You Should Know This About Your Auto Clutch Cable
What Is Clutch Cable?
It
is the clutch cable which would connect the clutch pedal to the clutch fork.
Utilizing two levers and a cable, if you press the clutch, then it would become
almost effortless in most applications.
Where Is Clutch Cable located?
The
clutch cable would differ in each and every car as to where they are situated
and to what they are connected. There are a lot of clutch cables which are
attached at the top of a clutch pedal and they would be then routed to a clutch
fork which would be situated on the bell housing of a manual transmission.
How Do Clutch Cable Work?
Are
you searching how do the clutch cable
actually work? Then all you have to do is to have a look below and
then you will be able to understand everything.
The
cable clutch shifting system would work in a similar way as any other clutch,
but there are fewer pivot points. It is really simple. It would be lightweight
and it would be most common type of linkage in a lot of vehicles which are
available in the markets these days. The clutch pedal pivot would be connected
by the cable directly to the release fork, which would eliminate practically
all of the wear points which would be found in shaft as well as lever linkages.
The
one and only downside of the cable clutch would be that you own your vehicle
for a long period of time and due to that the cables would wear and stretch and
they might also start breaking. Now if the cable would wear or stretch out,
then it might be very difficult for you to put your car in the gear once again.
If it would break, then you will not be able to shift at all.
Symptoms of Bad Clutch Cable
There
are a few things which might cause your clutch cable to malfunction. Watch for the following symptoms if you suspect a bad
clutch cable:
- Transmission
might start slipping out of gear
- There might be hard clutch pedal
- Clutch
pedal might start sinking to the floor
Tools Needed for Clutch Cable
There are a number of skilled auto mechanics who have a goal of opening their own car repair shop at some point in their career. But let’s face it; if you want to put up an efficient as well as profit making shop, then you might need much more than mechanical skills. There are a number of tools which you might need to perform the car repairs quickly as well as reliably. Auto repair equipment that you will need to repair your clutch cable may include:
- Allen wrench set
- Ball pein hammer
- Boxed end wrenches
- Chisel
- Creeper
- Drift punch
- Drill bit set
- Electric drill
- Needle nose pliers
- Ratchet with metric
and standard sockets
- Reverse tap
- Soft-faced hammer
- Torque wrench
- Torque bit set
Top Brands for Clutch Cable
If customers trust a brand, then it would make them loyal, and if they are loyal, then they will surely buy more. We are well aware that customers want comfort, cheerfulness as well as satisfaction in their lives and that’s the reason why we offer top quality auto parts brands to our customers. We make sure to provide a positive experience to our consumers from the brands which we are offering so that they can form an opinion that a particular auto parts brand is trustworthy and would give them peace of mind while they are purchasing it for their car. Here we have listed out some top brands for Clutch Cable.
Total Costs & Repair Times, Effort for Clutch Cable
There
are a lot of factors which should be considered when you are thinking of
replacing clutch cable. First you have to decide that if you require some
related parts of clutch cable or a whole clutch cable. Then after that the next
step is to decide what type of make as well as type of clutch cable you are
actually dealing with and then from where will you get a brand new one. Just
keep in mind that a brand-new clutch cable which would come from a warehouse
would cost much more than the one you will get in a junkyard. After that the
next point which should be considered is that from where you are going to get
it replaced and how quickly it needs to be done. If you want to substitute your clutch cable,
then it would generally range between $161 and $220. Talking about the parts,
they would range between $77 and $112and the parts would be valued somewhere in
the range of $84 and $108.
How to Change Clutch Cable?
Do
you want to change your clutch cable on your own? Then have a look at the steps of changing the clutch
cable below:
The
condition of the clutch cable should be verified.
Step
1
First of all, you should try to put the car in gear. The clutch pedal should be pressed down and then the vehicle should be put in gear by moving the shifter to a gear selection of your own choice.
Just
make sure that this should be done when the engine would be running and there
should be plenty of room about the table. If there would be some grinding sound
when you would try to move the shifter, then it would indicate that the clutch
cable is not working properly.
After
that the clutch cable should be replaced.
Step
1
The
car should then be parked on a flat, hard surface. Just keep in mind that the
transmission should be in neutral.
Step
2
The
parking brake should be engaged to the rear wheels of the automobile. The wheel
chocks should be placed around the rear wheels of the automobile which would
remain on the ground.
Step
3
After
that the hood should be opened up. It would then allow you to access the car
engine.
Step
4
The
vehicle should then be raised. A floor jack should be used to lift the vehicle
up. This should be done until the wheels would be completely off the ground.
Step
5
Then
the jack stands should be placed. The jack stands should then go under the
jacking point locations. The vehicle should then be lowered onto the jack
stands. In a lot of latest cars, the jacking points for jack stands would be on
the pinch weld which would be under the doors along the bottom of the car.
Warning: Just be sure to follow the owner’s manual so that you can easily understand the proper jacking locations.
Then
it is time to replace the clutch cable.
