915 pedal to floor, clutch arm won't take up cable 'slack'

[tenfifteen]

Hi all, I searched... if there's a thread I missed where this is covered, please let me know. I found a few threads with similar issues, tried mitigation steps covered in those, and didn't get anywhere.

The trans is a '74 variety, no helper spring. The car sat for quite some time prior to being shipped west, but 200-300 miles before it began its nap it had become a little wonky with shifting and so I'd replaced the (kinked) clutch cable, checked linkages, and gone through the cluster on the floor. No issues with drivability/shifting following that work, it felt pretty great for a 915.

During its nap and shipping, and even after its first fire following plug/fluid change, the clutch arm had zero issues taking up the cable's slack and returning the pedal to its normal/out position. No issues pushing the car onto/off of the transporter in neutral, nor shifting with the engine off. After that first fire and upon attempting to clutch out in gear, the clutch pedal simply stayed to the floor. Under the car, I can see that the arm will simply not pull further back, and it can't be moved further by hand. Suspected perhaps the clutch itself was frozen to the FW/PP due to the sit, and tried various methods* to 'unstick' it with no joy.

Many thanks in advance for any additional troubleshooting that might save me an engine/trans drop.

*rocking car in 4th, engine off; starting in gear with wheels on; applying light brake with rear on stands, wheels off, engine warm and held to around 1500 revs. Have not yet tried rotating the wheels while someone attempts to 'jiggle' either the shifter or the clutch arm, but that would be my next guess.

[Flat6pac]

When you replace the clutch cable you need about 20 turns into the front Clevis to be able to adjust the rear...and you don’t need the lock nut on there.
Bruce

[Trackrash]

From your explanation I would guess the release bearing fork is broken.

To be sure, you are saying the arm on the bottom of the trans does not return, correct?

A stuck clutch disk would still allow the pedal and clutch arm on the trans to operate and return normally.

[RWebb]

could also be the pedal cluster

I'd tell you to look at it thru the slot/hole, but it's probably time to overhaul the entire thing anyway...

[Walt Fricke]

Are you saying that with the cable removed from the external release arm you have no wiggle in the arm?

How about this: remove the arm, and rotate it one spline so the cable end is forward. Reattach the cable. Adjust so the pedal is about where it should be. Step on the pedal, see what happens.

If the pedal won't depress, something has gone amiss inside the bell housing - like a broken release fork.

If you remove the starter, you can look - with a mirror and light, although why not get a $6 bore scope for your phone or laptop or tablet - and see what the release fork is up to. Since you may well need to remove the engine anyway, removing the starter isn't really extra work.

[lateapex911]

Originally Posted by RWebb

could also be the pedal cluster

I'd tell you to look at it thru the slot/hole, but it's probably time to overhaul the entire thing anyway...

I think he said he went through the pedal bushings in the first post?

[tenfifteen]

Thanks all, appreciate the suggestions esp on the spline. Correct on “arm on bottom of trans,” and that the pedal cluster is not a factor.

Also correct that It is probably time to overhaul the thing, but I’d love to be able to at least get the car driven/limped somewhere vice a tow as the nearest reputable shop is ~45 miles away (unless anyone knows a good shop in Santa Fe NM).

Many many thanks in any case folks. Very helpful.

[john walker's workshop]

Practice driving without a clutch.

[rwest]

Car will start in first gear and then you can rev match to shift- 45 miles in a long way to go unless it is all interstate and you do it at night when there isn’t any traffic around.

[john walker's workshop]

I put many a mile on various cars when a clutch system failed away from home. Warm it up so it starts easily, shut it off, put it in 1st and crank the key. Off you go with a few jerks. To shift, get off the throttle and at the same time hold it firmly against the next higher gear and it will engage. Coming up to a stop, pop it out of gear while moving and stop. repeat. Downshift requires a bit of coordination as you rev match.

[Walt Fricke]

My clutch cable once broke while driving up Rabbit Ears Pass in Colorado. I couldn't get the car to start in 1st! Something must have been wrong with the tune. I had to roll backward, turn the car facing down hill, let it roll, pop into 1st, make a quick U turn, back up hill, etc. Dealing with stop signs or lights was hell. But as long as it will start in 1st, as it should, that part isn't a big deal.

What I found was a big deal was rev matching for upshifting. I had that down pat on my VW bus, no big deal, drove a couple of hundred miles that way once. But with the 915 I got a bit of a clash as often as I got it right. Very irritating.

But the majority of the distance Santa Fe to Albuquerque is interstate, 5th gear cruising. You could even stop near your destination, call AAA if you have it, and get flatbedded to the shop you pick.

[Discseven]

Originally Posted by john walker's workshop

Practice driving without a clutch.

.