clutch cable stretching?

[timspider]

thanks for taking the time to encourage. I'll check the movement at the lever when pedal pushed again, but it seems to be a straight one to one move, as it should be.
It's pulling the lever all the way to the front, and still no disengagement. The lever seems to be seated fine, but I will check that again as well.
This is exhausting and I'm worn out from it. Maybe revisit later today, maybe tomorrow, I don't know. Getting disillusioned with this vehicle after being in love with it for the first year. I may need to hop off this roller coaster for a bit.
Thanks again

[timspider]

Photobucket has been finicky but trying again to post a video of the clutch pedal travel. It's a lot shakier and harder to focus on once they uploaded it, but it's all I got for right now.
No idea whether this link will actually work

http://vid867.photobucket.com/albums/ab ... 0wztcx.mp4

[76was124]

Might be interesting to remove the the cable and give us a picture from the side of the trans so we can see the lever/yoke pushed all the way forward until it just starts touching the clutch?

Also if you manual force the lever forward (vs via the pedal and cable) and hold it with cable ties, or gingerly with a c-clamp, do the gears disengage?

[aj81spider]

I was alone tonight so I couldn't measure the travel of the lever. However here's a video of my lever moving. I apologize for the composition, but I made it by sliding my iphone on the floor and then pushing the clutch in. I was rushed so couldn't do another.

However it should give you an idea of what normal travel would be. If yours is doing this it's probably not the cable. If it's not then I'd start looking at the cable.

https://flic.kr/p/suL4yY

[timspider]

that clip absolutely helps- thank you thank you. hugely helpful to know that's the move.
I may have found an issue with the cable at the firewall- it's hard for me to tell since this is my first run at this, but it's encouraging to see a possible issue with the cable at the firewall, especially since i have a new one on the way in the next day or two.
keeping hope alive

[timspider]

I copied the idea of putting phone on the ground to capture the travel on the yoke, or forked lever, or whatever you call it. Shaky at first until I set it down at about 15 seconds- then a full pull, a couple half pulls to show that, and another full pull.
this is with the nut on the threaded shaft up about half way on the threads- which was accomplished by unseating the plastic piece that sits in the bell housing and placing a few washers in there for space.
The pedal is much easier than it used to be- too easy I think. Very hard to tell by pedal feel when the clutch is engaging.
The yoke does seem to be solid. but I'll re check that again today.
With the setting shown, the clutch pedal to the floor will not disengage the clutch.
Interesting to note, this is exactly what it felt like last year before all my fixes began. Even if this whole thing turns out to be the cable, I'm glad I replaced the clutch- the old one was completely missing 3 of the springs and the remaining three were all broken.
Got my clutch cable today so that's the next thing to try.
thanks to all who are still hanging in with this journey and offering support.

http://vid867.photobucket.com/albums/ab ... 5bv00v.mp4

[azruss]

It looks like you are getting plenty of travel. Is there a chance you put the throwout bearing in backward. you might be able to remove the boot on the throwout bearing arm and see if you can see if the bearing makes it to the pressure plate.

[timspider]

certainly possible- that's one of a few things that crossed my mind in the last few days. But I have another possibility now.

I've seen an image of a new pedal and I'm pretty sure the top of mine is bent a bit. Which would explain why when the cable is seated correctly at the pedal, there is too much threaded shaft at the yoke below, and it might have something to do with the weak pedal.
Also might possibly explain why what looks like good travel is actually weak right at the end of the pull.
Been grasping at straws for a couple days, but this one seems like it might be right.

[76was124]

........Been grasping at straws for a couple days, but this one seems like it might be right.

Maybe, but to be sure, I would want to determine if the lever and clutch work even without the cable.

Might be interesting to remove the the cable and give us a picture from the side of the trans so we can see the lever/yoke pushed all the way forward until it just starts touching the clutch?

