Clutch pedal/cable difference TZD estate

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talbotsteve
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Clutch pedal/cable difference TZD estate

Post by talbotsteve »

I have recieved from gsf a clutch cable to fit my BX TZD but my local garage say the clutch pedal end is too small to fit over the clutch pedal?????
He has shown me the old clutch cable end and yep the older snapped end is slightly larger, are there differences in early or later pedals or is he just not trying??

He reckons he has had a mirror down there to check and it just won't fit.

Any ideas welcome.
Cheers Steve.
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ken newbold
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Post by ken newbold »

He might be trying his hardest, but I don't think he will ever get to it down there, or even see it for that matter :shock:

From experience the easiest way to fit a new clutch cable is to take out and remove the complete pedal box, only two 11or12mm nuts and two allen screws to undo, should really take about an hour.
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talbotsteve
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Post by talbotsteve »

The last cable he fitted for me (incidently the currently snapped one) he fitted by pushing it up through the cable hole and looping it over the clutch pedal, is there an easier way i can do it?

Cheers Steve
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jonathan_dyane
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Post by jonathan_dyane »

The last time I did one I fiddled for ages trying to get the hook on and failing, then unbolted the pedal box and did it in minutes...
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Post by Jaba »

The pedal box is the same on all models except autos.
It is a fiddly job in an inaccessible area.
He must try harder.
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DavidRutherford
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Post by DavidRutherford »

talbotsteve wrote:The last cable he fitted for me (incidently the currently snapped one) he fitted incorrectly, as noted by the fact that it has snapped again so soon.
HOW many clutch cables is this car going through? In 15 years of driving I have snapped two clutch cables. One in a Cavalier that had done about 150k miles, and another in a VW beetle that had probably done several million miles. I've never heard of the clutch cable snapping on the same car twice.

The likelyhood is that the old cable end is slightly larger than the new one due to wear, but given this mechanic's apparent inability to fit a clutch cable correctly, who knows what may have been happening.

Also, even if the end is slightly malformed, does the guy not know how to use a file?
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ken newbold
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Post by ken newbold »

I've known a car snap 2 clutch cable,

but it was because the pedal box was damaged where the cable guide rests in place. This caused the cable to rub against the guide and after only a couple of months snapped the new cable.

My advice is to get the pedal box out and check it properly, make sure that when in place, the cable in it's guide would sit directly under the hook. On the other hand, it may not have been correctly fitted last time. :evil:
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Post by DLM »

I refitted the clutch cable 3 or 4 times while covering 65,000 miles in an mid-80s Fiat Panda - but it was the usual kind of "this abortion will do for the idiots who drive on the right" kind of affair.

By the last cable change (they all snapped), I could do it purely by touch.
Back on two wheels and pedal power for the moment.
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Post by talbotsteve »

I have owned the car for 4 years but it has only snapped the cable twice in the last 12 months, the first time it took the radiator out too, as the cable flew forward and the threaded bar embeded itself in it!!!!!

I decided this time around as the pedal was very firm that i'd change the clutch too in case this was causing too much strain on the cable.

Going to try fit it myself over the weekend now though, it just getting the cable threaded up through the back of the engine is a pig to do.

Cheers all,
Steve
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Post by DLM »

Would advise you go for the full clutch kit: a tight pedal on a BX isn't always the clutch plate itself, though by the time you've got it off you should be fitting another anyway. Standard tests will tell you if the plate itself is slipping.
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Post by talbotsteve »

In its defence it has never slipped but the pedal was very heavy, I had been advised the clutch cover can become heavy and can lead to broken springs, so bought a full Borg and Beck kit off ebay for £20 :D
Pretty pished off that the old plate is actually in very very good nick, but felt it better to replace the lot anyway.

I think the old clutch cable was a cheapy as the pedal end was a cast arrangement slightly over size whereas the new cable is the turned brass type with a pin through it.
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Post by tom »

the covers wear more than the driven plate. I have seen a car with 142,000 miles on its original plate and I know that for 20,000 of those it was well hammered. The cover was in no fit state to be reused.
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ken newbold
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Post by ken newbold »

I agree with Tom, having replaced Mulley's clutch recently, the driveplate was almost like new, but the pressure plate was well down, clutch slipping like chuff :o
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Post by DavidRutherford »

I've seen both methods of failure, (dead cover and worn-out friction material) and I'm sure it makes more difference what use the car has had over the years. Excessive stop-start town use will wear the friction material. Conversely a lot of b-road action will wear the pressure plate and not the friction material (so much).

Mainly motorway work will of course mean a clutch lasts forever.
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