Clutch??

[Addy]

Hello all and happy new year!

I am looking for diagnosis for some syptoms iam getting from my clutch and gear box. The bite on the clutch seems to have shifted closer to the floor but on inspection of the cable it is secure on the lever and doesnt appear to have slipped. Iam at guessing at perhaps a streched cable or is this more likely the clutch going??

Also i've been told that the gear box is ok aslong as it doesnt pop out of gear but a relative told me that it i dont give the gear lever slack each way i may be running the thrust bearing??? iam neive to alot of wot he says as iam still learning : )

Thanks for reading my babble!

[Firenzaboy]

Hmmm,this one sounds familiar!
Get someone to look under the car at the point where the cable goes through the bellhousing,whilst you press the pedal on and off.
I've had it before on a couple of 1256 vivas where the clutch cable actually tries to pull throught the hole in the bellhousing(!),thus not disengaging the clutch properly (this is where your symptom of low down clutch bite on the pedal comes in).
if it is this,the easiest remedy is to place a washer on the cable,big enough to stop it from doing this.
Try this 1st before you go up any other avenues - i went out and bought a new clutch before i discovered what the real problem was (and so wasted about £30 - doh!
Hope this helps,Dave.

[Addy]

Ok yeah sound likes that most likley it as the clutch itself has been fine until this happened. Thanks for the advice dave i'll try that asap. I almost looked into new clutch so aleast you mite have saved me £30.

Cheers

[Firenzaboy]

No Probs mate.Good luck with it!
Dave

[droopsnoot]

And while you're at it, don't forget to check the pedal box to see if the hole for the pedal axle is starting to spread on the clutch side. These are a weak point. And if your clutch cable is secured against the "tab" on the pedal box this can also start to collapse - on my HPF a previous owner has put a large washer so the cable outer is held against the bulkhead rather than the pedal box, which seems to work well so I have left it in place.

[Firenzaboy]

Good Point - the pedal boxes are pretty *Bleep*,aren't they?!
I've seriously thought about knocking up a new pedal box in thicker steel at work - will have to look at that this new year some time (unless anyone else has come up with a superior design previously???)
Dave

[droopsnoot]

I made a plate that fits in the 'depression' on the left hand side of the pedal box (looks a little like the shape of a jigsaw puzzle piece), out of some thick steel. So far that seems to be holding, and the clutch on the HPF is quite a lot stiffer because of the way the linkage works.

As far as I can see it's only the 'tab' for the clutch cable, and the hole for the pedal axle on the left, that gives problems, so it seemed over the top to re-make the whole thing.