Good morning (Very cold!) all,

On the way to work today there was a bang in the driver footwell and i picked up a broken black spring (Clutch Return Spring).

Ive been reading about it and im going to get one from my local ford dealer (They are about £5 according to various forums). Ill have a go at fitting it but ive read its a bit of a nightmare. Im usually pretty good at doing things like this though.

The thing is my clutch is perfectly fine, there is a little more play than before but changing gear is no problem and the amount of play is very minimal, probably about quarter of an inch if that.

Is it such a big deal if the spring isnt replaced?

Thinking back the same thing happened in my mark 1.5 2003 focus. At the time though i found no spring so had no idea what the noise was. I drove it for a further 2 years and 40k miles before i sold it with no problems. The light bulb in my head has only come on after today as to what the noise was with my old focus! :P

The hydraulic system relies on the master cylinder piston returning fully to allow the circuit to connect to the reservoir. This allows any changes in volume, e.g. with temperature, to be accommodated. Without the pedal return spring this is solely dependant on the internal piston return spring which may not be adequate. You can be sure the manufacturer wouldn't fit one if it were not necessary.

I doubt very much whether the return spring will make any difference to your clutch operation. Modern plastic master cylinders do not have an internal return sping and rely purely on the pressure of the hydraulic system to return it. The purpose of the return spring is to ensure that the pedal closes any switches fitted to the pedal bracket. (cruise control etc,) Unless a new clutch is fitted it's very unlikely that the pedal won't return to the proper position anyway.The list of things manufacturers fit that are not neccessary is endless, but not quite true in this case!