Seicento clutch pain

[SiMan]

Hi

I was about to post this on the Fiat Forum as I have over various bits before (they're nice over there), but I thought that people here might have some ideas too. Now that I'm working at PH I feel this is a more 'patriotic' choice...

I've got a 1999 Fiat Seicento Sporting (SPI). The car is for the most part lovely, but the clutch is heavy and its getting very tiresome on my hour-and-a-half journey to the PH office each day. The clutch was only replaced a year and a half ago, and anyway according to MrWill a worn clutch won't cause the pedal to feel heavier. He says its more likely to be something in the clutch pedal mechanism itself.

I don't know how well the people on here know Seicentos, but essentially its the same as a Cinquecento mechanically, i.e. a cable-operated clutch, and because the car was originally designed as LHD the pedal has a linking rod across the bulkhead to the left-hand side of the car, and the clutch/gearbox area.

I've adjusted the clutch cable and brought the biting point higher for comfort (it was biting low which made for jerky progress), but the weight in the pedal is still unpleasant.

Any relatively simple home remedies, or instructions to give to a local mechanic if needs be, would all be much appreciated.

Cheers

[_Batty_]

is it all well greased?
is the cable rotten?
how about the pedal mechanism itself?
other than that perhaps its the pressure plate thats knackered?

[SiMan]

Thanks for that, I'm definitely going to do some thorough greasing this weekend (hmm... that doesn't sound right at all). I think it could well be the iron arm that connects the cable to the pressure plate (the arm that the cable pulls to open and close the clutch) that's in need of lubrication - it is old and has surface rust (nothing serious, just slightly oxidised as you'd expect after a decade), and has probably never been lubricated.

Its not the clutch cable as that's been changed not long ago, along with the clutch itself (ruling out the pressure plate). The pedal itself is also unlikely to be the culprit, as when the cable snapped a while ago it fell cleanly, without noticable friction of obstruction.

There is also a set of hinges as part of those rods connecting across the bulkhead (the RHD conversion bits) that could benefit from some lubrication as well.

Any other ideas folks?

Cheers

[Alfa_75_Steve]

Replace the cable.

It's a bh of a job to do - involves lying down with your head under the dash in the passenger footwell. Did it a couple of times on my Cinq. Sporting.

Once they start getting stiff, it's only a matter of time before it snaps just when you don't need it to.

[Podie]

I seem to recall that the Cinq and Sei use a nasty plastic thing to re-route the cable on RHD cars. Replace the cable, and the little plastic thing... in fact, someone must have replaced them with metal ones by now...?

[Alfa_75_Steve]

Can't recall any plastic bits.

I do recall some gold colored metal bits made from cheese.

The problem is the cheap RHD conversion, which uses rods and brackets made of said metallic cheese.

[Podie]

Alfa_75_Steve said:

Can't recall any plastic bits.

I do recall some gold colored metal bits made from cheese.

The problem is the cheap RHD conversion, which uses rods and brackets made of said metallic cheese.

Cheese

I seem to have a recollection that the Cinq had a plastic "rocker"... but agree the issue is the cheap RHD conversion.

Either way, the OP should replace the cable and associated metallic cheese.