Hello fellow EF riders and alike... So thanks to "TrustDestruction" I now am posting my new problem.

I replaced my clutch last year and a month ago it suddenly lost pressure in the pedal. I went from having normal "play" in the beginning and ending of the Pedal Stroke, to having "play" almost all the way down to the floor.

This makes shifting an exhausting ordeal. Last week I wasn't able to shift into 1st at all... I was on the freeway... so if any of you reading this post were behind me on the 91w when I couldn't move... my apologies.

So I barely got it to a local mechanic just before he closed and he fixed it in about a minute... or at least I thought he did. I drove it for a couple days and it's doing it again. BTW... he just adjusted my clutch cable, and did something underneath my dash where the pedals are. Not sure what it was though.

I've been adjusting the cable for the past three days and it will work for a VERY short distance. Like down the block. It seems to be getting more drastic the more times I adjust it. I didn't do whatever he did beneath the dash though... no clue there. Maybe that is where my problem lies.

Thank you guys for being such a great help. You are truly doing great things for thousands of people like me.

 

hmmmm...


well.

I would say that its either the cable or the throwout bearing.

The cable might have a week spot and you keep stretching it more and more and it it might just break. you could pick one up at the junkyard for pretty cheap. install is pretty easy.

If its the throwout bearing, that's not an expensive fix, just very labor intensive. It could be that the springs on it are going out or that the bearing it self has worn out.

just my 2cents.

 

Thanks for your insight and advice. I think I'll go with replacing the cable first... as I think that would be the most important of the two... broken cable= I ain't going anywhere.

I'll probably have to have a mechanic do either or both of the presumed fixes as I don't have access at the moment to lift my car very high. I have one of those AutoZone Jack sets... just about the only really useful things in there where the Jack Stands... the Jack [It's one of those mini Jacks] itself has proven to be too small for anything more than changing the oil. Even that is pushing it.

So, that being said... it probably will cost a lot... just in labor fees. :|

Thank you for your advice though.

 

Probably your cable is rusted out and the outer part is collapsing. This makes it get effectively longer (outer part shorter = inner part relatively longer).

You don't need to go under the car to replace the cable. It's all done from the top.

 

bumpy

 

Thanks Dude,

I'll definitely check that when I get to removing the cable.

A friend noticed that the Mount where the Clutch Pedal is actually attached, has a support that has snapped at the welding. In other words... it seems that this may not be a clutch cable problem... then again it might be a combination of several things. So, when I depress the Clutch Pedal, the Clutch Pedal Mount is also moving down with it... thus the possibility that my cable is not being pulled enough to engage my Clutch.

I am thinking that I'm gonna rip that part out this weekend and see if I can get it welded, or replaced. Which ever is cheapest.

Hopefully that solves the problem.

If not... then it brings me to my next question.

There is a Fork or Lever of some sort that the End of the Clutch Cable is connected to, just before you get to the actual Clutch. I looked at that to make sure it moves... it doesn't seem to move that much. Now I don't know exactly how much it should move. I also noticed that it appears to be warped or bent. I also don't know what that part "should look like".

So, when looking at the Clutch Cable Adjusting **** from the front of the car, This Fork Device (That is directly underneath adjusting ****) appears to be angled to the rear of the car. Is this plate supposed to go straight up and down?

 

I have the same issue. Took car to shop for new clutch.
It stopped working a week later. Found out the assembly that holds the clutch pedal broke.
It actually makes it so the clutch cable dosn't move at all, even though it feels like it works a bit.
I actually kept using my car being broken like that. Just started it in gear, and shifted the gears w/o using clutch. Luckily for me, its all highway from my house to work. =)

As for taking out that assembly - good luck. I tried and tried and tried. Dont' try removing the brake pedal - thats useless.
and there's a hidden bolt holding up the assembly. The bolt is actually behind your speedo cluster. I'll find where I've got pics and upload some to show you what i'm talking about.

Don't buy a replacement. Rather- have a shop weld it back for you. I'tll be cheap and easy. You can also have them re-enforce it. I'll post a pic of that too here in a bit.

If you find out how to remove that little booger - please tell me how you did it. I got tired of getting my knuckles bloody, so I stopped trying. Darn my big hands.. lol

 

Thanks PunisherInOKC for providing some validation and pointers about removal of that Bracket.

Do you have the same car as me... (See Title)? If you do, would you mind looking at your "Clutch Stay Mount"... I guess that's what it's called. I was wondering if it's supposed to be bent back (twisting backwards) when viewed from the front and looking down into the engine bay.

I'm pretty confident that the source of the problem is the "obviously" broken clutch bracket. I just want to be sure.

As far as the removal of the bracket goes... I was thinking the same thing when I found the problem... "how the heck am I gonna get that thing outta there?" HA...

I think I will have to remove the front seat, and part of the dashboard to help get better access.

Any pointers anyone about this before I rip my baby to shreds? Is there something that I should keep in mind... a "do not push the red button... if you will?"

Thank you to everyone! You guys are the greatest. PunisherInOKC... I will let you know if I can get it out... and them pictures would be awesome if you have time. Thank you.

 

Hey PunisherInOKC,

So I read your other recent post... and yeah... that's exactly what happened to mine... the same exact place too. Too bad though... from the sounds of it... that thing really is going to be tough to pull out. I think to alleviate some headache... I'm just going to take out my dashboard. I remember when the Mechanic replaced my Relay Switch and my Clutch Inhibitor Switch... he pulled out the Dash... or at least part of it. It didn't look like it was that hard to do... but looks can be deceiving.

So I'll keep you updated and Visa Verse please.

I'll take a photo of the Clutch Stay Switch that I mentioned earlier so everyone can get an idea of what the heck it is I'm talking about.

Happy Blogging... oh... Merry Christmas/ Happy Chanukkah and Happy New Year!.

 

Finally got pics


Thats what broke. I can see where the previous owner put a TINY weld on it. lol

Your going to be able to find all the bolts on the assembly. Not a problem to it.
The one that took me a while to find was hidden in this:



turns out.. to get the screw..

I had to break it all.



That screw in there, is what you need to take out.
I actually could not get anything on that screw. Its a tighter area than it looks.
So.. what I did was grabbed a hammer and a centerpunch. Put the center punch on the left side of the bolt and tapped the center punch. Took a while, but it got the screw out.
Beware - takes a LONGER time to put back in..lol



This little project can take a while - My words of wisdom are to make sure you have a ride to work if you cannot put the car back together fast enough.
Also, when you are removing all the bolts from the assembly- be careful. When the four around the brake pedal are removed, the brake booster and whatnot is going to become lose. Be sure not to break it.



--who made the work area soo cramped??
I'm 6'3.. and find this a little.... crowded. lol.