TheSamba.com :: View topic - Clutch pedal replacement in 1/2 hour! (Pics)

Wed Feb 01, 2023 3:26 pm

I bet if you could pack some grease into the pivot you could stop the wear.
If you still have access to it I'd do that for sure.
But at 1/4" of slop, it's really worn.

Replacing just the 8mm or 5/16 pin might reduce pedal slop by 30%.
You can get a 5/16" pin at the hardware store.

But it's not the pin that breaks, it's the pedal.
But the new pin will probably cause a change in the wear areas (for the better).

Just for the data point...., I'd like to see the pin and clevis hole combination that results in 1 1/4" of pedal slop.
If you could get a photo of that clevis/hole, maybe it could be determined that
you don't have to carry a pedal around.

Wed Feb 01, 2023 5:34 pm

The circlip is not in a position to push on the ends. Maybe a hook tool to pull it down? I feel good about at least getting in there to see it!

Wed Feb 01, 2023 5:35 pm

Igeo wrote: The circlip is not in a position to push on the ends. Maybe a hook tool to pull it down?]

That, or rotate it.

Wed Feb 01, 2023 7:47 pm

plenty of fiddling with a long flat screwdriver finally worked for me.
When you go to put it back in a magnet and some duct tape is helpful

Sat Feb 04, 2023 11:56 am

OK, had time today to revisit this. In the end, it was two screwdrivers that was the key to popping off the circlip. The shaft on mine was pretty well lubed froim the factory, so it slid to the passenger side pretty easily with a little jiggling of the brake pedal. The clutch pedal just suddenly dropped down. One victory at a time. At least it's out.

Not so bad right? Not even sure if its worth it to try welding on it to build up the worn area. It's really the pin that's creating most of the play. I do have the repair kit with the bushing and new pin.

I did order a new slave cylinder, but even as bad as the existing one looks on the outside, the fluid I drained out of it before I removed the master looked pretty clean. I may leave it alone and just carry the new slave under the seat.

Sat Feb 04, 2023 12:21 pm

Igeo wrote: it slid to the passenger side pretty easily with a little jiggling of the brake pedal.

That' another good tip.
Thanks for the data point for 1.25 inches of pedal slop.
Without data, it's only guesses.
In the past we thought on inch was getting bad, but it looks like "bad" is a bit farther.

I agree that you could probably just lube that.
But there's clutch throw LOST and the clutch is starting to grab 1.25" closer to the floor, which isn't good.

Just replacing the pin would reduce it a bit.
If drilling for the brass bushing produces a round hole, you are 100%.
And if close to circular... epoxy filler may be good enough.
It will be lubed for the next 20 years anyway, right?

I think this is the current technology as of Feb 4, 2023

Sat Feb 04, 2023 12:45 pm

I wouldn't waste the opportunity to weld it up while it is out, that hole looks worn and oversized. The clevis pin is worn but with a new one in place the unnecessary slop in the clutch pedal will never help your driving experience. Spend a 1/2 hour now on fixing it and you will literally never go back in there again.

Sat Feb 04, 2023 1:18 pm

I'm in no hurry to get this done, especially if you consider the grief factor of working up in there. Doing the gas tank R&R is a walk in the park by comoparison. Here is the other side which looks worse. I'll weld it up.

Sun Feb 05, 2023 1:17 pm

After measuring the ID of the worn oval, it was still slightly less than the 7/16" that the new hole for the bushing has to be. So I simply drilled it out carefully. The bushing supplied by Go Westy is just slightly longer than the space between the clevis opening, so the bushing had to be worked a bit to take off about 0.010" so it would fit. The OD of the bushing is just right for a press fit into the new 7/16" hole. I slathered some Loktite on it first before pressing it in using a vice and a socket to get it centered. The supplied new pin is a nice slip fit into the bore. Lube it well before install. I might add a couple of washers in between it all just to keep it tight. I did cut the unused ear off as has been suggested to ease the pedal reinstall which I hope to do this week.

Sun Feb 05, 2023 2:08 pm

Nice work on the install.

Tue Feb 07, 2023 5:40 pm

Got this finished this afternoon. I did chamfer the edge of the bushing a little and had no issues getting the big pin to slide in there. They must have had a new tub of lube at the factory that day because it was still nice and greasy. I tried the super strong little mnagnet trick to attach the circlip to a screwdiver. Forget it. As soon as you get in the neighborhood of any sheetmetal under there, WHAM!, the magnet goees right to it. Save youself the trouble and just tape it on the end of the screwdriver then push it home. Then the spring is the last bit of fun. Not too bad, but I had to use a needle nose vice grip to make that happen. Reinstalled the master, bled the system and Viola! Now I don't have to hold my breath and cringe evey time I step on the clutch pedal. Ah the cost of peace of mind. Thanks all!

Mon Feb 27, 2023 12:13 pm

Just did this repair and it might be one of the best things I've done to the van so far. Made driving the car so much smoother and easier. Before doing this my clutch pedal would make a squeaking sound when compressing the pedal and when releasing. It would also sometimes get stuck in the compressed position (scary). I'd recommend anyone attempting this to read the entire thread before starting. Theres not much I could really say that others haven't already said. It can be tricky but it is definitely do able.
Having a long screw driver greatly helps the process of removing the circlip. Doing the job in the day time with the gage cluster cover removed helps some light get in as well. Cost $20 to have a local weld shop weld it up.

Mon Feb 27, 2023 12:41 pm

^^^^^^

Wow. Your clutch pedal lever is the poster child for this issue.

Mon Feb 27, 2023 1:14 pm

zmvanagon wrote: Just did this repair and it might be one of the best things I've done to the van so far.

Wow. That was blown out!

Nice work. Did you install a bushing or just replace the pin as is?

Mon Feb 27, 2023 3:22 pm

Hard to imagine how the wallered pin had any bite in that slot at all! Looks great.

Tue Feb 28, 2023 11:49 am

R0ckyMtnCamper wrote: zmvanagon wrote: Just did this repair and it might be one of the best things I've done to the van so far.

Wow. That was blown out!

Nice work. Did you install a bushing or just replace the pin as is?

Thanks! No bushing, just put some grease and replaced the pin as is. Feels smooth and hope to get another 250k miles out of it

Tue Feb 28, 2023 2:40 pm

zmvanagon wrote: No bushing, just put some grease and replaced the pin as is. Feels smooth and hope to get another 250k miles out of it

They last ~250k when assembled "dry".
But it gets sloppy towards the end....
....real sloppy....as it pulls out of the hole (destroyed). :shock:

Mine was greased had no wear at all at 30 years, 180k miles.
Pin and hole were 'as new'.

Somehow you gotta remember to grease it periodically...
like every 10 years?

Thu Mar 02, 2023 4:04 pm

I'm in the middle of doing this job on a Syncro, but I can't get the large pin out enough to drop the clutch pedal. The pin is running into the body on the brake side and won't go any further. Has anyone else run into this challenge?

Thu Mar 02, 2023 4:19 pm

Zeitgeist 13 wrote: I'm in the middle of doing this job on a Syncro, but I can't get the large pin out enough to drop the clutch pedal. The pin is running into the body on the brake side and won't go any further. Has anyone else run into this challenge?

Someone else was having this problem a few pages back on this thread. Did you make sure you have the roll pin rotated out of the way?

Thu Mar 02, 2023 5:45 pm

Thanks. That seems to have been the trick, as well as simply rocking the pedal out of its place. I found that pulling the circlip downward was a better strategy than trying to push it upwards. I made a pull rod with a short right angle end.