Clutch Cable Replacement

[Oldman]

[b]Clutch Cable replacement for the DIY Kombi Pilot.[/b]

This is something I have been meaning to post for ages and as it turns out I inadvertantly did it finally without realising it!  
It involves replacing that old stretched clutch cable that is soooo long now that it has 3 wheelnuts used as spacers to get enough adjustment on it and is fraying as we type... or possibly the one that gave up on the way home from work last week in peak-hour traffic. 

If you are willing to get a little messy and have a few basic tools and a mate handy, it is not hard at all to do yourself.

WHAT YOU NEED
Pin punch or similar object.
Hammer.
Small/medium flatblade screwdriver
13mm spanned or socket and ratchet handle (the latter is easier).
10mm spanner or socket (or whatever size the bolts holding your particular bashplate on are).
Grease (lithium spraygrease is effective and easy to use).
Clutch Cable ($30 from any classic VW parts supplier)

WHAT TO DO

FIrstly, grab a 13mm spanner or even better, a socket and ratchet handle, then get up under the back and undo the wingnut at the gearbox end of the cable and put it aside... you will see it above the passenger side driveshaft. once that is undone take out the two 13mm bolts in the side of the gearbox that hold the bowden tube bracket in place and make sure not to lose any of the washers in the event that the bracket slides off the tube end as they are important to the overall smooth operation of the clutch and life of the cable. pulll the cable down so it is hanging down beneath the driveshaft rather than over the top then climb back up topside.

Next grab a screwdriver and pliers, a hammer and a pinpunch or small nail punch (or other small diameter lengh of metal around 5mmm in diameter) and climb under the front. Take off the front bashplate if it is still fitted (from memory the bolts are 10mm from the factory but don't be surprised to find all manner of poor imperial measure substitutes under there...), then using the screwdriver, pliers or your fingers, unclip the little retainer from over the top of the metal piece at the end of the cable where it attaches to the pedal lever, then drive out the pin that it is attached too using the punch (or substitute) and hammer... make sure to retain this unless your cable came with a new one. Now you should be able to pull the cable end free of the pedal lever.

The cable will now be disconnected at both ends and be ready to pull out of the tube for replacement. before doing anything else, follow the cable back from the pedal and note carefuully which hole it travels through in the chassis and the location of the metal guide tube that it feeds into. AFter doing this there are a couple of ways one can go about the removal process. If the cable is snapped clean through, you simply pull both ends out seperately. If, as is more often the case, the cable has had a number of strands snap but is still held togetherby a few stretched strands that refused to die, then the threaded end of the cable near the gearbox must be fed into the bowden tube so it doesnt catch on it then the cable ill be pulled from the front. if the bowden tube has been pulled or fallen off the end of the fixed metal tub in the chassis, then you will have to do the same here so it doesnt catch.

Now you are ready to put the new one in. before doing this, make sure you have some grease handy. I use spray-on white lithium grease (available at bunnings) as i find it easy to apply and less messy. Unravel the new cable, then get the threaded end and run it through the same course under the chassis as the old one went, then when you are sure it is routed correctly, feed it into the fixed metal tube just a little, then continue feeding it slowly, applying plenty of grease to each section of the cable before feeding it through. Keep feeding until you encounter resistance, which will be the threaded end reaching the bowden tube and being baulked by the curvature. Before going any further, get the retaining pin you took out before and grease it, then grab the pedal end of the cable and grease the holes and the inside surfaces, push it over the lever so the holes line up as before, then drive in the pin again and clip it back down over the top of the cable end. 

The front end of the cable is now out of the way so all that remains is to get it connected up and adjusted. FOr the next stage it is best to have another person handy, as one person will be required to grasp the bowden tube in such a way that the natural S-bend in it is straightened to allow the solid threaded end to be fed through the tube and out the other end by the other person. THis can be done either with the bowden tube attached to the metal tube or with it pulled off... with it connected to the chassis tube it will need to be pushed through from up the front.... disconnected it will be done from the back.

Once the threaded end has been sucessfully pushed through the bowden tube, you can then reconnect the tube to the metal tube in the chassis, then pull the cable right through and have it sit over the top of the driveshaft. If the bracket and washers were removed or fell off the tube, feed the washers, then the bracket (concave side facing you) over the cable end and back onto the metal end of the bowden tube. AGain, the washers are important so don't leave any off. After making sure the bowden tube is orientated so the curve is pointing upwards, you must then get one of the two bolts you took out, then line up the bottom hole in the bracket carefully with the bottom hole in the gearbox and place the bolt in, starting it by hand and then once you are satisfied it has taken up the thread and is not crossthreading (easy to do as the gearbox case is magnesium and hence the threads are soft as shite), continue to do it up with your tool of choice till it is almost home but not tight, making sure to keep pressure off the bolt while doing so. once this is done, get the other bolt and push the bracket so the top hole is lined up perfectly and carefully start the bolt in the hole, making doubly sure that it is goinbg in straight and not being pushed askew by the bracket... this is easier said than done... then keep winding it home until it is almost all the way in (use a tool if you like once the bolt is well started), then tighten both bolts about as tight as you would tighten a sparkplug... ie just enough that the bolts wont come loose. 

