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Fri Nov 20, 2009 3:33 am

I changed out my clutch cable and today after running the new one through and tightening the wing nut all the way, the clutch is still super loose.

There is hardly an tension and I can push the clutch to the floor with my hands with little effort.

Anyways, I turned on the car and pressed in the clutch as best as I could and it started grinding...I'm thinking maybe the cable is not tight enough to fully release the clutch?

I also came across this:

The cable was running thought this, into a plastic or rubber tube and then out into the clutch where it connects to the wing nut.

Would this possibly cause my problems? If so what the hell is it?

Fri Nov 20, 2009 6:09 am

pbajwabb wrote: .

Anyways, I turned on the car and pressed in the clutch as best as I could and it started grinding...I'm thinking maybe the cable is not tight enough to fully release the clutch?

I also came across this:

The cable was running thought this, into a plastic or rubber tube and then out into the clutch where it connects to the wing nut.

Would this possibly cause my problems? If so what the hell is it?

that could be part of the clutch tube that runs through the tunnel. does your bowen tube still have the correct bend and not loose?

if you are saying that when you push in the clutch pedal, and you hear a grinding then the pressure plate, throwout bearing or throwout bearing shaft could be bad.

but if you push in the clutch and get a grind when you try and put it in gear then it could be adjustment, incorrect bowen tube bend/broken or loose clutch tube or the clutch disc has gone bad.

Fri Nov 20, 2009 9:13 am

You must have a broken side spring. This is the spring that sits on the passenger side above the clutch. It hooks up to the clutch arm (cable goes through the arm)
When this is broken you can press in the peddle without much effort.

[img]http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=449979[/img]

Fri Nov 20, 2009 10:33 am

Tue Nov 24, 2009 12:27 am

Yehan73 wrote:

Hmm when I took off the pedal assembly I didnt see any springs come out with it. And is the bowden tube the tube thats about 5 or 6 inches long and somewhat flexible?

Tue Nov 24, 2009 12:31 am

Also, it makes no noise until I press in the clutch, I started it in the driveway and pressed the clutch (almost freely) to the floor and that when it grinds. I havent even tried shifting yet.

Tue Nov 24, 2009 12:33 am

pbajwabb wrote: Yehan73 wrote:

Hmm when I took off the pedal assembly I didnt see any springs come out with it. And is the bowden tube the tube thats about 5 or 6 inches long and somewhat flexible?

That doesn't go on the pedal assy, it goes on the clutch arm (the item where the cable with the wingnut goes through). I have a broken one though and the clutch still operates fine.

Tue Nov 24, 2009 12:56 am

LeviMan2001 wrote: pbajwabb wrote: Yehan73 wrote:

Hmm when I took off the pedal assembly I didnt see any springs come out with it. And is the bowden tube the tube thats about 5 or 6 inches long and somewhat flexible?

That doesn't go on the pedal assy, it goes on the clutch arm (the item where the cable with the wingnut goes through). I have a broken one though and the clutch still operates fine.

Oh okay, well I moved it with my hand and I was able to move the clutch lever down and it sprung itself back up. There is just not enough tension on the cable to pull it down far enough.

Tue Nov 24, 2009 5:24 am

pbajwabb wrote: [ And is the bowden tube the tube thats about 5 or 6 inches long and somewhat flexible?

the bowden tube is on the drivers side of the transaxle and it is made of rubber. the furtherest rear end goes into a keeper that bolts to the side of the transaxle and the frontend fits over the clutch tube that comes out the rear of the tunnel. it fits pretty tight in its place and has a downward bend that allow for the clutch cable to stay tight when the motor twists during acceratling. there is a diagram that show how much bend there should be but i cant find it right now.

Tue Nov 24, 2009 6:26 pm

This is just about the best pic of the bowden tube I could find in the Gallery.

Not sure if you can see it in the pic, but the tube needs to have a bend in it to work properly. As the transmission twists the tube will extend/contract with the transmission. This prevents the clutch lever from being activated without pressing on the pedal.

Spacers can be added between the tube and the rear bracket to increase the "bow" of the tube.

Do a search in the Gallery for "bowden tube" and you will see more examples.

Also, did you compare the length of your old clutch cable with the new one? Are you sure you have the correct length cable?? You wouldn't be the first one to install the wrong cable... there are a few different lengths that are bascially the same design.
The one I ordered was actually too long and would hang up on the firewall when I let the pedal out. A couple minues with a Dremel and the cable is now an inch shorter... perfect :)

Can you post pics of the bowden tube and clutch lever area of your car?

Sun Dec 20, 2009 5:56 pm

Would it be a horrible idea to just put a few washers in there for space to make it tighter?

Mon Dec 21, 2009 12:34 am

You can add washers to the rear end of the bowden tube. Just be sure there is enough tube left beyond the washers to hold the tube in the bracket.
You also don't want to create too much of a bend in the tube, it will just wear out the clutch cable that much sooner.