Clutch pedal freeplay. HISSIN, KILLERCANARY, FINAL5-0, GCOMFX, BLACKVERT and others

fiveoho · Nov 19, 2007

posted something like this before but didnt get a clear answer, or at least i didnt understand it fully

setup: centerforce II, Frpp flywheel, CBP aluminum 3 hook quad and fwa, MM cable

i hear stories about if you do not have enough 'freeplay' in your cable, it can hurt the throwout bearing or other things? several other cars i have driven have about a inch or so of complete dead pedal- no tension at all, just very loose feeling. after that inital inch, then there is tension depressing the clutch and it can release high or low or whereever. here is my question: do you have to have that inch or so of complete dead pedal? the way my car is setup now, i do not. as soon as you depress the pedal, there is immediate tension BUT the clutch does not start engaging till 1/2 down into the pedal. i like it this way being that it does not release right off the floor ( agrivating to drive IMO ). am i hurting anything the way it is currently setup? do i need that inch of nothingness?

ive tried to explain best i could, please let me know if you need more details.

thanks guys

BlackVert · Nov 19, 2007

mine was like yours ... no free play, but it did not engage immediately. i always assumed that was the way it was supposed to be.

HISSIN50 · Nov 19, 2007

FRPP's own instructions have one applying a slight preload on the cable (not on the clutch assembly per se, just the cable). Ideally, I go for a zero lash adjustment because cable clutches should not have slack in the cable. With zero lash, the TOB isn't 'floating' around but it also isnt constantly loaded in a meaningful way.

I have mine about like yours right now (I use a short-ramp quick-release quad that doesnt have much arc). If you're worried, I'd note the adjustment and then use a mirror through the inspection cover and watch as you loosen the cable a little and then tighten it up. This will let you see how preloaded the TOB really is.

As an aside, I have the best luck with truely checking cable freeplay right at the Fork. I cant tell with great accuracy when depressing the pedal so I use my pinky to laterally pull the cable at the fork. I do this to get my zero-lash setting.

I'm sure the other folks will have different methods and things that have worked for them.

gcomfx.com · Nov 19, 2007

The cable on my AODE is snug at best.

fiveoho · Nov 19, 2007

BlackVert said:
mine was like yours ... no free play, but it did not engage immediately. i always assumed that was the way it was supposed to be.

makes me feel better yours is the same

fiveoho · Nov 19, 2007

thanks for the input guys. i will get someone to help me check your method hissin. i understand your setup is similiar to mine, freeplay wise....if mine is similiar to yours also i wont worry as much. i guess if the clutch released at the very top of the pedal, then that should be a cause for concern? mine does not

The Green GT · Nov 19, 2007

I just installed an aftermarket FWA and quad. I have about an inch or half an inch play before the cable has tension.

Before that, I had pretty much no play and my car went through two TO bearings before I figured out what was wrong.

fiveoho · Nov 19, 2007

The Green GT said:
I just installed an aftermarket FWA and quad. I have about an inch or half an inch play before the cable has tension.

Before that, I had pretty much no play and my car went through two TO bearings before I figured out what was wrong.

this is what im afraid of

The Green GT · Nov 19, 2007

Id try adjusting it with the FWA till you can get it where you like it.

fastgtfairlane · Nov 19, 2007

i noticed you have a firewall adjuster. ive been told by my neighbor who has had so many fox bodys. he currently has 3 lol. i also read it in the instructions from the company i got my firewall adjuster. i have about an 1/8 inch of play where the cable goes through the firewall adjuster to the clutch pedal. pull the cable away from the adjuster and move the adjuster to around an 1/8th inch or so. that should be good then. my pedal starts to release about midway towards the floor.

go-stang5.0 · Nov 19, 2007

Zero lash is ideal but it can be difficult to tell where zero lash is, when the clutch cable is near zero lash wiggling it wont tell you much as its hard to differentiate between cable tension and cable stiffness. I would say to just have a tiny bit of free play in the pedal to be on the safe side. Basically with the cable loose, tighten it until you get to the point of no free play (but not past that point)...then back of the cable tension just a little bit and call it a day.

fiveoho · Nov 19, 2007

thanks for the info again. i've messed with the fwa and ideally its set just where i want it now. i'll check again tho

talked to two friends of mine tonight, one sn95 one fox. both their cables are set just like mine as far as tension goes. the fox is a 418 / tremec car

if you have too much freeplay, couldnt that be hard on things? sort of like hooking a chain to a car with slack- if you just take off ( or depress the clutch hard ) that slack yanks the other car as opposed to continual tension, no slack to yank on things just smooth

cbarr300 · Nov 19, 2007

I've always set my cables to where the pedal has a TINY bit of play....you'd have to press it a couple times in order to really tell there's any slack. Works well for me...as long as headers don't hit your clutch cable.....bleh

HISSIN50 · Nov 19, 2007

Your thoughts about too much slack and the abuse to the TOB are how I feel as well. It can also lead to bearing retainer wear.

As long as you are not slipping the clutch, I really think it's a crap shoot. You can do it all just right and the TOB can crap its pants, or do a crappy adjustment and the TOB could last forever.

ProKiller · Nov 20, 2007

cbarr300 said:
I've always set my cables to where the pedal has a TINY bit of play....you'd have to press it a couple times in order to really tell there's any slack. Works well for me...as long as headers don't hit your clutch cable.....bleh

same here.

squeak93 · Nov 21, 2007

Like Hissin said, adjust to zero lash at the fork. Best bet, throw away the firewall adjuster and just use the cable (if its adjustable, if not keep the adjuster). I went threw 2 tob's in a fox before we figured out the firewall adj was throwing everything off. You can ask GCOMFX, we had to fix my cable on the side of the road once in the middle of the night b/c it was out of adj and started to break. Good fun. Best bet, have no play, and keep an eye on it for a few days to make sure the cable doesn't stretch or anything.

fiveoho · Nov 21, 2007

hard to tell where zero lash is exactly. i think im ok where it is. from the feel, the cable is tensioned but not stretched. i only drive it on the weekends but its been setup this way for several months, maybe 8-12. no throwout bearing chirp yet

thanks for the help guys

Clutch pedal freeplay. HISSIN, KILLERCANARY, FINAL5-0, GCOMFX, BLACKVERT and others

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