Drive an '86 244 DL with 274,000 miles on the clock. Original B230F/M46. I put almost 180,000 miles on the factory clutch. It was replaced at 178,xxx due to a failing t/o bearing. There was still some friction material left on the disc, probably another 20-25,000 miles worth of service according to the mechanic.

Anyway, the shop installed a Sachs clutch kit, supposedly all OEM parts. Also a new fork at the tranny, and a new clutch cable. The replacement clutch lasted a whopping 65,000 miles (engagement point right off the floor board, no more 'slack' left in the cable for adjustments). So far, I have 34,000 miles on the third clutch, second Sachs clutch kit. I find that I have to adjust the cable every 10,000 miles or so, which is something that I never had to worry about with the factory cable/clutch.

What would explain the relatively short service life of the replacement clutch, and the need to periodically adjust the cable? The shop that I use works on Volvo's exclusively and they have been in business for 25 years, so I am assuming that the parts were installed correctly on both occasions. Perhaps the quality of the parts available to us is not as good as what was supplied to the factory?

What is an 'average' or 'normal' clutch life, anyway? Poking around on the internet, I have seen people claiming anywhere from 50,000 miles to well over 100,000 miles. Maybe I just got extremely lucky with the factory clutch, and what I am seeing now is more typical?

Thanks.

-Joe