General information about the clutch

The clutch is designed for short-term separation of the engine and gearbox when shifting gears and braking and their smooth connection when starting the car from a stop, as well as to protect transmission parts from dynamic loads.

The torque from the gearbox to the wheels is transmitted through the drive shafts, which consist of two constant velocity joints and a shaft.

The clutch consists of a driven clutch plate, a leading part of the clutch with a pressure plate and a clutch release mechanism.

The clutch disc is mounted between the flywheel and the clutch pressure plate and moves along the splines of the gearbox input shaft.

The clutch master assembly is bolted to the flywheel. Torque during engine operation is transmitted from the crankshaft through the flywheel and the clutch disc, which is sandwiched between the flywheel and the pressure plate, to the input shaft of the gearbox.

To disconnect the engine from the gearbox, it is necessary to take the pressure plate away from the clutch disc. For this, a hydraulic drive is used, which consists of a master cylinder, a clutch slave cylinder and hoses. Depressing the clutch pedal moves the piston in the master cylinder and compresses the fluid, which is transferred through the hose to the slave cylinder. Under pressure, the piston of the working cylinder moves and actuates the clutch release fork. The release fork moves the release bearing, which acts on the pressure plate spring and moves the pressure plate away from the clutch plate.