Clutch release bearing assembly, especially for a motor vehicle

A clutch release bearing assembly, for a motor vehicle clutch having a declutching member defining an inner face of the declutching member, the assembly comprising a clutch release bearing including an actuating element and defining an axis of the assembly, and a connecting piece carried on the declutching member, the actuating element defining an actuating nose for acting in traction, through the connecting piece, on the inner face of the declutching member whereby to disengage the clutch, the connecting piece having a sleeve portion with an internal bore defining a drive surface, the assembly further including a coupling member which is resiliently deformable radially, the connecting piece carrying the coupling member internally for coupling the latter in traction to the actuating element, the actuating nose penetrating into the said sleeve portion of the connecting piece and being formed with a generally circumferential groove having an inner flank and an outer flank, the outer flank defining a thrust shoulder of the actuating element, wherein the coupling member is carried in the groove, the assembly further including resilient retaining means carried in the groove for acting axially between the actuating element and the connecting piece, so as to hold the coupling member permanently between the drive surface and the thrust shoulder, wherein the groove is elongated axially away from the thrust shoulder, the resilient retaining means comprising at least one axially acting resilient retaining ring prefitted in the groove, and the thrust shoulder constituting an abutment for the said resilient retaining ring before the clutch release bearing is fitted to the connecting piece.