Broken Horseshoe Helper Spring!

Sonic dB · Sonic dB's Garage

I was pulling out of the gym tonight...thinking about how cool my car is, how it shifts like butter...when from under the clutch I felt "pop".."ding ding".

Immediately I knew what it was...and pulled over to retrieve the broken part from the pavement:

This horseshoe helper spring is only 14 months old, installed in May 2003 by a local "mechanic". From what I understand, these pieces do break....but after only 14 months??????

Im going to replace this myself. How many hours should this repair take?? Is it as easy as it looks? Any advice on installation would be helpful thanks.

Hope Pelican has these in stock tomorrow.

That 997 is looking good isnt it?

Jim Smolka · 07-14-2004, 04:01 AM

Hmmm, 14 months??? When installing the new one, be sure to adj cluthc to spec, then check it again after 100 miles. Also, check the max movement of the clutch cable (should be aprox. 25mm) FWIW, I have a NOS spring if PP is out of them.

Rot 911 · 07-14-2004, 05:07 AM

If you have never replaced a horseshoe spring give yourself 1/2 hour with 20 of those 30 minutes trying to visualize which way the spring fits on the shaft. Once you have done it once it then becomes a 10 minute job.

SpeedracerIndy · 07-14-2004, 06:25 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Kurt V
If you have never replaced a horseshoe spring give yourself 1/2 hour with 20 of those 30 minutes trying to visualize which way the spring fits on the shaft. Once you have done it once it then becomes a 10 minute job.

Ditto! I spent about 20 mins under the car just staring at everything. Once I figured out how it went on there, I popped it on in a few minutes. Not hard at all.

Sonic dB · Sonic dB's Garage

14 months and 30K miles. Thanks for the tips. Im going to buy a Dremmel tool to cut the old one off too.

nullh2o · nullh2o's Garage

30 000 miles. That sounds more like it. THey should las a bit longer, but if alot of that driving is in traffic then...

Jdub · 07-14-2004, 08:05 AM

Today's horseshoe springs feature sheaths that are not as thick as the older, original ones I am told by John Walker. I have replaced two now to date and I do it right every time: very, very irritating.

Also amazing is how hard the clutch is once you lose that helper. Nice way to pop your left knee out of joint!

I like to hacksay the spring off of the post so no whacking with large instruments is involved. I get a saw into it just far enough that a bit of bending peels the inner sheath from the post.

Best of luck,
John

Jim Smolka · 07-14-2004, 10:36 AM

Good time to replace the 2 bearings and other pieces inside of the arm and shaft that the spring pivots around.

DavidI · 07-14-2004, 11:55 AM

I recommend taking some digital photos just in case you forget which way it goes. Better safe than sorry. Also, Wayne's 101 book has an easy step by step process.

Good luck, David

Rot 911 · 07-14-2004, 12:05 PM

Why do you guys cut the spring? I just pop it back into the configuration it goes on, using a big screw driver, and it slides right off.

rcecale · rcecale's Garage

Just incase you need a reference...

Randy

GeorgeK · 07-14-2004, 12:45 PM

I removed mine last weekend (had trouble with it), and I like the way the clutch feels much better. The spring has a variable rate, making for a weird feeling. Without it, the clutch is not that heavy (or I have been cycling too much lately), and the feel is much better.
In my mind the spring was the answer to a question I'd have never asked.

Jdub · 07-14-2004, 02:37 PM

The interference fit of the spring to post is something I don't want to mess up, so I cut the spring off with the belief that pounding it off would only cause the post to lose the tight fit. That's why I do it that way: peel off the spring and leave the post side untouched.

I also pull the post off because I like to regrease the bearing as well (only once now: holds grease well).

John