Also if you manualy force the lever forward (vs via the pedal and cable) and hold it with cable ties, or gingerly with a c-clamp, do the gears disengage?

Regarding throw out bearing in backwards, I don't think you can do that and get the yoke on the pilot ball or can you?

Having the pressure plate on backwards would be a possibility, but I don't think the clutch cover would sit flush on the flywheel.

[timspider]

I'm replacing the pedal either way so doing that first. After lots of thought, I know it's bent at the top. I can't tell if it's bending a little more towards the end of the pull, but I know it's bent. When the whole cable is seated correctly top and bottom, the threaded shaft goes a lot further than it should at the yoke. If the cable did not stretch within the sheath, the only other thing that I can see that would cause this is a bent upper pedal.
So the pedal shall be replaced.
Having said that, I'm not sure that's the only issue. Something with the clutch installation could be wrong, but the more I dwell on it, the more I doubt it.
From memory, back in winter when I started fiddling with the clutch, the throwout bearing seemed to go in one way that made sense. With the metal side contacting the pressure plate. I didn't even try it the other way as it seemed obvious. Getting the bearing slot to interact with the groove in the yoke also seemed like it would only go one way. When the two pieces snapped together as I was pressing in the yoke to snugly fit on the ball, held by those two tongues, the assembly seemed solid, slid easily on the shaft, and kept itself square with where the plate would be as I mimicked the motion of the pull.
It's certainly possible I got something wrong in there as I've never seen it done before, but it seemed to go together one way or it just wouldn't work.
The pressure plate is a little different story. After reading a lot of stuff online, I finally found information on which way the green dot side is situated. I don't remember which way it was, but I did it exactly the way the instructions said.
The part that worries me is that the clutch itself did not go on smoothly. It was very close to sitting on those mounting pins, but hole needed to be pushed down to get on it's pin. Then everything torqued down fine (I think)
So I'm wondering now if I should have rotated that clutch until it found a way to sit it flush and comfortable on those studs?
By the way, I used the centering tool when I torqued down the clutch. (it was not the same one from the mustang that I had bought months earlier due to multiple posts here about that- that cost me 2 weeks of waiting)
If there is something wrong with the clutch, I'll bring it to a shop to re do.
if it's JUST the pedal, which I now doubt, then I'll get that fixed in the next week.
That's where I am now.
On the good side, the engine is running smooth with a nice low rumble at idle and it takes it a long time at idle to get any where near the 190 mark, and the oil pan and block off plate aren't leaking anything, so at least some of this went right.

[76was124]

I suspect you have it all together correctly then. My new clutch didn't slip all the way over the pins freely, it's a stamped part so there is some variance on hole centers and took some persuasion. So unless you had to bend the screw mounting flange on the cover plate to get it to seat flush you have the pressure plate on correctly too.

Sounds like you are all in on the pedal change, for your next step. If that doesn't solve it let us know.

[Nanonevol]

Have you seen this You Tube video on clutch change?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8calc6xV2JM

[timspider]

that's a good video- had not seen it in my video tour a few months back.
update- just got the pedal off this morning and the bend, although not possible to detect while the pedal was in, is pretty prominent as expected (thankfully).
I'm wondering if there is some reason I shouldn't flip the bolt around on installation. Seems like it would fit better that way. I may have broken a bushing as this took some big prying- still have to get that spring a little more stretched out to get it re installed.

http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab23 ... iiguz3.jpg

[azruss]

It's good to get the pedal forks straightened. I understand the new pedals are reinforced. This is not the source of your clutch issues.

[timspider]

agreed, but pedal needs to be fixed. now waiting on clutch pedal bushings, then the bigger issue.
one thing at a time for me with this-
Pretty sure this clutch needs to be re-done. That would be a summer for me, same way I spent last summer, so devising a different route.
This car first taught me exhilaration behind the wheel. Truly fun to drive anywhere. Now it's teaching me to not be so attached to that. I think. I dunno.