Hi guys - I got an email today from a guy in Iran who seems to think I know something about Hillman Imps - I guess he thought since it has a rear engine pushing the rear wheels I might have a clue (''

Since I'm a nice guy I said I'd ask a few others if they have any idea....anyone here ever own an Imp?

>Bahram said:
>i am from iran and have a problem with my 'peykan' car (an iranian car based on 'Hillman' english car ).
I bought it 2 years. and from few days ago i have a problem when i push down the clutch pedal.

>When the engine and gearbox is cold there is no problem. But when the engine and gearbox will be warm, there is some
noise when clutch is pushing down or pulling back . the noise is similar to this "gherrr.. gherrr" like a dry spring .

>I haven't any problem with steering gear there is no noise in steering gear. The noise is only while pushing down or pulling back the clutch. I showed the car to three technician and all of them said problem is from disk clutch. Then one of them removed gearbox and opened and discharged the disk and told me that,the disk has not problem but you should
change a part of it . I don't know the name of part in english but i try to figure it . (drawing of what looks like a Release Bearing included - Rob)

>I bought it and a circular ring of clutch (clutch plate I think - Rob). I don't know what you say to it. it was SKF.

>And then technician installed gearbox again. at first i hadn't any problem, but after two or three days the noise began again.

>Can you help what's the problem or introduce me to something else who expert in gearbox.


Sounds like a release bearing problem to me, but are there any Imp experts out there?

I am unfortunately a Rootes Group expert,
sort of, The car he is talking about is actually based on the Hillman Hunter & the engine is in the front & they always (did) have a carbon thrust bearing, & that goes Grrrrrrind when it wears down. if it was replaced & the noise came back later then it is probably damaged again or the carbon has come loose in the housing or the facing in the pressure plate is crook, or the release fork has worn on its pivots causing off centre contact or or or ororrr

[Edited on 14-2-2003 by kombikim]

Thanks for that Kombikim - so, a Hunter rather than an Imp!

I thought only the earlier VWs had a carbon thrust bearing (my 70 bug had one when I bought it new) - you learn more every day :-)

unfortunately almost all British cars up until the late 70's ( about the time they stopped making British cars)had carbon thrust bearings, they work fine,the main problem with them is that when they wear down to the point where they are making a noise, they start destroying the pressure plate contact facing,

I agree with You gentlemen wholeheartedly ... but I'm glad someone knew it wasn't a Hillman Imp... which were a terrible little car... Went OK but the front suspension was very basic , I used to work with a fellow who had one.
I read something in the paper during the week about Hillman Imps... they were sold over here for around 5 years [guessing] but were made in SCOTLAND & sold in the UK for 12 years. The factory is NOW gone... and so are most of the cars.
There are approx a dozen left in Australia.
They were BETTER than the Goggomobile Dart !!!:bounce:bounce:bounce
I knew another young fellow who had a Hillman IMP GT.. which went Well ,but He lived out on a property and the air cleaner wasn't put on properly and the engine was dusted... and You could tell when He was in town by the tell tale blue smoke it left behind....
But I liked the Renault 10 with its 4 wheel disc brakes and rear liquid cooled engine & they were made in Australia... Then there was the front wheel drive Renault 12 & 16... and then NO MORE.... The Renault 16 specifications quoted a Left Hand side & a Right Hand side wheelbase and they were nOT the same... I think they had Torsion Bars at the rear and One was behind the other..... it was only about 50mm ..... :o

leave hillman imps alone!! there not bad litle cars. There are more than 12 left in australia, 132 are listed on the Australian hillman imp register, and its thought that is about 72% of the total population. I have a GT sitting under the house awaitning resoration when iam finished on my bug. Should be fun with that big 998cc motor!!!

I learned some more today about this car from the owner.

The Paykan is indeed an Iranian version fo the Hillman Hunter.

It originally ran all Brit gear but in about 92 Rootes UK (then Chrysler) decided to stop supplying the running gear for the now Iranian manufactured car, so now they get Peugeot running gear (engine/gearbox/diff).

Work that one out!

His must be the Brit version, unless the froggies use carbon trust bearings too (we haven't got that far in our emails yet).

Spare a though for the Iranian mortorist though - a new Paykan (Hillman/Peugot mixture remember) costs around 8000 Iranian Rials and the average computer programmer there gets around 3600 Rials per year!

And you thought a new Commodore was expensive?