Clutch Cable

pettsy · Post by **pettsy** » Fri Apr 02, 2004 1:40 pm

due to fault finding, i need to change the clutch on my gt. apparently i have a self adjusting one. got a few questions....

:how hard are they to change?
:is self adjusting better then non-adjusting?
:are both interchangeable?

Cheers,Matt

dub envy · Post by **dub envy** » Fri Apr 02, 2004 2:01 pm

I've had a clutch cable on my backseat for around 6 months now.

Keep meaning to change it.

Hopefully it's the same as a mk2 Golf, cos they are a piece of cake to change.

pettsy · Post by **pettsy** » Fri Apr 02, 2004 2:19 pm

im having problems selecting gears, and i spoke to the bloke at the local garage who suggested changing the cheap things forst, before clutches etc. he asked if mine was self adjusting or not: i think dan said it was

if so he said it might not be adjusting correctly, so i might aswell change it. im just wondering wether its worth fitting another self adjusting one, or are non adjstable ones available

Matt

Gareth_GT_Hatch · Post by **Gareth_GT_Hatch** » Fri Apr 02, 2004 5:09 pm

Get a manual adjustable one from GSF. I think theyre about Â£7. Theyre not difficult to change, did mine on the gt a few weeks ago, steering damper is the only thing that gets in the way. At least I think its the steering damper... its alot easier to fit the cable on a non GT/G40. Took about 5 mins on my 1.3 CL and about 20 on my GT. I used the old cable put through the wrong way round and tied the new cable to it (youll have to cut your old cable to do this) and pulled everything back through into the car.

hardhitter · Post by **hardhitter** » Fri Apr 02, 2004 8:22 pm

I've just put a clutch cable on my green gt today, pettsy. They no longer sell self-adjusting ones because they are crap.
It was a genuine vag item which cost me Â£13, pretty reasonable.

Tahrey1043 · Post by **Tahrey1043** » Fri Apr 02, 2004 8:36 pm

If anyone can indeed give tips on properly adjusting a clutch cable (pics would be nice) then that would be much appreciated. What with still not knowing whether it's just badly adjusted, or if the self-adjust has seized, or if the actual clutch is indeed on the way out. A few turns of the spanner vs a Â£190 bill is quite a difference!
(even though the second is still worth it to get both a smooth gearchange AND a nice bite - right now i'm looking at the other end of the spectrum... crashy and slipping in one)

For starters, I have two nuts at the 'business' end (where it actually connects to the actuator arm on the 'box)... one of which seems to control the "range" of the clutch, the second I guess would be the "reach"... except that one never seems to make any difference.

Gareth_GT_Hatch · Post by **Gareth_GT_Hatch** » Fri Apr 02, 2004 8:52 pm

I didnt think the reach could be adjusted. You just use one of the the two bolts right at the end to take up all the play and then use the 2nd bolt on the first to tighten them together. Theres a hole for a sping as well which they never seemed to put on the polo, It helps smooth out the pedal travel if you fit one. I fond one off a golf on a scrap yard

SpikeyG40 · Post by **SpikeyG40** » Sat Apr 03, 2004 2:18 pm

just thought i would agree, i ordered a new clutch cable a while ago n it came through as the manual adjusting one (the one on the car was a self adjusting) quite easy to fit, no a great deal of problems, but i found the manual adjusting one was better! the self adjusting kept adjusting itself on its own n kept changing the bit point! that was annoying

pettsy · Post by **pettsy** » Sat Apr 03, 2004 7:05 pm

sorted

Went and picked up one they had in stock at local vw stealer... Â£13 Bargain!

Tahrey1043 · Post by **Tahrey1043** » Sun Apr 04, 2004 5:44 am

"???!!!??!!?"!!!

um... ok

Well.. guess maybe mine is self-(random) adjusting as well. Seems the clutch is adjusted a little different every day, or even changes across a trip. And I only have one bolt right at the end, and another one further down (other side of the actuator and then some)... or p'raps I had a second one that i'm forgetting about and so it's not being locked in place properly any more!

Yargh.
Maybe if i get a pic up (host it on geocities with a page-link if neccessary..) with the nuts circled?

hayesey · Post by **hayesey** » Sun Apr 04, 2004 10:21 pm

self-adjusting ones are crap! VW stopped using them in about 1995/1996 & put manually adjustable ones on all the cars from then on.

ereeiz · Post by **ereeiz** » Tue Apr 06, 2004 2:16 am

Nasty nasty self adjusters, burn them all!
it took about 5-10 mins to fint mine in my G40.
I'm sur eI replied to this topic before

(May have been another forum I spose

!)

amstrange1 · Post by **amstrange1** » Tue Apr 06, 2004 11:10 am

Fitted a manual adjust one to my car yesterday, was surprised how easy it was to do. Took a bit of tweaking on the biting point though, but now at least I don't get clutch slip.

Tahrey1043 · Post by **Tahrey1043** » Tue Apr 06, 2004 4:52 pm

Mine is one that I put in as a replacement about 18 months ago when the original snapped..... would it still be self adjust?

BTW I tried to move the 'second' adjusting nut - it seems merely decorative or perhaps an end-stop for the adjustment of the first. Can't be turned without twisting everything else with it. Pulled the rubbery sheath this way and that, looked further along the length, nothing. Would there be anything at the pedal end?

Might nip out to one of the local small motor outlets now and see what they have. Or perhaps halfords... O_O

(need a couple new rubbers for the backbox anyway - yay for work mates who happen to have wire-ties in their glove boxes)

Tahrey1043 · Post by **Tahrey1043** » Sat Apr 10, 2004 8:33 pm

Augh. This is all getting very irritating. It seemed to have fixed itself - yknow the usual thing, wasting an afternoon calling garages is sometimes the quickest way to get a car to self-repair

... Lovely smooth gearchange again, no crunch on reverse, no slipping. But then a rushed 3 point turn and it started slipping again, and I had to adjust it right back to within a gnat's pube of being impossible to get into gear when stopped to get rid of the slip in 4th.

And a while after that, I yet again couldn't get either trouble to manifest.

What's going on?!