When you detect unusual noises on your Citroen C1 you have a tendency to be troubled. Especially when you experience a noise coming from the release bearing of your Citroen C1. It is directly assimilated to an engine trouble and can therefore be serious. As we know that you do not take these problems lightly, we have decided to create this document to support you locate the triggers and free yourself from this concern as quickly as possible. To do this, we will first focus on the role and operation of the release bearing of your clutch, and in a second step we will look in detail at the different release bearing noises on Citroen C1 and their origins.release-bearing-noise-citroen-c1

What is the function and operation of the release bearing on Citroen C1?

Function of the release bearing on Citroen C1

The release bearing of your Citroen C1 has a crucial role in the operation of your entire gearbox system. In fact, its mission is to liberate the gearbox from the rotation of the engine block via its action. This will allow you to shift gears. It is controlled by the clutch pedal and then by the release fork, which, when it is activated, will press on the clutch and release the gearbox from engine rotation for you allow you to shift gears on your Citroen C1.

Objective of release bearing Citroen C1

Let’s now look at the technical side, the release bearing is composed of two parts, a first fixed part that slides only when the stop is pulled, or pushed (determined by its type) and finally a rotating part that is composed of a bearing that will allow it to stay in contact with the mechanism and follow its rotation.
There are two distinct sort of release bearing Citroen C1 :

  • Pulled release bearing
  • It is the most unconventional of the two sort of release bearing . This one, contrary to the hydraulic style, is operated by a mechanical pulling system that will release the clutch disc. In this case, the release bearing must be mechanically fixed to the mechanism.

  • Hydraulic release bearing
  • The hydraulic release bearing, although more technical, is the type most used in contemporary cars. It is however more complicated than the pulled release bearing. In fact, it will be composed of a hydraulic tube that will receive the pressure straight from the clutch pedal.
    More conventional clutch stop

Release bearing noises Citroen C1 and their origins

I experience a release bearing noise on Citroen C1 every time I drive and it stops when I release my clutch pedal

If you experience a noise from your gearbox, release bearing or clutch itself when your engine is running, but it ceases when you press your clutch pedal, this noise often sounds like a bell noise, it is highly possible that your release bearing is the reason. Make sure that this noise stops when you disengage, in which case it is time to change the release bearing of your Citroen C1.

I experience a release bearing noise when my pedal is up and I experience jolts in my foot

If you experience too much or too little resistance when you press your clutch pedal, and it is associated with jolts that you can experience in your clutch pedal, then the stop/fork release/blades grouping is degraded. In fact, this noise often comes from the broken fork that no longer allows the device to operate normally.

I experience a grinding noise coming from the release bearing of my Citroen C1 when I try to shift gears and they do not shift

This concern appears most often on models equipped with hydraulic release bearing. It is often connected to a clutch pedal that has little or no resistance. If you are in this circumstance and you feel a grinding or cracking noise coming from the release bearing of your Citroen C1, then you probably have a leak coming from your release bearing. It must therefore be swapped fairly quickly or risk damaging your gearbox in addition to the clutch. If you have a noise coming from the gearbox of your Citroen C1 and it’s not from your release bearing, check this article to have more informations.