Further investigation from the Valeo Service technical team has revealed that these failures all had several common factors which could be easily resolved by taking a number of measures.
Greg Dodd, Technical Engineer at Valeo commented: “Clutch failure can be avoided or resolved by following simple steps. Firstly, check that the conversion kit supplied is the right one for the application. Valeo supplies a range of different conversion kits for a variety of models, from 2000 to the current Ford Transit model. Additionally, some of the solid flywheel conversion kits are not suitable for six speed gearboxes, so it is important to examine and confirm the correct application has been installed.”
Check the wiring
“There are two electrical plugs on the gearbox of the Ford Transit, one for the road speed sensor and one for the timing sensor. While the two wiring plugs look visually different and can be fitted either way round, it is still necessary to check the wiring has been fitted correctly, as this could potentially be causing failure.
Here we can see both damaged sensors
“If issues continue having checked the wiring, you need to check there is no damage or contamination on the timing sensor. If there is a high accumulation of flywheel metal particles, the sensor will not register the flywheel timing marks. This could be the cause of clutch failure.
“If all these problems have been solved and there is still an issue with the vehicle, it may be worth checking the continuation of the wiring from the sensor to the engine control unit. If the wiring is broken or earthed, then the engine control unit will not receive a signal from the sensor.”
