<VV> Clutch Trouble in Twinsburg

Joe West joew at diveaz.com
Sat Jul 22 09:47:20 EDT 2006


Tim,

I think the first step is for you to get the car up on ramps or something
(pull off a taller curb and leave the rear wheels on the curb to give you
enough room to crawl underneath... I don't have to tell you to set the brake
and make sure the car is stable and won't move).

Look at the cable where it connects to the cross-shaft... You'll see that
you can turn the swivel end of the cable (after you back off the locking
nut) to adjust the clutch.  Prop your clutch pedal in its highest position
by putting something under it to hold it firmly up, and then adjust your
cable to be as tight as you can get it manually (but not so tight that it
actually starts disengaging the clutch).  It doesn't take a great deal of
cable stretch to cause the clutch not to disengage properly.  Obviously
check to make sure the clutch pivot, rod and other hardware looks good and
is connected properly before you adjust the cable... You may have simply
lost a nut or bolt or something simple that will be easy to spot.

If the cable is actually in the process of breaking, you may want to remove
the tunnel cover and check it... However, if it was me, I'd adjust the cable
and try to get to Buffalo.  ANYTIME you are stopped with the clutch
disengaged and the car in gear (getting ready to take off from a stop or
whatever) make sure you have your foot firmly planted on the brake... ALWAYS
be thinking "if the clutch cable breaks now... What shape will I be in".
Assume the cable is always going to break and drive accordingly.  If it
breaks and your foot is on the brake pedal, the car will simply stall.  If
it breaks and you have the clutch disengaged and transmission in gear, you
are going to be launched into traffic, through the red light, into the wall
of a building, into a pedestrian... Well... You get the idea.  BE SAFE and
cautious until you get to Buffalo.

Joe


On 7/22/06 6:01 AM, "Tim Verthein" <minoxphotographer at yahoo.com> wrote:

> (apologies to those who may have read this in the Phorum already!)
> 
> Well, we left good ol' Bovey, MN Friday afternoon, made in to
> Minneapolis to see my folks, and by some miracle actually drove from
> Mpls to Twinsburg in one day, nearly 800 miles! Getting around Chicago
> was hell..the whole area is pretty much a construction zone. But..here
> we are, waiting for the Yenko's to pile in. Heading up to the Rock n
> Roll hall of Fame in Cleveland today.
> 
> But....I suspect trouble lurks...
> 
> By the time we got here, I noticed my clutch barely disengages with the
> pedal hard to the floor, and it's difficult to shift. And it seems like
> more freeplay at the top than I'm used to. I also recall a clink
> sound/feel in the pedal after pulling out of a toll booth, that at the
> time I attributed to a rock hitting the car under the floor. Anyway....
> 
> 
> So I'm wondering about the possibility of something being weird with
> the clutch cable? it's relatively new, installed by the PO, and it's
> been perfect for thousands of miles. Is there something that would
> happen that would basically allow the cable to adjust itself to a bit
> looser position? I was pondering maybe the cable had slipped off a
> pulley somewhere in the system. Of course, I had meant to toss the shop
> manual in before we left but forgot!
> 
> Symptoms....clutch engages like..pedal an inch off the floor. Hard to
> shift....well, between 3 and 4th is OK, but getting 2nd or reverse is
> nearly impossible. I've never been under this car before, so not real
> familier with the workings. A quick look under the dash this morning
> shows nice pretty cable going around the pulley and off into the
> tunnel. There is just enough slack in the cable that I can pull it
> maybe a half inch. What do the gurus think?
> 
> Gotta get this to Cleveland today, and of course Buffalo on Tuesday. It
> drives, but it's very frustrating.
> 
> Any Corvair mechanics hanging out here at the Hilton?
> 
> Oh....it's a 64 Monza 4 speed, BTW.
> 
> Tim in Twinsburg
> 
> ===
> You *can* repair a flip-flop with a capacitor!
> ===
> 
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