Think I broke my clutch pedal.....help

286 rocks · Aug 28, 2005

Hey all,

First off let me say that I am fairly new to the world of mustangs, Last Thursday I picked up my first one, it's a 1988 5.0GT. Over the past couple of days I've been getting acquainted with all its little odds and ends and I must say I am impressed.

However today when I went to go take her for a spin I got in and depressed the clutch pedal like I normally do....this time though the pedal went about 1/4 of the way down and I heard a large SNAP and it promptly went to the floor. Now I cannot disengage the clutch. The pedal itself still seems to work, it has tension for the first ¼ but it feels like it is getting hung up on something……I know this doesn’t seem to clear but this is my first cable clutch so I really don’t know how it works or how to go about fixing it. Is there anything I should check first that would cause something like this?

slow93 · Aug 28, 2005

check the plastic quadrat under the dash and also check the cable.

Daggar · Aug 28, 2005

Look up underneath the dash, well above your clutch pedal and you should see this:

Installed in your car, the cable would run over the top of the qadrant and the cable would engage in the slotted retainer you see here.

You want to look to see that the cable is still connected between the two retainers in the picture. If not, pull on the cable. If it comes out freely, then your cable is toast and you'll need to replace it. If the cable is still properly installed in teh retainer and does not pull out freely then you need look up in there or run your fingers along the back side of that plastic quadrant and see if there are teeth sheered off. You'll also want to look at the prawl. It's another pice of plastic made of the same material that has interlocking teeth that mesh with quadrant. Ensure that it is not broken and that it has all of its teeth. If anything appears to be broken or worn, then you'll need to remove the quadrant and prawl and replace it with an aftermarket piece along with a firewall cable adjuster. It's just not worth replacing with stock style pieces.

Here's a pic of a removed quadrant. In it, you can see the teeth that I'm referring to:

Mustang5L5 · Aug 28, 2005

Welcome to the wonderful world of snapped clutch quadrants.

Hopefully, this introduces you to the world of aftermarket performance parts

286 rocks · Aug 28, 2005

Ahhh, makes sense, yeah it must be that quadrant, when I press the pedal down I can hear the gear skipping, I don't believe the cable is at fault, because right before it skips I can see the clutch fork move a bit.

Now comes the big question. Do I need to pull the entire dash for this, or can it be done by dropping to pedal assembly? From looking under there I cant even see where the cable connects to the pedal, or comes through the firewall for that matter.

slow93 · Aug 28, 2005

no you wont need to remove the dash the quadrant is located right above the gas pedal.i changed mine out just by moving the seat all the way back and crawling under the steering wheel.good luck and its good to hear it was a simple problem

Daggar · Aug 28, 2005

My "ease of installation" tip for this job is to just remove the driver's seat completely. It's only 4 bolts and allows you better access for maneuvering in the tight spaces ahead. Removing the prawl can be a PITA. If you break it, no worries. You don't need it with an after market quadrant and fire wall adjuster.

8950HO · Aug 28, 2005

I will never understand why Ford chose to use plastic for such an important/critical mechanism as the clutch quadrant , .

Was aluminum or lightweight chromemoly steel too much to ask for,Ford?

Daggar · Aug 28, 2005

8950HO said:
I will never understand why Ford chose to use plastic for such an important/critical mechanism as the clutch quadrant , .

Was aluminum or lightweight chromemoly steel too much to ask for,Ford?

I totally get what your saying but in their defense:

When I swapped mine out for the MM piece, the stock cable, quadrant, and prawl were all in great shape. I even managed to get it all out of the car intact.

2000xp8 · Aug 28, 2005

Daggar said:
My "ease of installation" tip for this job is to just remove the driver's seat completely. It's only 4 bolts and allows you better access for maneuvering in the tight spaces ahead. Removing the prawl can be a PITA. If you break it, no worries. You don't need it with an after market quadrant and fire wall adjuster.

Absolutely remove the seat, unless you want to get stuck under the dash with a broken back.

As for the prawl, it may not even be able to come off. Mine didn't have enough room, so i took a dremel entension (snake looking thing) and put a cutting wheel on it and cut the damn thing off.

8950HO · Aug 28, 2005

Daggar said:
I totally get what your saying but in their defense:

When I swapped mine out for the MM piece, the stock cable, quadrant, and prawl were all in great shape. I even managed to get it all out of the car intact.

True,some seem to last without problems and others strip ,maybe it`s the luck of the draw,but still if aluminum or C-moly steel was used,I doubt any would strip.
The plastic stocker is kind of a ticking time bomb and if it craps out,usually when you least expect it, it can leave you immobile waiting for the tow truck .

Daggar · Aug 28, 2005

8950HO said:
True,some seem to last without problems and others strip ,maybe it`s the luck of the draw,but still if aluminum or C-moly steel was used,I doubt any would strip.
The plastic stocker is kind of a ticking time bomb and if it craps out,usually when you least expect it, it can leave you immobile waiting for the tow truck .

Yep... it was that very prospect that had me changing out my functional OEM piece.

Think I broke my clutch pedal.....help

286 rocks

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