......just in case. done a few clutches yrs back and its not a job I really enjoy..

As you were

[volvodspec]

bearing in mind that the gearbox needs some time, it could be that the synchromesh rings in the gearbox are worn, or the oil level is incorrect.

too much play on the gear linkage could also be a factor, making it harder for the mechanism inside the gearbox to find the selected gears

also the clutch release mechanism (when pressing the pedal) can be a bit rough, for this you'll need to de-rust the spline axle at the clutchplate and put a very small amount of a heavy grease on the spline axle.