Clutch Adjustment

[tassuperkart]

Sase
That kind of clutch test is no test at all. It proves, AND proved, nothing, apart from demonstrating how hideous a burnt organic facing smells!. Its a simple and quick method of possibly destroying what might have been a perfectly good clutch.
You could have a 2.5 tonne pressure plate and it will slip happily away on moderate throttle once the organic facings get hot enough to burn and start gassing.
No grip see? But still full clamping load! Burnieburnieburnies!

Its the exact same thing as overheating brake pads. As you all know, NO amount of pedal pressure, (or clamp load on a clutch) will make them grip when they are burning up and gassing.
Even with the very best race pads, once they grossly overheat, they simply burn up, start gassing and stop gripping.

The burnt facings also glaze, becoming rock hard and shiny and will readily slip until that glazing is eventually worn away.
This is why a burnt clutch will eventually "come back to you" if nursed for a couple of thousand kays.

If the clutch plate face got hot enough, the metal can actually soften/melt and migrate around the face of the presure plate and flywheel faces forming uneven little hills and dales.
The clutch action becomes very doughy, kinda unresponsive and then suddenly snatches and the clutch will self destruct very quickly after that. Organic facings will wear extremely fast and unevenly whereas the raised metal surfaces will last on indefinitely.

It takes no imagination to work out how hot the clutch facings got when we regularly see local "blueing" areas on the pressure plate and flywheel faces.

Cable adjustment is no magic bullet.
If your having trouble with slipping and selecting gears there is no secret adjustment that will cure it.

You just adjust your cable until there is a couple of mm of FREE movement in the release arm.
This will amount to about 15 to 25mm free movement of the pedal.

Simple as that.

Forget about how the changes "feel" after altering the adjustment.
The simple test is simply pull up, select neutral and let out the clutch.
Clutch in and select reverse.
If you cannot get reverse because it sits there grinding continously then you have an issue.
If it grinds a bit but then selects easily then thats perfectly NORMAL as reverse gear has NO synchro.
Selecting reverse will ALWAYS grind a bit. If it does NOT, Id be concerned as to why it does not!!!!

If reverse repeatedly selects and unselects with little issue then you have to adjust your ATTITUDE to the different clutch pedal position. So just get over it!
Its perfectly normal to have a clutch friction point less than 25mm from the floor. This is often so with modified and HD clutches that seem to require greater release bearing travel to fully disengage.

If you have to have the cable adjusted so tight that the clutch slips, then you have an issue with either your firewall (where the cable runs thru) or the clutch bracket itself flexing.
This preload will also fuck the release bearing eventually.

Perhaps the cable is not running DIRECTLY into the bracket on the gearbox and hanging down.
The cable itself is not tightly located into that bracket and can hang about all over the place.
The more you ease the adjustment off the more the cable hangs down behind the motor. There is always apparent tension on the cable no matter what adjustment you make.
Cable tie the clutch cable sos it runs directly and squarely into the bracket. Youd be amazed at how much effect this little trick has.

Check that the firewall is not cracked and flexing when the clutch is pushed down.
Same for the clutch bracket as mentioned in another post.
Same again for the pedal where the cable actually attaches.

Things to consider.
/rant

L8tr
E

[SashET]

Fuk.....

Somebody had their 'rant' pills this morning ey!

Your post does explain a few things I'm experiencing tho E.

Especially this line;

The cable itself is not tightly located into that bracket and can hang about all over the place.
The more you ease the adjustment off the more the cable hangs down behind the motor.

This is where I originally fuked up I think, I tightened the cable so much so that the back end of the cable wouldn't sorta hang there before the bracket. Big mistake I guess.

With the taking off in 3rd gear/smell thing.......fuk it, live and learn!

Cheers
Sash

[SashET]

Well, I did some more poking around, here's what I found around where the cable meets the firewall;

Looks like this little thingy is broken but I always remember it being this way (since I bought the car), just never really pulled it back to see what was going on. I just always assumed it was meant to be like this.







Anyone got a spare one of these or do I need a whole cable?

Cheers
Sash

[tassuperkart]

Whole cable M8
L8tr
E

[SashET]

Whole cable M8
L8tr
E

Sweet, thats the next thing on my list....

Cheers
Sash

[Callumgw]

Sash,
Jo0f just got one, ask him.

C

[dexi_styles]

i think i have a spare cable a my mums house somewhere.
if you get desprate (and i say desprate, cos im in brissy and the cable is in wollongong NSW) pm me and ill try and get something happening for ya.

adam