Need help right now!!! AAARRRGGGHHH!

[prattrc]

Ok, I'm driving home for lunch and depress the clutch when I hear a loud clunk and can't get any gear. I rolled into a parking lot. My car sits now in that same parking lot.

When I press the clutch pedal, I get zero resistance, it almost falls to the floor under its own weight. What do you think? Broken clutch cable?

Please help!


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Ray
73 914 2.0L

[smpiers]

Sounds like it to me. Look under your car on the passengers side of the transmission. There is a white wheel mounted across from the gear select rod. This wheels routes your clutch cable to the clutch. Give a pull on the cable and see what you find.

[HMeeder]

Had similar symptoms a couple of months ago. After checking the clutch cable (actually, if the pedal springs back to its normal position, it is probably not the cable) I had to come to the unfortunate conclusion that the clutch disk itself was the problem. Sure enough, when I pulled the tranny and got the flywheel off, I found that the disk had grenaded. Several dozen pieces full to the ground. My feeling is that the disk body probably had a stress crack and couldn't keep itself together. I don't think that it is made of the finest of materials (it looks like its made of a rather inexpensive cast pot metal.) Of course, I certainly hope that this is not your case.

BTW, by using the starter to get yourself moving in 1st gear, it is possible to 'speed shift' your way home by matching revs and being as gentle as you can manage when shifting. It's an adventure but there will be more resources at home for your diagnosis to be more complete.

Good Luck!

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Herb
'72 1.7 Tangerine 'Teen
'74 2.0 Red Rustmobile

[Jim Smolka]

Sounds like a cable, could be a problem with the shifting fork or the clutch & pressure plate. Could also be that the fire wall tube broke free. Heck it could be the peddle cluster (broken/missing retaining pin)

Have a friend operate the clutch while you watch what is happening underneath. Mostly, it is your clutch cable.

Let us know...

[oredith]

i second, or third that.. most likely the clutch cable.. had the same thing happen to me, at a SD auto-x.. right when i was pulling up to start my 1st run of the day.. bummer.. 8^( had to change it out in the rain.. good thing John had a spare sitting around for me..

Jeff

[campbellcj]

You've probably figured out the problem by now...but in addition to all the clutch-end possibilities and the cable, it could also be the pin that holds the clutch cable onto the pedal cluster shaft, or also the little fragile "clevis" thing that holds the end of the cable at the pedalbox end.

If you're not comfortable 'speed shifting' as Herb describes but still want to move the car you may be able to get it going (with the starter or roll/bump starting it) in 2nd gear and just drive slowly...

good luck

[prattrc]

Actually, I haven't got it solved yet. (Between rain and lightning, I didn't have much time.)

I did get the back end off the ground and pulled on the clutch end of the cable, it didn't move very much. I was expecting it to pull forward on the top side of the wheel, away from the fork. It didn't. Also, should I be able to move the clutch release fork lever by hand? How much?

I pulled the pedal board out and tried to play with the pedal end, everything seems to be in order, no missing or broken pins/forks. I did find it quite easy to wiggle the pedal end of the cable up and down without any apparent tension. I have about 6 inches of free forward movement on the pedal, also without tension.

That's when I ran out of time. I'll try again tonight. Any new ideas?


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Ray
73 914 2.0L

[prattrc]

Ok, I got it fixed. The verdict?

CASCCSAF.

Catastrophic and sudden clutch cable slippage and failure. I don't know how it happened and maybe now things are worse, but it seems the clutch cable, which had previously been adjusted fine, suddenly slipped half and inch or more at the clutch end of the cable.

The threaded adjustment end is not stripped, and the platic trunion is intact. There is a spacer of about an inch or so between the nuts and the trunion.

My hypothesis is that somehow the PO (I've only had the car a couple of months) had the trunion itself turned so that the cross bars rested on top of the release fork lever rather than mating properly. When it eventually (yesterday) righted itself, I was out of adjustment by the depth of the release fork slots. Before I tightened the adjustment nuts I could almost pull the trunion out of the fork altogether. I could wiggle the release fork about half and inch back and forth. Now I can't move it at all from underneath and it actually "snicks" into 2nd.

Please tell me I have found my answer. And have nothing to worry about. Thanks for all the input either way!


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Ray
73 914 2.0L

[Conrad W Peden]

Just thinking,

Does the car shudder at all when you dis-engage the clutch?

Maybe the tube in the firewall came(broke) loose and jammed so the cable adjustment can 'fix' it.

Also a spacer that long may mean the cable isnt attached properly at the other end. It screws into a yoke at the pedal and should be in a certain amount.

Should be in Haynes or online here somewhere if someone can find it. I can't.

Also, after a broken cable the pedal falls to the floor, at least that part is normal.


Good luck,

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CWP/VIR
72 914 L20E in rusto.
73 914 L20E 2.0L in resto.
http://members.rennlist.com/a914lover

[John Rogers]

How many nuts are on the adjuster at the rear? If there is just a nylon lock nut, that is the trouble. If there are two nuts, make sure they are TIGHT. A single nut will work fine and all of a sudden seem to move several turns and you'll lose the pedal. This happened to me at a vintage race and caused the tranny to lock in 4th gear which was expensive. Good luck.

[prattrc]

OK, so I replaced the cable with a little help from my buddies at PP and UPS. After pulling the old cable and installing the new one, I am now having a hard time getting the adjustment right (can't get reverse or first from dead stop without cruching).

I have the pedal side screwed into the fork as far as it'll go without hitting the pedal lever. I have the clutch end screwed so tight the end of the cable is almost touching the engine. Still, I can't get 1st and reverse standing still.

Has anyone had this problem? Am I missing something? I know I need to put the grommet back in the engine support bar hole, but that shouldn't change things too much, should it? I am using the Terry Cable sold on this site, BTW.


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Ray
73 914 2.0L

[piperpilotduane]

Look at the subject Clutch Cable Slack Posted 7-30-01. Unfortunately this was my problem and is my understanding the most common problem. Happy motoring, Duane

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Duane

[kirk4]

hey i know im late but i had the same problem and it ended up being a broke clutch pedal spring. i could not get enough adjustment out of the cable. i replaced the spring with a new one from PP (thanx) and it solved my problem. good luck, greg

[guards73/2.0]

There's a SPRING? I recently replaced my cable and so far, I've depended on only the
pressure plate for return. As I recall, disconnecting the cable made my clutch pedal drop to the floorboard....maybe I don't have that tube problem...right now I've got an 1 1/2" spacer in the cable adjustment ( so does Dave Darling, evidently). Mine's actually a bronze bushing I got as a hardware store, and Dave was wondering if his was stock or not! Maybe I just need that spring....

Originally posted by kirk4:
hey i know im late but i had the same problem and it ended up being a broke clutch pedal spring. i could not get enough adjustment out of the cable. i replaced the spring with a new one from PP (thanx) and it solved my problem. good luck, greg

[This message has been edited by guards73/2.0 (edited 08-28-2001).]

[This message has been edited by guards73/2.0 (edited 08-28-2001).]

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

There is a spring. It isn't for the "return" action--it's what pushes the pedal to the floor when the cable breaks. It keeps tension on the clutch cable pulley back on the transmission.

--DD

[Edit to re-word a bit.]

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Pelican Parts 914 Tech Support

A few pics of my car: http://www.pelicanparts.com/gallery/Dave_Darling

[This message has been edited by Dave_Darling (edited 08-28-2001).]