When you identify unusual noises on your Citroen C3 Picasso you have a tendency to worry. Especially when you experience a noise coming from the release bearing of your Citroen C3 Picasso. It is directly assimilated to an engine problem and can therefore be serious. As we know that you do not take these concerns lightly, we have chosen to make this document to help you locate the causes and free yourself from this issues 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 C3 Picasso and their sources.
What is the purpose and operation of the release bearing on Citroen C3 Picasso?
Function of the release bearing on Citroen C3 Picasso
The release bearing of your Citroen C3 Picasso has a fundamental role in the operation of your entire gearbox system. Indeed, its task is to liberate the gearbox from the rotation of the engine block via its action. This will allow you to shift gears. It is operated 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 C3 Picasso.
Objective of release bearing Citroen C3 Picasso
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 (depending on 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 different kind of release bearing Citroen C3 Picasso :
- Pulled release bearing
- Hydraulic release bearing
It is the most unconventional of the two kind of release bearing . This one, contrary to the hydraulic form, is operated by a mechanical pulling system that will release the clutch disc. In this situation, the release bearing must be mechanically fixed to the mechanism.
The hydraulic release bearing, although more complex, is the type most used in modern cars. It is however more complex than the pulled release bearing. Indeed, it will be composed of a hydraulic tube that will receive the pressure directly from the clutch pedal.
More conventional clutch stop
Release bearing noises Citroen C3 Picasso and their sources
I experience a release bearing noise on Citroen C3 Picasso each 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 ends 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 replace the release bearing of your Citroen C3 Picasso.
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 linked with jolts that you can experience in your clutch pedal, then the stop/fork release/blades grouping is damaged. Indeed, this noise often comes from the broken fork that no longer allows the system to run normally.
I experience a grinding noise coming from the release bearing of my Citroen C3 Picasso when I try to shift gears and they do not shift
This issues happens most often on models equipped with hydraulic release bearing. It is often associated with a clutch pedal that has little or no resistance. If you are in this situation and you feel a grinding or cracking noise coming from the release bearing of your Citroen C3 Picasso, then you probably have a leak coming from your release bearing. It must therefore be swapped as soon as possible or risk damaging your gearbox in addition to the clutch. If you have a noise coming from the gearbox of your Citroen C3 Picasso and it’s not from your release bearing, check this article to have more informations.