The final part is reattaching the cable to the throwout lever and adjusting it... both parts part will require 2 people for the sake of ease. Have somebody hold up the clutch pedal all the way, then feed the thread into the hole in the top of the lever arm and wind on the wingnut until it contacts the arm, then give it another 4 full turns, making sure not to let the cable twist at any stageor the adjustment will not hold. Have the person in the car let go of the pedal then push it down (making sure your hands are clear of everytihng first) and ask them where it is sitting in relation to the floor. if it is still low (chances are it will be), keep winding and have them watch the pedal and tell you when it stops ascending, at which point you stop turning... after you've done it a lot of times like i have (all in the space of 2 years!?!??! :/) you will eventually be able to pick up by feel and the noise the pedal makes when it has reached the top of it's travel.

Now climb out and hop in the Kombi, thyen push the pedal all the way to the floor and then let it up again slowly to allow the cable to settle. now pull the pedal up with your fingers, then push it down using fingers and thumb and see that there is about 1 inch from the top of the pedals travel to the point where you feel significant working resistance. if it is significantly more, adjust the wingnut half to a full turn tighter and try again, then start the engine. Try engaging first gear... it should engage without resistance... if it doesnt (not accounting for gearbox/shifter issues) then give the wingnut another wind. If it engages gears fine however, put you foot on the clutch, hold the brake or put on the handbrake if it works, and then with 1st gear engaged, slowly release the clutch while watching the pedal and note where the clutch starts to grab... it should pick up with the pedal nnot more than about an inch off the floor. if it is much more than this, wind the wingnut back a turn at a time until you get to the point when gears are hard to engage, then wind it half a turn tighter at a time until gears engage without resistance, then half a turn more. Once you are satisfied the clutch is working correctly, apply grease to the exposed portions f the clutch cable at each end and put a little in the end of the front tube and in the eand of the bowden tube, replace the bashplate, and then go for a drive. If gears get a little crunchy or hard to get, tighten the wingnut a turn and it should be right again.

CHeers!
Kieran

---

C[b]Clutch Cable replacement for the DIY Kombi Pilot.[/b]

This is something I have been meaning to post for ages and as it turns out I inadvertantly did it finally without realising it!  
It involves replacing that old stretched clutch cable that is soooo long now that it has 3 wheelnuts used as spacers to get enough adjustment on it and is fraying as we type... or possibly the one that gave up on the way home from work last week in peak-hour traffic. 

If you are willing to get a little messy and have a few basic tools and a mate handy, it is not hard at all to do yourself.

WHAT YOU NEED
Pin punch or similar object.
Hammer.
Small/medium flatblade screwdriver
13mm spanned or socket and ratchet handle (the latter is easier).
10mm spanner or socket (or whatever size the bolts holding your particular bashplate on are).
Grease (lithium spraygrease is effective and easy to use).
Clutch Cable ($30 from any classic VW parts supplier)

WHAT TO DO

FIrstly, grab a 13mm spanner or even better, a socket and ratchet handle, then get up under the back and undo the wingnut at the gearbox end of the cable and put it aside... you will see it above the passenger side driveshaft. once that is undone take out the two 13mm bolts in the side of the gearbox that hold the bowden tube bracket in place and make sure not to lose any of the washers in the event that the bracket slides off the tube end as they are important to the overall smooth operation of the clutch and life of the cable. pulll the cable down so it is hanging down beneath the driveshaft rather than over the top then climb back up topside.

Next grab a screwdriver and pliers, a hammer and a pinpunch or small nail punch (or other small diameter lengh of metal around 5mmm in diameter) and climb under the front. Take off the front bashplate if it is still fitted (from memory the bolts are 10mm from the factory but don't be surprised to find all manner of poor imperial measure substitutes under there...), then using the screwdriver, pliers or your fingers, unclip the little retainer from over the top of the metal piece at the end of the cable where it attaches to the pedal lever, then drive out the pin that it is attached too using the punch (or substitute) and hammer... make sure to retain this unless your cable came with a new one. Now you should be able to pull the cable end free of the pedal lever.

