Broken clutch cable?

The Green GT · Oct 30, 2007

I was heading to a friends house today and when I pulled out of my neighborhood and went to shift into 4th, the pedal was harder than usual to push, then I heard a loud pop/crack and the pedal went to the floor and came back up and made a few clicks. When ever I push it down it makes the same noise and comes back up after a few second and makes the clicks. Where the cable comes through the fire wall (where the fire wall adjuster would be if I had installed it) the cable moves side to side really easy and the plastic around it looks broken. The car wont go into gear w/ the pedal down, and when I go to put it in first it starts to creep forward slowly and grinds when i go to put it in reverse.

Im pretty sure its the cable but wanted to get some opinions. Luckily I have a cable in my room somewhere and this will give me a chance to install my firewall adjuster and adjustable quadrant.

So how hard is it to change a clutch cable?

go-stang5.0 · Oct 31, 2007

COuld be the firewall adjuster too...if the cable snapped I dont think the pedal would come back up, unless the stock quadrant is pulling the pedal back up (never owned a car with a stock quadrant so I have no idea what it looks like or how it works). But if you have everything sitting around I would just replace it all, if the cable isnt broken its prolly chafed pretty good depending on how many times you pressed the pedal.

uNdErCoVeR · Oct 31, 2007

The Green GT said:
I was heading to a friends house today and when I pulled out of my neighborhood and went to shift into 4th, the pedal was harder than usual to push, then I heard a loud pop/crack and the pedal went to the floor and came back up and made a few clicks. When ever I push it down it makes the same noise and comes back up after a few second and makes the clicks. Where the cable comes through the fire wall (where the fire wall adjuster would be if I had installed it) the cable moves side to side really easy and the plastic around it looks broken. The car wont go into gear w/ the pedal down, and when I go to put it in first it starts to creep forward slowly and grinds when i go to put it in reverse.

Im pretty sure its the cable but wanted to get some opinions. Luckily I have a cable in my room somewhere and this will give me a chance to install my firewall adjuster and adjustable quadrant.

So how hard is it to change a clutch cable?

Hmmm. Sounds like the problem I just had... Check the posts a little more further down and you will see. To replace that cable which I just did 2 days ago.. All you do is jack the car up. It should be a 3/8 inch bolt on the side of the tranny there is an alluminum cover.. take that one bolt off and slide that cover off. There you will see the shift fork. My cable appeared loose and I think My clutch is stuck engaged and my diaphram may have went flat. Anyways after u loosin it there, follow the cable and it connects to the fraim rail with another single bolt. Loosen that out,(keeping in mind how the cable is routed through the bottom of the car) the there is one more at the firewall. After that one is out, pull out your driver seat so you can really get under there. Then u will see the quadrant to the far right up top kinda above the gas pedal. Pull out the two cotter pins, lift the cable out of the quadrant, and get a screwdriver and pop those springs out and the quad will slide out. You can throw all that crap out, u wont need it. Now you have the Pawl gear which is a PITA, but once I got that little spring out I was able to pry it off with a lot of force... Let me know how it goes... Mine didnt have a firewall adjuster.

HISSIN50 · Oct 31, 2007

I agree - it could be either. It actually kinda sounds like your quadrant/pawl let go.

In any case, just swap all that stuff out. If your cable didnt break, it's good to swap it out before it does - that way you also have a working spare lying around.

Good luck Eric.

uNdErCoVeR · Oct 31, 2007

HISSIN50 said:
I agree - it could be either. It actually kinda sounds like your quadrant/pawl let go.

In any case, just swap all that stuff out. If your cable didnt break, it's good to swap it out before it does - that way you also have a working spare lying around.

Good luck Eric.

Yea if his car still will go in gear... Sounds like the quadrant is just broke and maybe not pulling the clutch fork all the way.

The Green GT · Oct 31, 2007

It wont go into gear. If I try to force it, it will start to creep, but it wont fully go into gear.

Blackened302 · Oct 31, 2007

what better time to replace the stock quadrant and put in the fwa, right?

fiveoho · Oct 31, 2007

if you do a quadrant, fwa and cable - go maximum motorsports

urban96 · Oct 31, 2007

have you looked/felt up there to see if the cable is frayed/broken? the one in my 2002 recently freyed but luckily didnt snap. it just got really loose and made a clicking noise every time i pressed it in

as others have said, new quadrant and firewall adjuster FTW!

and new cable if u need it, but if u still have the stock plastic clutch adjuster i would bet that that went first

divit250r · Oct 31, 2007

fiveoho said:
if you do a quadrant, fwa and cable - go maximum motorsports

I just put a MM universal cable on my car last night. I've never driven anything with a clutch pedal that smooth. Kinda scary at how bad it was before. lol

BTW, when my cable broke, it made a nice big pop-boink sound. The pop was the cable snapping, the boink was the release fork slamming back and knocking the cover off the side of the bellhousing when the cable end hit it.

Good luck figuring it out!
Scott

uNdErCoVeR · Oct 31, 2007

Well... Just put the new one in and see how what happens.. You have instructions right?

fiveoho · Oct 31, 2007

divit250r said:
I just put a MM universal cable on my car last night. I've never driven anything with a clutch pedal that smooth.

it almost has a hydraulic feel to it compared to other cables

The Green GT · Oct 31, 2007

Ok here is what its doing.

I took my seat out and got under the dash. When I push the pedal in it is really hard, then it makes the loud click. When it makes the click, the quadrant goes back to where it was, then the pedal will continue to go down and move the pedal a little more. Once it comes back up, there is a ratchet noise coming from the quad.

cbarr300 · Oct 31, 2007

maybe the cable has snapped but not enough to completely break the cable. When that happened to me my pedal felt light as air and would still go down and back up....but when I looked at the cable like 3/4 of the strands were snapped making it act super stretched.

just a thought

The Green GT · Oct 31, 2007

Man changing the quadrant is a PITA. I was trying to take the cotter pins out, and spent like 20 minutes trying to squeeze the ends together then remebered that cotter pins were the ones that you just pulled out.

Then I put the FWA in and got it adjusted right and now its as good as new. Feels like a hydraulic clutch... almost.

HISSIN50 · Oct 31, 2007

Ha, those hairclips are a PITA. I couldnt get pliers on them so I figured I'd sacrifice my finger tip and push on the blunt ends.

Glad to hear it's all good. Based on what you said above, it sounded quadrant/pawl related. The clicking without hyperextending the pedal was a bit of a tell.

Enjoy the new stuff.

uNdErCoVeR · Nov 1, 2007

Yea when I got under my car and saw those two cotter pins I was like F**k! i could really use a cotter pin puller right about now haha. I ended up using a smaller size alan wrench and hooking it in to pull it out. Glad to here It was Just a problem with the cable and nothing too major. I'm still waiting for my clutch to come in from summit. I ordered it monday, and its coming from reno and im in sac. Last time I got my package the next morning

Broken clutch cable?

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