Westfield Eating Clutch Cables

[Fer]

Any suggestions on a source for extra strong clutch cables, or a solution to stop my Westfield from going through one every 3 months. I have a Pinto engined Westfield, with a Cortina pedal box, and at present I am getting way too much practice at putting a new cable in. I can do it in under 20 minutes in daylight, and a little over 35 in the dark/wet.

I wondered if anyone has any magic routing/coating that might solve this problem.

[GreenV8S]

Is it always going in the same place? My V8S used to each throttle cables until I sorted out the routing problems. Also make sure the pedal runs out of travel before anything else does, otherwise the cable will act is the end stop for the pedal and that'll knacker it.

[Fer]

GreenV8S said:

Make sure the pedal runs out of travel before anything else does, otherwise the cable will act is the end stop for the pedal and that'll knacker it.

Thank you, thank you.
If there was an award for stating the bleeding obvious to an idiot you would earn it today. Thinking about it I am pretty sure that is exactly what is happening... Why didn't you tell me that months ago, you could have saved me a fortune in cables!

Hopefully this will work, I will let you know in three months!

[GreenV8S]

Fingers crossed that will do it. If it's been failing in the same place each time it's worth checking for anything that would kink the inner while you're at it, it only takes a small misalignment at the ends to do this. My VS used to go through throttle cables every few months so I know how frustrating it can be, but with these problems solved the current one has been on for ten years and 150k miles and still OK touch wood.

[steve_d]

Working on the basis that it is failing in the same place each time (otherwise you would have added that to your frustration) make sure that the cable is not being bent at the extreme of its travel.
At the pedal end would be favorite.

If as already discussed the pedal is using the cable as a stop it is most likely that there is also not enough angular movement where the cable attaches to the pedal. This would bend the cable just beyond the crimp and at a time when it had the most load on it.

Steve

[motco]

My first Pinto engined Westfield broke both the clutch and throttle cables for the same reason. The builder had tightened the banjo end (pedal end) of the clutch cable to the point where it could not swivel. When the pedal was operated the cable was bent quite sharply. On the throttle it did the same but at the carb end. Check that the cable can remain straight when the mechanism operates.

[CaptiV8ed]

My old Westy started life with a pinto and they're famous for killing clutch cables. The fact the cable runs so close to the exhaust manifold is not healthy for it at all. You can get reflective sleeves for this purpose, a doddle to fit and they work a treat! Never had to swap mine in 3 yrs. I think you can get them from Merlin Motorsport at Castle combe.

Nick

[motco]

CaptiV8ed said:

My old Westy started life with a pinto and they're famous for killing clutch cables. The fact the cable runs so close to the exhaust manifold is not healthy for it at all. You can get reflective sleeves for this purpose, a doddle to fit and they work a treat! Never had to swap mine in 3 yrs. I think you can get them from Merlin Motorsport at Castle combe.

Nick

That certainly can be a problem. I routed mine on the far side of the steering column to keep it away from the manifold after having had exactly that kind of failure.