Replace clutch cable al fresco
Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2012 7:29 pm
I thought it might be an idea for me to jot down some notes from my recent foray under my car at CLM when my clutch cable broke.
The experts will know all this and some but someone might find it useful I hope.
1 Either carry a spare cable or travel with someone else who has one - big thanks to Simon (73SJM) and James (hot66) who had one each.
2. Carry a collapsible axle stand - thanks Andy (amallagh)
3. Undo the forward end by the pedal box - push the clip off the clevis so you can pull it out then pull the cable through the hole at the top of the tunnel as it is easier to undo it from the cable there - I tried both ways.
4. Pull the cable through - it is bust so needs to be pulled out at both ends.
The first big problem i had was getting the outer cable off the end nearest the bulkhead. It doesn't help that it is difficult to see and I wasn't sure what it looked like - but after what seemed like hours of turning it a bit with pliers and tugging it, I tried spraying it with WD40 and went away for a bit when I returned and tugged again it came away ok.
5. Feed the new one through - this was the next problem - I couldn't find the cable. So after consulting with Chris Turner who helped me throughout - I pulled the cable from the back end three or four inches and rotated it 180 degrees and pushed it forward a bit. I did this a few times and eventually found it ok - it gets tucked away under the tubes in the tunnel very easily - I was then able to connect it up at the front. However note the clevis only needs to be turned 5 full turns (any more reduces the length at the other end).
6. When I went to connect the back and found it did not reach far enough. By this time I had been under the car for hours and seriously dehydrated and frazzled and thought that I must have pulled the tube inside the tunnel out and spent ages trying to move it back or at least stop it coming further out. Actually this was not the case. At this point Sladey and Ian rescued me with help and tea and biscuits and I think I might have been too far gone to be really coherent but big thanks to them and James.
7. In fact I had not got the cable seated correctly at the bulkhead end and the loss of cable length was the length of tube that sticks out of the bulkhead that should have been located inside the outer cable end.
8 Anyway I eventually managed to get a couple of nuts on the end of the cable but it had no free play at the pedal end. I dropped the car down and found that I had a clutch and it seemed to work ok. The free play of a correctly adjusted clutch was about the same as the length taken up by my not seating the cable properly. I drove home that way and it was fine - I even went the twisty way as I couldn't bring myself to use the autoroute. So always keep sufficient free play in the cable in case you replace the cable! So fundamentally get you home does not have to be perfect.
9. When I got home Chris put it on the ramp and spent quite some time trying to get the cable seated correctly and we eventually took the cable out yet again and measured it - it was a tight fit - he chamfered the inside edge slightly before trying again and eventually managed to seat it ok. The fuel pipe clip was also in the way stopping it seating properly. The cable needs to be held at the exact right angle in order to fit on the end of the tube.
My best view of it from under the car from the back
What it should look like from directly underneath
The bulkhead showing how the tubes stick out - this is a 2.2 which may be slightly different - but it shows the general idea of what is at the bulkhead end that I could not see. I think the clutch is the bright one.
The experts will know all this and some but someone might find it useful I hope.
1 Either carry a spare cable or travel with someone else who has one - big thanks to Simon (73SJM) and James (hot66) who had one each.
2. Carry a collapsible axle stand - thanks Andy (amallagh)
3. Undo the forward end by the pedal box - push the clip off the clevis so you can pull it out then pull the cable through the hole at the top of the tunnel as it is easier to undo it from the cable there - I tried both ways.
4. Pull the cable through - it is bust so needs to be pulled out at both ends.
The first big problem i had was getting the outer cable off the end nearest the bulkhead. It doesn't help that it is difficult to see and I wasn't sure what it looked like - but after what seemed like hours of turning it a bit with pliers and tugging it, I tried spraying it with WD40 and went away for a bit when I returned and tugged again it came away ok.
5. Feed the new one through - this was the next problem - I couldn't find the cable. So after consulting with Chris Turner who helped me throughout - I pulled the cable from the back end three or four inches and rotated it 180 degrees and pushed it forward a bit. I did this a few times and eventually found it ok - it gets tucked away under the tubes in the tunnel very easily - I was then able to connect it up at the front. However note the clevis only needs to be turned 5 full turns (any more reduces the length at the other end).
6. When I went to connect the back and found it did not reach far enough. By this time I had been under the car for hours and seriously dehydrated and frazzled and thought that I must have pulled the tube inside the tunnel out and spent ages trying to move it back or at least stop it coming further out. Actually this was not the case. At this point Sladey and Ian rescued me with help and tea and biscuits and I think I might have been too far gone to be really coherent but big thanks to them and James.
7. In fact I had not got the cable seated correctly at the bulkhead end and the loss of cable length was the length of tube that sticks out of the bulkhead that should have been located inside the outer cable end.
8 Anyway I eventually managed to get a couple of nuts on the end of the cable but it had no free play at the pedal end. I dropped the car down and found that I had a clutch and it seemed to work ok. The free play of a correctly adjusted clutch was about the same as the length taken up by my not seating the cable properly. I drove home that way and it was fine - I even went the twisty way as I couldn't bring myself to use the autoroute. So always keep sufficient free play in the cable in case you replace the cable! So fundamentally get you home does not have to be perfect.
9. When I got home Chris put it on the ramp and spent quite some time trying to get the cable seated correctly and we eventually took the cable out yet again and measured it - it was a tight fit - he chamfered the inside edge slightly before trying again and eventually managed to seat it ok. The fuel pipe clip was also in the way stopping it seating properly. The cable needs to be held at the exact right angle in order to fit on the end of the tube.
My best view of it from under the car from the back
What it should look like from directly underneath
The bulkhead showing how the tubes stick out - this is a 2.2 which may be slightly different - but it shows the general idea of what is at the bulkhead end that I could not see. I think the clutch is the bright one.
good meeting you too