The Darkness Where the Clutch Cable Leaves the Pedal

[BartusCompater]

I think that you're precisely right about them just not being familiar with Fiats. Additionally, I think that they have just taken in too much business. Dave and his crew seem like nice folks, but they've got so much work that I don't think they take the time to really go in and evaluate problems like the ones I was having. They just felt that replacing the clutch would be adequate, so they did that, and again, they probably wouldn't have expected a stressed firewall.

All in all, the car is working now, and I'm happy about that. Maybe it will crack again, but hopefully my bank account will be able to recover beforehand. I've still got a $180 Physics textbook and a $115 Math textbook to purchase for this quarter.

As far as the repair, they told me specifically (because I asked) that they did not reinforce the weld with anything. They welded around the hole, and it looks like they probably had to move the master cylinder to get into where they welded, but there's no kind of reinforcement.

As far as following up with the mechanic they referred me to--I'll definitely do it. If anything, it'll give me a chance to get a feel for this other guy before he has me, as they say, by the balls.

[BurbankJalopy]

In my opinion, forget about the firewall cracking again, because it may be fine for a while. And in your case, you've got school to pay for right now instead of a firewall that may actually last another few years. Besides, part of the fun of older cars is being on the edge of your seat wondering what will break next.

I think that the cheapest next step is to make sure the pedal is going all the way down to the floor. If the pedal doesn't get it's full travel it is the same as you pressing the clutch only halfway down and trying to shift into gear. Maybe there is too much padding etc under the carpeting, creating a similar effect as pressing the pedal only partially down. Just get your face down at the pedals and use your arm to press the pedal and watch to see if it seems like the carpeting is stopping it too early in its travel. For reference my car has only a thin, single layer of insulation that the pedal comes up against. And, maybe the cable needs adjustment now that the firewall is back in its correct place. I'd take out practically all the slack and see if it still has trouble going into first afterward (don't leave it 'tight' permanently however as that will wear out the throwout bearing). The cable may be too long as well, resulting in the same problem where the clutch may not be fully disengaging.

If you're sure about the pedal getting full travel, and you've taken all the slack out of the cable, then another thought is that maybe the wrong type of transmission oil (or it's dirty or low) is the cause. The transmission oil supposedly has to be just right in these Fiats. BTW I grew up in Lynnwood, WA and rolled around in a Chrysler LeBaron convertible for a few years thinking I was hot stuff on Hwy 99.

[BartusCompater]

Burbank,

That is really cool.

And that's good advice.

[surfingfreeman]

Hello All
My clutch Pedal/forks etc etc are also acting up as in there seems to be some friction when depressing the clutch pedal, it also does not on occasion fully return, so it seems like something is catching, I need to get on my back and take a good look at things at the firewall with a helper pumping the clutch and see if there is any of this tearing. As far as a cause goes I was wondering I am 6'2" and my legs are so long that when shifting and pushing the clutch in my foot and stroke is actually coming in at an angle as opposed to a straight line, are there different vector forces acting on the pedal/forks which lead to the bent forks and friction/tearing at the firewall? Thanks
Mike

[narfire]

Mike, if you do find there is tearing at the firewall/clutch area,you'll have to pull the brake booster off. Have a new clutch cable ready as well. I had the torn firewall with the last car that followed me home and when I took the cable off,I found it did not slide as well as the new cable. Perhaps the firewall took the brunt of the force when depressing the clutch.
If there is a parts car anywhere in your area,have them cut out the section where the cable goes through the firewall (about4" X 4" or even a bit bigger))and after tacking the cracked section pop-rivit the new piece over top and weld up the edges. This worked for me for the car and the clutch feels just fine,however I might find an aftermarket pedal that is a bit bigger.
The clutch cable at the pedal is fiddly as there is a small white plastic clip behind the fork in the pedal part,watch where it lands when it comes flying off after prying,swearing ect.
Have fun
Chris

[surfingfreeman]

Thanks Chris I think I will add it to the list for my Fiat mechanic (Joe's Fiat in redwood city, CA) to take care of as it sounds like I will need to remove brake booster and or master cylinder, how are things up north? Cheers
Mike

[narfire]

how are things up north? Cheers

Just fine,weather is good.
Did you get up to the Kispiox and get a line wet?
My friends left a few days ago but are not really expecting much as there have been some intense rain events up there and another 4 inches/day comming.

[kcramp]

Not to resurrect an old thread but...

I am also 20, I have had my Fiat since I was 15, and looking back on the years I have literally replaced everything save the seats, steering wheel, and transmission.

I was having clutch issues, and found this thread..thanks a lot. Really helped me, I could not find the problem as to why my cable had to be so tight to get the clutch to engage..I didnt even know what to look for. There is a GAPING hole in my firewall, hahaha. Too bad I do not know how to weld, but hey its tax return season..looks like my 400 dollar tax return will go purely to a new cable/firewall weld.

Unless anyone can explain an easy way to DIY this? How hard is it to learn how to weld? I can watch some youtube videos...

[narfire]

The fire wall fix is a cheap one but involes a bit of time. You will have to take the brake booster off and clean the area around the hole the clutch passes through. As mentioned I used a piece cut from another car, some will weld the cracks up and then a small piece of sheet steel to give the area strength again. Although I have a welder, I'm really a rookie at it so I had a friend who is a welding god do the weld.The material is thin for my experience level. Remember to place WET towels below the area to protect the plastic,oil,grease from sparks.
When we did the welding the sparks ignited a small pile of sawdust I had put on the floor to soak up spilled oil, notice an orange light from under the car .... a cup of Tim Horton coffee put it out just fine.
Chris

[manoa matt]

I've seen a few fixed up with a piece of sheet metal and a bunch of pop rivets, pretty simple stuff once you remove all the pieces in the way. You would only need a piece of sheet metal, tin snips, pop rivets, and a drill. The existing sheet metal is pretty thin about 1mm or less. Make sure your piece is at least double that or more.

[weekend warrior]

You could convert it to hydraulic actuation...

[Adam]

The lack of clutch travel makes me think of my machined flywheel. The shop new nothing about fiats and failed to take material off of the outside mounting section (the flywheel was machined flat), thus leaving a larger than normal gap between the pressure plate and clutch.

Mark, you and I went over this on the phone back in the fall.

Installed a new clutch, pressure plate, bearing, clutch fork, pedal, and cable. Despite all of this, I couldn't engage first. I wasn't until I put in a properly machined flywheel that I was back in action. For fun, drop your tranny and check to see that your flywheel isn't smooth the whole way across.