The cable will now be disconnected at both ends and be ready to pull out of the tube for replacement. before doing anything else, follow the cable back from the pedal and note carefuully which hole it travels through in the chassis and the location of the metal guide tube that it feeds into. AFter doing this there are a couple of ways one can go about the removal process. If the cable is snapped clean through, you simply pull both ends out seperately. If, as is more often the case, the cable has had a number of strands snap but is still held togetherby a few stretched strands that refused to die, then the threaded end of the cable near the gearbox must be fed into the bowden tube so it doesnt catch on it then the cable ill be pulled from the front. if the bowden tube has been pulled or fallen off the end of the fixed metal tub in the chassis, then you will have to do the same here so it doesnt catch.

Now you are ready to put the new one in. before doing this, make sure you have some grease handy. I use spray-on white lithium grease (available at bunnings) as i find it easy to apply and less messy. Unravel the new cable, then get the threaded end and run it through the same course under the chassis as the old one went, then when you are sure it is routed correctly, feed it into the fixed metal tube just a little, then continue feeding it slowly, applying plenty of grease to each section of the cable before feeding it through. Keep feeding until you encounter resistance, which will be the threaded end reaching the bowden tube and being baulked by the curvature. Before going any further, get the retaining pin you took out before and grease it, then grab the pedal end of the cable and grease the holes and the inside surfaces, push it over the lever so the holes line up as before, then drive in the pin again and clip it back down over the top of the cable end. 

The front end of the cable is now out of the way so all that remains is to get it connected up and adjusted. FOr the next stage it is best to have another person handy, as one person will be required to grasp the bowden tube in such a way that the natural S-bend in it is straightened to allow the solid threaded end to be fed through the tube and out the other end by the other person. THis can be done either with the bowden tube attached to the metal tube or with it pulled off... with it connected to the chassis tube it will need to be pushed through from up the front.... disconnected it will be done from the back.

Once the threaded end has been sucessfully pushed through the bowden tube, you can then reconnect the tube to the metal tube in the chassis, then pull the cable right through and have it sit over the top of the driveshaft. If the bracket and washers were removed or fell off the tube, feed the washers, then the bracket (concave side facing you) over the cable end and back onto the metal end of the bowden tube. AGain, the washers are important so don't leave any off. After making sure the bowden tube is orientated so the curve is pointing upwards, you must then get one of the two bolts you took out, then line up the bottom hole in the bracket carefully with the bottom hole in the gearbox and place the bolt in, starting it by hand and then once you are satisfied it has taken up the thread and is not crossthreading (easy to do as the gearbox case is magnesium and hence the threads are soft as shite), continue to do it up with your tool of choice till it is almost home but not tight, making sure to keep pressure off the bolt while doing so. once this is done, get the other bolt and push the bracket so the top hole is lined up perfectly and carefully start the bolt in the hole, making doubly sure that it is goinbg in straight and not being pushed askew by the bracket... this is easier said than done... then keep winding it home until it is almost all the way in (use a tool if you like once the bolt is well started), then tighten both bolts about as tight as you would tighten a sparkplug... ie just enough that the bolts wont come loose. 

The final part is reattaching the cable to the throwout lever and adjusting it... both parts part will require 2 people for the sake of ease. Have somebody hold up the clutch pedal all the way, then feed the thread into the hole in the top of the lever arm and wind on the wingnut until it contacts the arm, then give it another 4 full turns, making sure not to let the cable twist at any stageor the adjustment will not hold. Have the person in the car let go of the pedal then push it down (making sure your hands are clear of everytihng first) and ask them where it is sitting in relation to the floor. if it is still low (chances are it will be), keep winding and have them watch the pedal and tell you when it stops ascending, at which point you stop turning... after you've done it a lot of times like i have (all in the space of 2 years!?!??! :/) you will eventually be able to pick up by feel and the noise the pedal makes when it has reached the top of it's travel.

Now climb out and hop in the Kombi, thyen push the pedal all the way to the floor and then let it up again slowly to allow the cable to settle. now pull the pedal up with your fingers, then push it down using fingers and thumb and see that there is about 1 inch from the top of the pedals travel to the point where you feel significant working resistance. if it is significantly more, adjust the wingnut half to a full turn tighter and try again, then start the engine. Try engaging first gear... it should engage without resistance... if it doesnt (not accounting for gearbox/shifter issues) then give the wingnut another wind. If it engages gears fine however, put you foot on the clutch, hold the brake or put on the handbrake if it works, and then with 1st gear engaged, slowly release the clutch while watching the pedal and note where the clutch starts to grab... it should pick up with the pedal nnot more than about an inch off the floor. if it is much more than this, wind the wingnut back a turn at a time until you get to the point when gears are hard to engage, then wind it half a turn tighter at a time until gears engage without resistance, then half a turn more. Once you are satisfied the clutch is working correctly, apply grease to the exposed portions f the clutch cable at each end and put a little in the end of the front tube and in the eand of the bowden tube, replace the bashplate, and then go for a drive. If gears get a little crunchy or hard to get, tighten the wingnut a turn and it should be right again.

Cheers!
Kieran

stuck