clutch cable?

metz · Post by **metz** » Mon Jun 21, 2004 10:27 pm

my clutch usually feels great but i noticed after the rain we've had 2day it feels a bit notchy when i press it.
was wondering if it will need greasing (the cable) and if so how and where

cheers

Tahrey1043 · Post by **Tahrey1043** » Tue Jun 22, 2004 5:32 am

Um.... i've never done it.... even after changing a snapped one. Works a bit like a bike brake cable - there's plastic sheathing and stuff.

you may want to see if it's going rusty though! (could be a sign of your actual clutch getting sticky

)

metz · Post by **metz** » Tue Jun 22, 2004 7:36 am

great! lol

if its like a bike cable that explains why it feels crap after its been raining....water is getting in.
better grease it.

LogIK · Post by **LogIK** » Tue Jun 22, 2004 2:42 pm

My old self-adjusting piece of s**t cable used to do that. I solved the problem with a bit of WD40. At the gearbox end, pull of the rubber boot and attach the little straw thing you get with your WD40. Spray a fair amount of it down inside the cable sheath, then pump the clutch a few time. You will notice a difference immediately. It feels like new again, but it starts to wear off after a while.

Mite be better of removing the cable and fitting a nice new manual adjusting cable a giving it a bit of a grease before you fit it. The manual adjusters are much better, as you can adjust the biting point to be where ever you like.

metz · Post by **metz** » Tue Jun 22, 2004 2:50 pm

cheers for that LogiK,
I tried it on my lunch break and it feels better than yesterday but still not 100% so i will have a look in the haynes manual to find out where it is and how i grease it 2nite.
If its still the same next week i think i'll buy a new cable.

LogIK · Post by **LogIK** » Tue Jun 22, 2004 3:44 pm

It all depends how bad it is and how much it is annoying you. A new cable won't exactly break the bank anyway. They're only about Â£5-10 IIRC from GSF. You will have to remove the cable to grease it up, and the chances are that you have a self-adjusting cable on there anyway, which are a pile of w**k. So, IMO, you're best replacing it. Your left leg will thank you for it!

pettsy · Post by **pettsy** » Tue Jun 22, 2004 6:23 pm

they're about Â£13 from vw

metz · Post by **metz** » Tue Jun 22, 2004 9:29 pm

how much to get fitted? as i have no idea when it comes to these new fangled combustion engines.

hardhitter · Post by **hardhitter** » Tue Jun 22, 2004 9:40 pm

It's easy enough to fit yourself.

metz · Post by **metz** » Tue Jun 22, 2004 9:57 pm

cheers hardhitter,

i may take a peek under the car when its not chucking it down to see if i can work out what to do.
dont want the cable to snap on the way to chesterfield sunday.

Tahrey1043 · Post by **Tahrey1043** » Wed Jun 23, 2004 3:00 pm

it may seem puzzling at first..... but i managed it on the first time i ever got underneath the car

without the guide of the old cable to go with either, as it had broken and some had fallen away. the haynes manual is actually partially helpful for this job!

look down under the distributor cap, find the cable latched onto a swinging arm (far too stiff to move by hand), then follow where it goes back, under, and across to the driver's side pedal box. should be a lot simpler with that as a guide.

However, I won't lie to you - unless you're an anorexic russian midget gymnast, it's a pig of a job reaching into the pedal box on the car interior side to fit that bit of the cable. Very cramped, i nearly choked myself on the wheel as the only way my chunky frame would fit is to push the chair right back, recline it, then lie on it "upside down"

that is, however, the hardest part, the rest of it is a piece of cake. getting the bite point properly adjusted may annoy you for a week, but once it's done, it's done.