GJ clutch noises

[Terrythefixer]

Hi,
Forum newbie hoping someone might be able to confirm what I'm thinking!
I have a very early GJ 6 Tourer with the 2 litre petrol manual gearbox. Recently whenever the car is in gear under light load, there is a high pitched squeak very similar to the sound a worn accessory belt makes. This disappears if only a tiny amount of pressure is put on the clutch pedal, almost as if I've just taken up the slack before it actually does something (so nowhere near enough pressure to even slightly disengage it).
It seems fairly obvious to me the fault is with the clutch and I'm thinking release bearing, but it would be good to hear from anyone that might have another suggestion? As I understand it, it's a bit of a pig of a job to get at so it would be nice if it was something else less expensive!
Incidentally, has anyone ever had their clutch kit done on a petrol GJ and know roughly what the cost is? I watched a short vid on YouTube and the guy made it sound like a huge job!
All advice much appreciated, cheers Chris

[apav]

Hello Chris,

The clutch operates with the brake fluid. There is an adjuster to keep the pedal at the same place all the time. This means that as the clutch is worn out, you will not experience any symptoms and it will bite like it was brand new.

Obviously as you have found out, this is not the case anymore. I think the release bearing needs to depress the pedal in full and then if the noise changes, you have a good indication that this can be the problem.

Because of the adjustment mechanism, it may still work out even in the slight depress. I do not think there is a lot of do to stop the problem. You will need to remove the clutch and find out what needs to be replaced.

But then it is too late and you will end up replacing the clutch at the same time and not just the release bearing because paying for the labour will be the bigger cost.

If you DIY it, then you only need to worry about sourcing the parts. If you pay a garage to do it, the costs depends on where you live. If you have a garage you take the car for maintenance or MOT, they will give you some indication of the problem and the cost.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDkal6lUDp4&ab_channel=xtremegearheads

It does not look like you can do this at home. You basically disassembly the whole car and this is not something that will work out on axle stands. If you are experienced, you could do it but it will not be easy.

[Terrythefixer]

Thanks for your reply, the YouTube link you sent was the one I'd watched already and it does sound like a big job. Mazda quoted just shy of £1000 and my local indy that MOT's the car already quoted about half that.
I don't think it's a DIY job, I'm happy enough doing discs / pads and general servicing but this is beyond what I could do at home!
Must say I'm a little disappointed in the car having only 57k miles on it and already needing a major job doing. Having said that, it's impossible to tell how it was driven before I bought it!

[apav]

If you have help from somebody with more experience and tools, you could possibly do it at home. But if it is a one man job for the first time, I would pay the £500 and get it done stress free. You have already saved a fortune by doing oil changes and brake maintenance at home and so you could afford this £500.

Do not do it at the franchise dealer. It is not a specialised job like needing access to special software tools. A lot of the price different will come from the parts.

I think it is normal for low mileage cars to need more attention to parts like the clutch, brakes, etc, because usually low mileage means short distance trips which means stop and start conditions. So if the clutch is ridden all the time, it will wear out quickly.