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Clutch cable snapped 10 miles from home!
andyharding - 28/6/06 at 11:28 AM

So now I need a new clutch cable and a new gearbox as I decided not to wait for all day for the RAC. Fitting a new box would be quicker! It's suprising you can change gear at all with no clutch but a blimp of the throttle and it goes in with a massive crunch Best not admit what I did when I came to red lights

The clutch cable was bought from one of the well known kit manufactures and the eye was free to pivot but this is where it snapped. I'm going to ask them to replace the cable FOC and I'll let you know how I get on...


andyharding - 28/6/06 at 12:13 PM

2000 miles is not an acceptable life for a clutch cable so it must have been defective and as such the manufacturer should be accountable.


tks - 28/6/06 at 12:14 PM

was yout box original also with cables?

i would use 2 in the future..

when reaching red light just turn of the car and leave in gear??

then start it also in gear..

(lowest)

tks


andyharding - 28/6/06 at 12:19 PM

quote:
Originally posted by tks
was yout box original also with cables?

i would use 2 in the future..

when reaching red light just turn of the car and leave in gear??

then start it also in gear..

(lowest)

tks


Did this but 1st gear will only do about 20MPH and part of my return journey was dual carriageway!

[Edited on 28/6/06 by andyharding]


greggors84 - 28/6/06 at 12:22 PM

On the way back from Le Mans this year one of the lad's clutch went, we had to give him a quick lesson in clutchless changes and he made it home in one.


DaveFJ - 28/6/06 at 12:26 PM

It's not too hard changing gear when you have no clutch.. you just have to get the revs right .... The bugger is if you have to stop at all. starting in gear can be a bit of a black art!...

drove 100 miles home with a snapped cable once... - (the wife map reading trying to find a route with no stopping!)


andyps - 28/6/06 at 12:41 PM

Clutchless cahnges are pretty easy in most cars - just a case of balancing the revs and being gentle with the lever. I learnt to do it in a mark one Mini which had a foot operated dip switch - typically when approaching a corner at night you had to dip the lights and change gear - but only one left foot! Managing without the clutch was the easiest option, and as a consequence I regularly don't bother all these years later.


andyharding - 28/6/06 at 12:54 PM

I have a new cable on the way from MAC1 and they have agreed to return the old cable to the manufacturer and if found to be faulty they will refund the cost of my new one. Can't be fairer than that.


chockymonster - 28/6/06 at 01:02 PM

How straight is your cable run from the bulkhead to the pivot point when the clutch cable is at rest and at full travel?

Wondering if the cable is bent or twisted when the clutch is pressed.


andyharding - 28/6/06 at 03:20 PM

The cable doesn't rub or bend when the clutch is operated. The plastic coating over the cable isn't even damaged and the cable has freyed just snapped clean off at the end. Pics to follow.


DaveFJ - 28/6/06 at 03:23 PM

how was the end connected? was it by one of those screw clamp nipple jobbies? could it have been too tight and severed the cable? just a thought.....


andyharding - 28/6/06 at 03:26 PM

No, it was a proper crimped nipple with an eye on in it. I had a (loose) bolt through the pedal and eye so it could pivot.


JoelP - 28/6/06 at 05:18 PM

i drove my van with no clutch cable for about a month. Couldnt be bothered getting it fixed as it was actually the release arm that had bent (same effect as no cable). Just count it as good practice for left foot braking!

Some gearboxes dont like clutchless gearchanges, the van and the legacy are completely smooth and quiet, but the ax grinds a hell of a lot.


greglogan - 28/6/06 at 10:23 PM

My first car was a Renault 5 (the shame). Apparently they had a fault with the clutch pedal that was never fixed in mine. The clutch cable only lasted about 3 months before snapping. After the third one, I had it down to an art. I drove that one for a week with no clutch out of laziness. I could manage a cable change in about 15 mins tho!!


MikeRJ - 29/6/06 at 11:29 PM

My 16vGTE Astra went through loads of clucth cables whilst I owned it. The genuine ones would last about a year before getting so heavy my leg used to start shaking in traffic. After snapping three pattern cables within 6 months I carried on buying genuine ones. Never worked out why they wore out so quickly as there were no sharp bends and it wasn't close to an exhaust manifold etc.