Maserati - Prolong both clutch life and system reliability
Some sensible suggestions to prolong both clutch life and system reliability;
- Do not leave the vehicle running in gear for long periods, the reasoning behind this concern is, whilst you are waiting in gear the clutch is not being fully released, thus it is slowly getting hot waiting for you to apply the throttle to move. The system cannot predict your intentions so it will patiently wait with the clutch very slightly engaged. It will result in premature wear and the clutch over heating.
- Avoid reversing up steep slopes, this makes it extremely difficult for the system to control the clutch so the easiest answer for the TCU (transmission control unit) is just to apply a small amount of drive and let the clutch slip, making it excessively hot, thus shortening the life of the clutch.
- Regularly have the Cambiocorsa fluid replaced by someone who knows what they are doing. It has a service life of just 24 months, regardless of mileage. This removes debris from the system and is imperative to help protect against leaks and maintain system efficiency.
- Replace system relay regularly; this relay controls the hydraulic pump and it has to contend with a large amount of current passing through it. The consequence of this is the contacts burn out, resulting in the pump running continuously and burning itself out. The pump is very expensive to replace whereas the relay isn’t.
- Our recommendation when having a clutch replacement is all the components in the bell housing. The reason behind this is because there is a position sensor below the clutch, if you have a clutch and six months later the position sensor fails you will be into two large bills. We also insist that the catalytic convertor gaskets are replaced as well; some garages do not do this. The result is the catalytic convertors get excessively hot and fall apart, again very expensive. We fit on our clutch replacements: Clutch kit, Clutch slave cylinder seals, spigot bearing, catalytic convertor gaskets including bolts, new clutch bolts and washers. We offer the option of the position sensor and invariably fit new as well.