Step
1
Firstly,
the tools should be grabbed. The clutch pedal should then be located in the
driver side of the vehicle’s cab.
Step
2
The
cotter pin should then be removed. The needle nose pliers should be used, and
then there would be a need to remove the cotter pin holding a slotted anchor
pin in the cable end. If there is a bolt holding on the cable end in your
vehicle, then there would be a need to remove the bolt.
There
are some automobiles which have the cable fitting into a slot on the pedal. Now
if this was the case, then there might be a requirement to utilize the needle
nose pliers to pull out the cable enough to move it out of the slot.
Step
3
Then
the brackets should be removed. If there is any bracket from the firewall which
would be inside the cab which might be securing the cable housing then it
should be removed.
Step
4
After
that the cable should be removed. The cable should be pulled through the
firewall into the engine compartment. There would be some insulated cable
clamps mounting the cable along the fender as well as the frame of the vehicle.
There
can be sometimes where the mounting fixtures might become stripped out if the
wrong size of the tool has been used. Now before it would happen, then there
would be a need to drill or chisel them out.
Step
5
Then
you have to collect your tools and creeper and then slowly go under the car.
Carefully locate where the clutch fork would be on the transmission bell
housing.
There
can be some automobiles, where the exhaust might be in the way of the clutch
fork.
Now
if the exhaust would be in the way of getting to the bolts which would mount
the cable to a bracket which would be next to the clutch fork, then there would
be a need to carefully lower or remove the exhaust pipe. The nearest mounting
points should then be located in the automobile’s exhaust system.
Note:
Just keep in mind that the bolts might start breaking because of rust and then
being seized on hard. Now if the exhaust bolts would start breaking, then there
would be a need to drill as well as tap out the bolts.
Step
6
The
clutch cable mounting bolts should then be removed. There might be some
brackets which can be mounted on the transmission bell housing.
There
can be some other brackets which might be mounted on the back of the engine, as
it all depends if the automobile would be on the front wheel drive or rear
wheel drive.
There
might be an inline adjuster which might have threaded nuts on both sides which
would allow the cable to move forward or back adjusting the cable. There might
be a requirement to loosen the adjuster which would assist in aiding the
removal of the cable.
Warning:
The settings for the adjuster for the old cable should not be remembered.
Step
7
The
cable end should then be slid. Just make sure that it should go through the
slot on the clutch fork.
Step
8
Now
when the cable would be removed, then it is time to inspect the condition of
the clutch fork. Any grease perks which have been situated on the clutch fork
and bell housing should then be lubed.
Step
9
The
cable end should then be put in the slot of the clutch fork. The cable should
then be mounted to the bracket near the clutch fork.
Note:
If there would be a threaded adjuster in the cable, then just be sure that you
have the adjuster all the way loose with many threads showing.
Step
10
The
cable should then be routed through the engine compartment. The insulated
mounting clamps should then be wrapped around the cable housing and it should
be then attached to the locations where they came off.
Step
11
The
cable should then be fed through the firewall of the engine compartment. It
would then allow the cable to enter the automobile’s cab.
Step
12
The
end of the cable should then be attached to the clutch pedal. The anchor pin
should then be installed so that the cable can be held in place. A cotter pin
should be used to lock the anchor pin in place.
Warning:
The old cotter pin should not be used due to work hardening and fatigue. The
reason behind this is that the old cotter pin might break prematurely.
Step
13
Then
it is time to go under the vehicle and then adjusting nuts should then be
tightened up on the cable. Then you should press down on the clutch pedal and
then measure the pedal from the pad to the floor. There would be some movement
of the pedal if it would be adjusted in the right manner. Most of the pedal
clearance is from 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch from the pedal pad to the floor. You can
always have a look at the owner’s manual for proper clutch pedal clearance.
Step
14
Then
you should go under the automobile and then the lock nut should be tightened up
against the adjusting nut. It would then keep the adjusting nut free from any
movement.
Step
15
The
clutch pedal should then be inspected for an adjuster. There would be a
threaded end of the adjuster and it would be separate from the cable.
The
pedal as well as cable would then be attached by it. The adjuster should then
be rotated clockwise so that the cable can be tightened up. The adjuster should
then be rotated counterclockwise so that the cable can be loosened up.
Step
16
The
lock nut should then be tightened up on the back of the adjuster. It would then
keep the adjuster tight from any sort of movement.
Generally,
this type of clutch pedal adjuster is situated on large automobiles like the
pickup trucks, motor homes, and four-wheel drive vehicles.
Note:
There are some automobiles which would have a constant-contact clutch release
bearing and at the same time they need no movement of the clutch pedal.
Step
17
All
the tools as well as your creeper should be collected. They should be then
placed out of the way.
Step
18
The
vehicle should then be raised. A floor jack should be used to lift the vehicle
until the car would be fully off the ground.
Step
19
The
jack stands should then be removed.
Step
20
The
vehicle should then be lowered down to where all four wheels would be on the
ground. The jack should be pulled and then it should be put aside.
Step
21
The
wheel chocks should then be removed and they should be put aside.