17TZD clutch cable mystery

[docchevron]

/\ yes, the snap ring idea is utter rubbish..

I'd be wary about leaving the cable routed like it is longterm, it could bend / fracture the pedal box (especially since the bracket the cable butts against is weaker than a cheese slice from "poverty sandwiches"..

Bit late now, but I measured the distance betwixt box and cable weight on the valver in work and I have 8mm clearance...

[citronut]

the earlyer cable just has a one piece end at the bulkhead which you just conect both ends, line the bulkhead end up to the mounting braket eye then press the pedel to the floor, this engages the end into the eye in the braket

the weight in the video is not a genuine one, it is possibly an after market version, as it is longer than the OE one which is held onto the cable end by a 10mm nut

regards malcolm

[docchevron]

quite so, I have infact retained the end off the original cable on the TD, whenever I change th clutch cable I remove the press end and swop it over to the new cable!

[andycadabra]

Docchevron - That might have to be an 'if and when' - too much else at the moment!.
Also, the manual talks about removing the weight while fitting. As Citronut points out the currently available ones have them permanently fixed so leaving the pedal end attached and rethreading the 33mm+ other end could be difficult...

[docchevron]

Haynes I assume?

I know how it is, I have lists of stuff to do to all 3 of the current working fleet, and those lists only ever get longer...

[citronut]

Andy wrote
"As Citronut points out the currently available ones have them permanently fixed"

i did not know this untill your's cme up, as i have not seen one of this type before now,


also dont belive everything the BOL (HAYNES) tell's you

regards malcolm

[andycadabra]

Sorry Citronut. I put 2+2 together and maybe got 5!. Both the cables I've seen inc my old one had a fixed weight. Citroen dealer told me they didnt supply them anymore, so I assumed the OE ones you mentioned were the proper citroen ones, with a removable weight, referred to in the manual, but no longer obtainable.

[docchevron]

The removable weight cable is used on stuff like N/A diesels and the like, entirely different setup. The weight is ont he very end of the cable secured with a 10mm nut.

[citronut]

Doc wrote
"The removable weight cable is used on stuff like N/A diesels and the like"

that sudgests to me the after market cable which has been fitted with this weight attatched is the wrong cable for this set up/type of clutch actuatting mechanisum, this might be why the weight was snaging on the geag box housing,

regards malcolm

[Brian]

Just had a look at one I have as a spare.

Not sure what vehicle it fits, as GSF don't use these numbers any more.
N71514.
I am pretty sure it does not fit my BX's.
Reading this thread, seems like it may be the one fitted to Andy's car...

Both the metal wieghts are fixed to the cable.

[andycadabra]

no Brian,it's different. Here's a picture of my old one

http://i951.photobucket.com/albums/ad35 ... dcable.jpg

I'm afraid I can't think of any reason why there should be a weight added to the cable at all...

still a bit angry with this garage for trying to pass off a fault they created as a reason why I needed a new clutch. Was there any truth in their claim that pressure plates make a creaking noise, and 'become hard' when they're on their way out?

[Linegeist]

Was there any truth in their claim that pressure plates make a creaking noise, and 'become hard' when they're on their way out?

Yes and no ................

Some background. A 'creak' is simply a low frequency harmonic, generated when two surfaces rub together with enough 'stiction' to cause a vibration. Violins rely on this effect to make a noise - put vaseline on a violin bow and the player's suddenly got a big problem, because the horsehair component of the bow won't 'snag' the strings and make them vibrate - it'll just slide over them silently. I know this because I once did exactly that to the school swot just before a school concert. This is why we grease the back of brake pads - not to stop them vibrating and squealing, but to make the frequency of any vibration that does occur so high that we can't hear it. This is why you often see dogs get twitchy at traffic lights and road junctions. You can't hear it but, to them, all them braking cars sound like mating weasels on hashish.

Old style clutches with springs used to get rusty and stiff if left unused for a protracted period, and they'd creak for sure - but it's something that would usually cure itself as a combination of heat and fine lining dust acted on the dry parts and they freed off.

Modern clutches use a diaphragm system (think of a biscuit tin lid that 'boings' in and out when you press it) to exert pressure on the clutch friction plate, so there really isn't much to creak - although they can get a bit stiff as they age and the metal of the diaphragm work hardens.

The clutch release mechanism however, is another box of frogs altogether. The thrust bearing (the bit that pushes against the pressure plate when you shove on the pedal and which removes pressure from the driven plate and breaks the drivetrain) has to exert quite lot of effort, while spinning at often high engine speeds. The thrust bearing's bearings can get noisy .... but not creak, however the locating points for the release bearing in the actuating arm fork can, and do. You can often cure this by carefully squirting a lubricant (like an aerosol 3 in 1 with a long nozzle fitted) through any available holes on the bellhousing.

Similarly, the pivot for the actuating arm where it rotates in the bellhousing itself can also get dry and creak, even though it will usually have some kind of bush - often nylon. Again, a healthy dribble of oil will creep into the bearing and shut it up.

Then there's the cable which, like a violin, will happily vibrate at an audible frequency. The cure is to lubricate it, and the easiest way to do that is to suspend one end of the cable as high as possible, create a cup around the outer cable using plasticene or blu-tack, filling the cup with oil and letting gravity drag the oil through the cable (usually overnight - but longer is better).

Personally, I reckon your garage were most likely guessing.

[mat_fenwick]

Personally, I reckon your garage were most likely guessing.

Probably on the basis that if they were paid to take off the gearbox and fit a new clutch, they'd most likely see what was causing the creak...

[Linegeist]

ooohh! You cynic Mat!!!!!

[andycadabra]

Thanks for contributing that excellent tome, Linegeist - What a database we're building on this forum!
Clutch has felt, and sounded, fine since you pointed me at the arm's top pivot, and I duly despached some oil at it.