Definition of clutch freeplay ?

[fiveoho]

i have swapped clutch cables and things are different-

my setup:

centerforce II
MM clutch cable
CBP triple hook alum quad
CBP alum firewall adj

i dont want to cause damage to anything by adjusting this wrong.


i want to make sure i understand freeplay....i know some is needed. when i had a different cable on this setup, i could depress the pedel about one full inch ( maybe a hair more ) and there would be NO resistance at all. almost could call it "loose". after that one inch, i could feel reistance all the down to the floor. now on the release with the car in gear, the car would start moving forward when the clutch pedel was LESS than 1/2 way let out. it released very close to the floor which i did not like.

i wanted a better cable so i got one from MM ( i have broke two oem's ). now when i depress the pedel, there is immediate resistance all the way down to the floor. on the release with the car in gear, the car starts moving forward when the clutch pedel is a little less than 1/2 way let out ( still ). still releases close to the floor.

i know i can play with my firewall adj some and change where the pedel releases, but im afraid to go too much. one reason, there isnt alot more threads left on the adj. and also, im afraid if i mess with it too much, i will cause damage.

is it damage to the throwout bearing if there is no freeplay?

and here is my question:

is freeplay the "loose" dead movement before the clutch has resistance on the depression or is it ok if it does not have loose movement as long as it does not release at the very top of the pedel?

 

[HISSIN50]

You got it about the freeplay. It's the amount of 'deadpedal' when you depress the clutch pedal before you actually start to depress the diaphram fingers with the TOB.

I set mine at zero lash, which is the spec for most cable operated clutches (some call for a slight cable preload, which really will not load the TOB appreciably).

With yours, you noted a bit of a contradiction. YOu said there is immediate resistance but also that the point of engagement is deep into the pedal (close to the floor) if I read what you said correctly. That's a little weird unless your clutch is a fatty.

Strange as it sounds, the best method I have found for 'feeling' the true pedal freeplay is to get under the car and tug on the exposed cable at the clutch fork with my pinky. I adjust the lash till my pinky can barely (easily) move the cable sideways. Then check the feel inside the car to make sure both feel right to you.

Too much preload can indeed wear out a TOB (it's tantamount to riding the clutch pedal) but generally when we 'preload' our cables, it's not enough to wear the TOB (in fact, many TOB's get noisy if there is less than zero lash).

My randomness.
Good luck.

 

[Blackened302]

does being able to lift up the clutch pedal slightly indiciate the desired amount of freeplay?

 

[fiveoho]

With yours, you noted a bit of a contradiction. YOu said there is immediate resistance but also that the point of engagement is deep into the pedal (close to the floor) if I read what you said correctly. That's a little weird unless your clutch is a fatty.

it does sound funny what i said but yes, you understood correctly. as soon as i depress the pedel, there is immediate resistance but will not engage till further down in pedel...

what is a fatty clutch?

 

[HISSIN50]

Paul, it would depend upon the quadrant. IIRC, I cannot pull up on mine (to be explicit, Paul and I are talking only about aftermarket quadrants here) when I do have freeplay in the cable. In simple dynamics, you're right-on Paul. The ability to hyperextend the quad would be pulling up any slack (so it if pulls up, there was slack).

Fatty clutch was my off-the-cuff term for a new clutch kit with a thick disc. I've run across a couple where the TOB simply had to have a slight preload in order to not need to push the pedal through the floor to be able to shift. Many other clutches have a relatively small range from engaged to disengaged - it sounds like yours does not.

 

[fiveoho]

Paul, it would depend upon the quadrant. IIRC, I cannot pull up on mine (to be explicit, Paul and I are talking only about aftermarket quadrants here) when I do have freeplay in the cable. In simple dynamics, you're right-on Paul. The ability to hyperextend the quad would be pulling up any slack (so it if pulls up, there was slack).

Fatty clutch was my off-the-cuff term for a new clutch kit with a thick disc. I've run across a couple where the TOB simply had to have a slight preload in order to not need to push the pedal through the floor to be able to shift. Many other clutches have a relatively small range from engaged to disengaged - it sounds like yours does not.

my centerforce has about 10,000 miles on it. so i guess its fat