Drivetrain Adjustable clutch cable questions

[Scott_S]

I'll try to not get too wordy here, but I want to give you all as much information as possible.
Car is a new-to-me '89 5.0 with mods (HCI, among others. Many details are unknown to me). I've been working on getting it back on the road and have put probably less than 100 miles on it so far. I've noticed that at times, 2nd gear can be hard to find when downshifting, but ONLY when downshifting. The transmission never grinds, never pops out of gear, etc. Shifting UP through the gears is fine. Reverse is fine. I have a Hurst shifter and new bushing that I will be installing soon.

It was mentioned that maybe the clutch is possibly out of adjustment, so I started asking questions and doing some research. The car has a firewall adjuster and quadrant. I am assuming that it has an adjustable cable, but I have not checked the cable at the clutch end. I can't access that at home.
I watched the LMR video on adjustable cables and noticed that the firewall adjuster was screwed nearly all the way in. Mine is out about 7/8". A friend mentioned that the cable may be stretched and at the end of its adjustment (which is what sent me down this rabbit hole).

Then, someone on Facebook shared this:

So, I looked around and, sure enough, the cable is attached to the farthest hook.

That leads me to my question(s). What would you do?

- Fix the quadrant cable placement, screw the firewall adapter all the way in, and start over with the adjustment down at the clutch arm end.
- Leave the quadrant alone, but start over with a basic clutch adjustment.

Another option: Don't do anything until the new shifter and bushing are installed!

 

[AeroCoupe]

I am using an adjustable cable with a firewall adjuster and have it hooked on the one furthest from the fire wall on both cars.

You need to find out if you have an adjustable cable before you do anything else. You mentioned you cannot do this at home. Is it lack of tools or you just don’t have the room i.e. sloped driveway or HOA bull?

 

[Scott_S]

I have a garage and tools, but I would be working on my back on the floor, with the car on jack stands, in a tight space. I'm kinda over that at this point in my life. Plus, when stuff is that close to my face, I can't see anymore ... glasses or not! I could probably adjust a clutch nut, but small stuff, tight spaces, etc., gets aggravating.
I'll have the car at the shop soon for fluids, etc., so it would be really easy for them to check and adjust when it's on the lift.

So... you're saying don't worry too much about the cable placement on the quadrant? How far out is your firewall adjuster? Is nearly and inch out too much?

 

[nickyb]

Maximum motorsports has an excellent clutch adjusting instructions.
Depends on where your clutch starts to catch , (pedal closer to the floor or closer to the top.)

 

[Scott_S]

Maximum motorsports has an excellent clutch adjusting instructions.
Depends on where your clutch starts to catch , (pedal closer to the floor or closer to the top.)

It should start to engage about 2.5-3" from the floor, right?
I'll read up on the instructions.

It's starting to sound like it's all adjustments, either the shifter, cable or both. I really don't think there's anything wrong with the transmission. I've driven plenty of manuals and this doesn't feel at all like bad/worn synchro's, damaged gears, etc.

 

[AeroCoupe]

My adjuster is mid way in the threads so about 1/2". I adjusted the cable to get the pedal where I wanted it. This allows me to adjust either way with the firewall adjuster and not have to get back under the car.

Unless the shop you are going to knows what they are doing I would not let them touch anything to do with a clutch. You should be able to pop the cover off the clutch fork and tell if it is an adjustable or stock style without glasses. If it is a stock style then I would say its stretched and you need to replace it. If its an adjustable and there are more threads then you can solve the problem by screwing the adjuster in and taking up the slack with the cable.

The odd thing about using the firewall adjuster is that you will need to screw it into the firewall as the clutch wears. @nickyb is on the money with MM's instructions so here they are:

How to Adjust a Mustang Clutch Cable

 

[Noobz347]

I see this same question and information in your [Progress Thread] so, I'm closing this one.