Got a bit of a stiffy and need some advice..

[mrzigazaga]

Hi peeps…For some reason the clutch pedal has become very heavy, I replaced the cable with the correct one but it still felt like it was way too tight and creaks a bit when the pedal is depressed..So i took Delilah to my friendly Ford garage and he dropped out the gear box and it was realised that the so called gearbox specialists local to me did in fact totally rip me off..The gear lever nylon bush which had disintegrated was still in there albeit all mangled up so a new one was made from a nylon bush that the garage had lying about..There was another bush under the gear lever that should look like a mushroom but that too was only half intact..That was rectified with a large washer to seal the dome and then a series of smaller ones to make up the difference, The clutch cover plate and release bearing were changed although i had a new cosworth clutch fitted earlier in the year..A spring was fitted which stops the lever being put into reverse as this was missing..The oil was checked and topped up..Now the gearbox feels like new which is really nice…BUT..The cable still feels very stiff and the pedal heavy?..The outer cable is not restricted by anything but i was wondering before i remove the steering wheel and turn into a fat contortionist if the cable is being hindered by anything else…There is a metal sleeve with a 10mm nut on it that swivels a small amount, This guides the cable outer towards the half moon part of the cable mechanism at the top of the pedal so I'm guessing it might be facing down slightly and causing the inner cable to be rubbing/Cutting through the outer?..I cringe every time i depress the clutch as it feels like its going to snap again…Wahh!!…Cheers…Ziga

[wooly350i]

Awite Mark, are you sure it's not just that the cosworth clutch is has stronger springs being uprated and all that, mine although it's a v8 I'd much stronger than the original clutch, I wonder which system the cosworth used, cable or hydraulic?

[mrzigazaga]

Hi John…I think the cozzie might be hydraulic..The pedal has always been a bit heavy but it does feel like its got worst..Guess i will have to break my back upside down in the footwell to see if the cable is being restricted…Cheers…Ziga

[JamesMK]

Mine used to get unbearably stiff as well, cable stretched a little over time and needed adjusting to make it taught again which sometimes helped.

Didn't stop the cable breaking though, so I had it converted to a hydraulic system which brought problems of its own. No more reliable but at least it's lighter on my feet!

[V8 Fettler]

Zig, is your exhaust cooking the cable?

[mrzigazaga]

JamesMK said:

Mine used to get unbearably stiff as well, cable stretched a little over time and needed adjusting to make it taught again which sometimes helped.

Didn't stop the cable breaking though, so I had it converted to a hydraulic system which brought problems of its own. No more reliable but at least it's lighter on my feet!

Hi James…I did think of that option but like you say different problems…..Cheers…Ziga

V8 Fettler said:

Zig, is your exhaust cooking the cable?

Hi Mate…It happened even after replacing the cable with a new one…

Maybe a mod to the pedal itself is the answer?…Using the pedal to push away the outer cable and pull the inner at the same time is a bit strange..Cheers…Ziga

[wooly350i]

mrzigazaga said:

Hi Mate…It happened even after replacing the cable with a new one…

Maybe a mod to the pedal itself is the answer?…Using the pedal to push away the outer cable and pull the inner at the same time is a bit strange..Cheers…Ziga

More leverage then, weld a shovel to the pedal !
Sorry matey, couldn't resist.
Ive come to the conclusion that modding any car comes with pitfalls, some deeper than others. wooly

[mrzigazaga]

wooly350i said:

More leverage then, weld a shovel to the pedal !
Sorry matey, couldn't resist.
Ive come to the conclusion that modding any car comes with pitfalls, some deeper than others. wooly

…Shovel…Pedal….Pedal…Shovel…Absolutely Shodal difference..tried it…Though i wonder why TVR never used the Capri style of pedal…




To be fair it doesn't look like a major mod but like you say mate..Modding any car comes with Pit bull's..

Mind you if i had one of these in the footwell i don't think i would want to put my foot in there..

[ElvisWedgely]

Almost every Wedge I have owned has had a bit of a creaking sound when you depress the clutch pedal, so I think that's a standard feature. The stiff pedal problem, when most components are new, including the cable is a bit of a mystery as if it remains that way the cable may snap again prematurely. I have had lots of cable problems previously on other cars but not on the Wedge, but generally the same rule applies to all cable operated clutches.

The problem then, can only be one or combination of several things which can only be cured by elimination. Starting with the easiest and the cheapest to check and eliminate.

1. Routing the cable through the right path from pedal to gearbox lever.
2. Nuts and bolts along the cable restricting it's movement.
3. Cable lubrication.
4. Cheap and nasty cable.
5. Clutch pedal pivots worn or need lubricating
6. Faulty or wrong clutch cover.
7. Faulty springs on clutch plate
7. Faulty or worn thrust bearings
9. Faulty or bent clutch lever or its pivots.
10. Dry splines along gearbox shaft.

Any one of these could be the problem, so eliminate starting from top to bottom. It could be something very simple or a gearbox off job. I hope you are lucky and its one of the easier ones. Good luck and all the best.

Tony. TCB.

[mrzigazaga]

Hi Tony…If you read what i first posted you will see that the gearbox was dropped out and parts changed and checked..The cable was a proper one and all the connections are good…I was wondering about using some kind of lube down the inside of the cable but I'm not sure what to use as i don't want to make it worst..I have spray lithium grease?…Cheers…Ziga

[ElvisWedgely]

I know the parts were checked and replaced previously but there was a case on the 'English Mechanics' on tv once when they replaced all the clutch components on a Porche and took the gearbox out several times to rectify the problem, only to find on their third or fourth attempt that it was actually a bent fork on the gearbox operating the thrust bearings, which was only out by several millimetres but not obvious at first glance. I am not saying that's the problem in your case but something might have been missed.

