Brakes overheated, Clutch cable fell off, why & what to d?

[KalamazooJohnny]

Took it out for about a 5 mile trip to the gas station. This is the farthest I have gone yet. When I got to the pump, she smelled hot. I felt the back wheels and they were very hot. Got gas. Went inside and bought a bottle of water. Dumped it on the back wheels and the steam hissed off the back rotors. So I jiggled the emergency brake up and down, and dumped another bottle of water on them. Got in to start the car and the battery was so low it wouldn't turn over. Tried about 4 times. My son said "try it again" so I pushed in the clutch pedal,and it made wierd unusual creaking sound. I let off the clutch, then tried again, and the pedal fell all the way to the floor. The clutch pedal spring has never been real tight, pedal sags about an inch down without tension. So I pushed the car out of the way, thinking I broke a cable, and got towed home.
But the cable is not broken, it just popped off the back of the pedal forks. How do I get that back on? I honestly think the clutch is not related to the brakes overheating. Must be Divine intervention. I assume God did not want me driving the car back home with the back wheels superheated. But I am wondering if anyone has any input on the clutch cable slipping off withouth breaking. I don't want to just put it back on and have it happen again. Any suggestions on what I should do here to fix this correctly?

[124JOE]

your clutch wasnt right saging.
it needed to be tightend under at the tranz and now it needs more,
get under and lossen the 10mm nut then the 13mm adjuster nut give it a good inch back
have your son hold it in place while you go in and set the other end in place then tell him to pull
and tighten the adjuster up untill theres no slack then tighten the 10mm nut down so it dont move

make sure to inspect and grease the fork


hope this helps.joe

[manoa matt]

To adjust the clutch cable, first engage the cable in the pedal fork. Under the car: adjust the slack out of the cable by tightening the pivot ball nut that is threaded onto the end of the cable at the throw out arm. The most important point is to have a small free space between the contact surface of the throw out bearing and the clutch finger springs, I think the spec is 1/16" to 1/8" this space will translate to the pedal, so that the pedal can be depressed approximately one inch before the throw out bearing contacts the finger springs.

If you run the throw out bearing in constant contact with the clutch you will prematurely wear out the bearing, and wear a circular grove into the finger springs which can eventually break off.

For the hand brake adjustment: Park the car on level ground, raise and lower the hand brake several times. Pull the handle up approximately 3 clicks. Go under the car and tighten the 13mm nut at the adjuster yoke in increments. Tighten a few turns, then crawl out from under the car and try to push it. Repeat until the handbrake grabs, however when the handle is released to the down position, the brakes should not drag.

[KalamazooJohnny]

this space will translate to the pedal, so that the pedal can be depressed approximately one inch before the throw out bearing contacts the finger springs.

But my pedal was loose about an inch before, just flopped up and down that much, so you are saying don't use the tension on the clutch cable to make that slack disappear? Is that slack not suppose to be there? Is the spring holding the pedal not tight enough? Because without the ....I JUST STOPPED TYPING AND WENT AND LOOKED AT THE PEDAL AND SPRING CLOSER.
And with a flashlight I can see that in front of the fingers on the back of the clutch pedal is a huge crack, and they are bent, like they are ready to break completely off. Thats my issue now.
Oh, but still please tell me what I was asking, is the spring suppose to keep the pedal completely up without the cable even attached?

[azruss]

there are 2 springs, the one on the pedal and the one by the tranny. the one on the pedal returns the pedal to the up position. in this position there shouldnt be heavy tension on the cable. I set the cable so the engage point is close to the middle of the travel, favored toward the floor. Get a new pedal or fix the fork and the cable will take care of itself. when you weld the fork, make sure it is square with the pedal. If not, it will cause premature cable failure. make sure you grease up the "T" on the cable end before install.

[131]

I pushed in the clutch pedal,and it made wierd unusual creaking sound. I let off the clutch, then tried again, and the pedal fell all the way to the floor.

Check to see if the inner cable moves freely by hand, if it doesn't, lubricate it or replace the cable. When adjusted properly there should be a small amount of freeplay between the clutch throwout bearing and the fingers of the pressure plate.

[124JOE]

sak some of the guys if they have a clutch pedal for sale with spring.joe

[KalamazooJohnny]

My wife let me use her wire welder and I got the crack in the clutch pedal repaired and everything back assembled again.
Needed a spring down underneath the car, now the pedal is up where it should be.
Still need to figure out the brakes overheating.
Its not the emergency brake, loosened that up and drove around the block and they were really hot again. I was hoping to avoid all new brake lines and compensator, but I think I may have to.

[124JOE]

are they draging?-jack her up and give it a spin

is your pumkin full? does it get hot?
are you using the spacers?i seem to remember YES


.joe

[KalamazooJohnny]

They must be dragging. Whats pumpkin?
Hopefully check it out this weekend.

[IndyMark]

If its not the emerg brake then its probably the rear calipers sticking. Its very common that these corrode and stick. A rebuild kit is not that expensive to do both.

[leftfield6]

One check you can do is to rule out the rubber lines being constricted.

Jack up the back of the car, use jack stands under the rear axle. Suspension should not be hanging or extended when working on the rear brakes, because it shuts off the brake compensator.

Anyway, make sure it's out of gear, and handbrake is off.

Now see if either/both rear wheels turn freely.

If one/both stick, then open the brake bleeder on that caliper for a few seconds, then retighten. Turn freely now?

If this frees up a wheel, it means replacing the rubber hose on that caliper may do the trick. The hoses swell internally as they age, and restrict the "back-flow" of brake fluid. Opening the bleeder releases that pressure.

Worth a try, maybe.

[124JOE]

the rear end gear housing is the pumkin.joe

[KalamazooJohnny]

Yes, just changed the gear oil in the differential, its full. Did not notice if it was hot.
Rebuilt the calipers and replaced brake hoses at calipers months ago, but have not had it driving.
I did not replace the center rubber brake line that is in the middle of the car, nor did I replace the compensator or steel lines yet. I will try doing the bleeding thing to see if they free up. Its possible I didn't rebuild the calipers right I guess, though I thought I followed my instructions.

[manoa matt]

You HAVE got to replace that center hose, while you are at it, the compensator too. Did you do this process: http://mirafiori.com/faq/content/rearbr ... lipers.htm

Look very carefully at the last picture with respect to the orientation of the piston. There is a line inscribed in the face that must be oriented horizontal when the caliper is installed, and must be on the top. (Check the picture) There is a port/valve in the piston and if not oriented properly, the rear brakes will not bleed.

After you replace the compensator check the factory manual for adjustment specifications. It can't just be bolted in, there is a critical measurement to be maintained with respect to the body.

Then when you finally bleed the brakes have the rear axle up on jack stands and disconnect the compensator arm from the axle and push it up and support it while bleeding the rear brakes.

With brake systems, you might as well rebuild/replace every component. The one component you did not replace will soon fail after its back together and driving around for a few weeks.