Did I snap the clutch cable?

[EklipZ83GT]

So I was driving home from class today, and I pushed in the clutch and it completely gave out; it's completely loose. I didn't push really hard, so I can't imagine I snapped the cable...I'm hoping the fitting just slipped off the pedal. I took a look under the dash while it was still a little light out (it was after my night class, so I couldn't spend too much time on it). I couldn't even see where the cable comes in from the firewall, but I could tell that there is nothing connected to the fitting. Is it possible the cable retracted into the sheath? What kind of a problem am I looking at here? I've never dealt with clutch cables before (aside from hooking it up to the tranny). Any advice is much appreciated.

Thanks

 

[HISSIN50]

i have not done one on a stang, but had a one on a car and on a motorcycle go. uneventful, but a few days earlier, i went to clutch, and it thudded, and the cable got some slack in it (more freeplay).
i would get under the car and pull on the cable at the bellhousing (fork) and see how much slack there is.
if you get a new one, get a new quadrant if you dont have one, and a FWA, and a stock cable (my opinion). then no worries.
if you have the stock quadrant, pull up on the cable and see if it takes up freeplay. but if it works, check it out further, as the cable could be on the way out (after i thudded my cable, i had a new one in the trunk, so i swapped it on the side of the road).
good luck.

 

[rgilley]

same thing happened to me 2 or 3 times. The cable snapped as I was driving home. Its hard for the cable to just come off the quadrant, so most likely it snapped. The problem was that I was buying those adjustable cables (they adjust at the fork) which are all crap. They wear out and stretch after 6 months and then just snap randomly.

Solution: Buy a stock ford replacement cable from d&d performance: http://www.ddperformance.com , its $29, and much cheaper than buying the one at the dealership (its the exact same thing). These will not snap.
Then buy a triple hook quadrant (i suggest the one from UPR products), and a firewall adjuster with the Locking nut so it does not come loose.

This will solve your problems and leave u with adjustability. I have been in the same boat as you, and its a pain in the ass when they keep breaking.

 

[EklipZ83GT]

Thanks for the advice. I pulled the cover off of the clutch-cable mount on the tranny (I don't know the technical term for it) and found that the cable did in fact snap. it was completely sheered apart. I haven't pulled off the other end of the cable yet...it looks like it's burried quite deep in the dash. How much work is it to get it apart and attach a new cable? It looks like I can just pull off the gauge cluster and access it, but I want to make sure before I start tearing it apart.

Thanks again for the help.

 

[rgilley]

you do not need to pull off the dash or take anything apart if you are small. I just laid on my back. Its very tight. You might want to take the seat out. You just reach your arm up there and you can feel the quadrant and where the cable hooks on it. You might just want to get the new quadrant while you are up there because the factory plastic one can break easily and its not that hard to take off. Its can be hard to put the replacement cable on. You might easily, or you might have to use something to pry the clutch fork to slip the new cable onto the hook. Its not that hard of a job. Just take the old one out and route the new cable the same way. I found it really hard to do without the triple hook quadrant and the firewall adjuster. Hope this helps. let me know if you have any other questions.

 

[EklipZ83GT]

That took way more work than I anticipated. Someone told me to attach the transmission side of the clutch cable first, and then attach it to the quadrant, which turned out to be a HUGE pain in the ass. I struggled with that for like 2 hours before I just said "screw it" and pulled it back off the tranny. Anyway, long story made short: I got it. Hopefully it doesn't break again tomorrow. Thanks for the help.

 

[Asha'man]

Lol, yeah....it's much easier to yank the cable onto the tranny once it's on the quadrant, never the other way around. At least you've got it, though.

Ash

 

[rgilley]

just wondering, which replacement cable did u buy?