If you are going to lubricate the cable, it might be best to remove it first so as you can do a thorough job and check to see how freely it moves. Try all the more simpler things first as I am sure you are familiar with these things. All the best mate.

Tony. TCB.

[jeff m2]

If you still have the old cable.
Remove new cable, check length against old one.
Put back old cable (after lubing it)...see what result you get.

Could just be a cable routing problem, hopefully not the release bearing.

When you disconnect the end of the cable move the release arm, the release bearing should move very smoothly along the shaft. (until of course it hits the clutch plate)

Worst case scenario wrong release bearing installed and not hitting the fingers correctly.

[mrzigazaga]

Hi Jeff…Unfortunately the old cable had grub screw fittings on each end and they tended to caused the cable to snap or fray every year, I have managed to locate the correct cable that was originally used..I have had the release bearing and the cover plate changed..There is no restriction to the routing of the cable…I have a feeling that the metal sleeve on the pedal could actually be at the wrong angle..It has a 10mm nut that can be un-done and the tube angled to the position of the outer cable..Here is a rough drawing of the set up i have..Cheers…Ziga

[bluezeeland]

Hi Mark,

As you know I am to change for a type 9, 5 speed box soon (same as yours ?) And I was told they can be heavy....

So, gotten some advise, here goes;

- route the cable correctly, without touching the exhaust
- heat shield the cable
- grease up the cable (internally) extensively
- 'leverage' the cable as much as possible
- if need be lose the 'mushroom' alltogether (to get more throw)

If the above fails, fork/release bearing, imput shaft greasing (last resort, for obvious reasons)

I will be over for parts, end of November, please PM if your are available for a fly-by....

btw: the classics forum is fun, fun, fun !!

grtz

Frank

[jeff m2]

mrzigazaga said:

Hi Jeff…Unfortunately the old cable had grub screw fittings on each end and they tended to caused the cable to snap or fray every year, I have managed to locate the correct cable that was originally used..I have had the release bearing and the cover plate changed..There is no restriction to the routing of the cable…I have a feeling that the metal sleeve on the pedal could actually be at the wrong angle..It has a 10mm nut that can be un-done and the tube angled to the position of the outer cable..Here is a rough drawing of the set up i have..Cheers…Ziga

Good drawing

Is it possible to allow that sleeve to swivel so that it always pulls at right angles to the cable outer.

[mrzigazaga]

bluezeeland said:

Hi Mark,

As you know I am to change for a type 9, 5 speed box soon (same as yours ?) And I was told they can be heavy....

So, gotten some advise, here goes;

- route the cable correctly, without touching the exhaust
- heat shield the cable
- grease up the cable (internally) extensively
- 'leverage' the cable as much as possible
- if need be lose the 'mushroom' alltogether (to get more throw)

If the above fails, fork/release bearing, imput shaft greasing (last resort, for obvious reasons)

I will be over for parts, end of November, please PM if your are available for a fly-by....

btw: the classics forum is fun, fun, fun !!

grtz

Frank

Hi Frank…Thanks for that..My gearbox is a Type 5 4 speed…I do get muddled up sometimes....Not sure what the "Mushroom" is though?..Would general purpose grease be ok or lithium?
Will let you know about the end of Nov…Cheers…Ziga

jeff m2 said:

Is it possible to allow that sleeve to swivel so that it always pulls at right angles to the cable outer.

Hi Jeff…Not sure if the sleeve can be left loose…I will have a good look at it tomorrow..Cheers..Ziga

[bluezeeland]

Hiya Mark,

Ah, you got a four speed......same principal, cable, heat shield, leverage (dunno setup of lever...)

Mushroom, domed end at clutch pedal......(maybe a pic could help....) Lithium grease would do the job

will pm date of tour !

grtz

Frank

Edited by bluezeeland on Friday 1st November 17:48

[Stog]

Hi zig, I have a four speed too and the clutch is well heavy. I've a left leg like David beckham at this stage. I've noticed my cable goes through a larger than necessary hole in the bulkhead and moves about quite a bit when the pedal is pressed. Is this normal?

[mrzigazaga]

Stog said:

I've noticed my cable goes through a larger than necessary hole in the bulkhead and moves about quite a bit when the pedal is pressed. Is this normal?

Hi Mate..I think it is…Its the outer cable that gets pushed away from the inner at the pedal end..There might of been a grommet in the hole originally..I think my spate of hiring modern tin tops contributed to my assumption of the clutch being stiff..I do recall having a numb black toe and the toenail eventually falling off, Even now i have a constant ache in the ball of my foot..Your lucky if you have a left leg like Beckham..If you have manual steering then you will end up with a leg like Beckham and an arm like Arnie…You will win every time in a one legged spoon race...

[adam quantrill]

That looks like a frigging stoopid design - no wonder it chews through cable inners.

I expect that the inner can't be taken out of the sleeve without re-fitting the crimped-on end?

If it can I would radius off the inner leading edge of the sleeve with a deburring tool or similar. I noticed the accelerator cable holes weren't deburred in the factory, leading to that snapping off too.