Clutch pedal wiggle

[windfish]

Sort of an odd question, but how much wiggle on the clutch pedal is considered normal?

This is mine at the moment -

There's a little play, but there's not really enough room to stick a hardware store washer in there.

It works fine so I can run it as is, just seems a little on the loose side

[Cusser]

I just went out to my garage to check the clutch pedal in my 1971 VW. Mine has zero play in it, just moves correctly when I push down on it. Great video though.

Yeah, yours is real loose. I wonder if the pedal itself has cracked at the bottom, and so has enlarged.
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1970 VW (owned since 1972) and 1971 VW Convertible (owned since 1976), second owner of each. The '71 now has the 1835 engine, swapped from the '70. Second owner of each. 1988 Mazda B2200 truck, 1998 Frontier, 2014 Yukon, 2004 Frontier King Cab. All manual transmission except for the Yukon. http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=335294 http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=335297

[Tim Donahoe]

It's hard to tell, but it seems your clutch-shaft pin is is the culprit. Is the hole on the clutch shaft wallowed out?

Whether it's that or the clutch shaft where it rides in the bushing, or the bushing, I'd fix it. Like Cusser, I have no play at all.

Tim

[windfish]

Thanks guys, appreciate you checking

The pin hole is actually in decent condition, holds the pin firmly. Looks like this gap is most of my problem -

It's allowing the clutch pedal to pivot on the pin. I mean, ideally it wouldn't, but 40 odd year old metal can wear out a bit. If I get rid of the spacing I think it should tighten it up.

That's actually a fairly thick spacer on the hook side, might be able to replace it with two slightly thinner ones or squeeze a thin washer along side it...
Will see what I can find.

[57BLITZ]

If ya knock that pin out, you should be able to remove the pedal from the shaft. remove the shaft and you will be able to check the condition of the bushing.
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Jesucristo es mi Señor y Salvador!

[windfish]

Yep, I did remove the pin. Bushing isn't bad, shaft itself doesn't have much side-to-side wiggle at all. None on the hook side.

Went by TractorSupply on the way home, got a grade 8 1/2" washer and a pack of thin stainless steel ones.

Put the stainless on the pedal side, the grade 8 on the hook. Had to shave just a hair off the grade 8, it actually went together as is but was stiffer than I liked. With just a bit shaved off it rotates freely and there's not nearly so much play in the clutch pedal. It'll last for now, the wear is either in the clutch pedal's receiver or the shaft is tapered just a little bit.
Either way I'll probably end up replacing it eventually.

[Northof49]

Something is not right there, and shimming the hook end doesn't seem like the right solution to that kind of play. That is not the surface that is supposed to stabilize the shaft.
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1958 Karmann Ghia owner

[windfish]

What I figure happened was that it was taken apart and put back together without one of its' spacers. Pushing on the clutch pedal plus the small amount of slop caused wear.

I didn't add a spacer on the hook side, I removed the original one and replaced it with a slightly thinner washer so I could fit a washer on the pedal side.

/shrug.

Again, everything is tight except the clutch pedal will rotate up and down using the pin as a pivot. The wear is at the tip of the shaft, either the shaft itself or on the clutch pedal. There's not much to be done there except replace it, neh?

[Cusser]

Sounds OK for your garage-fix. Grease up the touching parts on the pedal, then install it.

Remember the cable tie or bread-tie trick to hold the clutch cable onto the pedal hook during install. And grease that cable end and pedal hook too.
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1970 VW (owned since 1972) and 1971 VW Convertible (owned since 1976), second owner of each. The '71 now has the 1835 engine, swapped from the '70. Second owner of each. 1988 Mazda B2200 truck, 1998 Frontier, 2014 Yukon, 2004 Frontier King Cab. All manual transmission except for the Yukon. http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=335294 http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=335297

[pb_foots]

FYI, replacement pedal assembly is 25 bucks from Interstate. Last time I was out there he had probably 500 of them piled up, most were in pretty good shape.

[Northof49]

For a half assed repair, remove the pedal from the shaft and peen the surface of the shaft with a centre punch to cover it with raised dimples. Then hammer the pedal back on the shaft and reinstall the pin. That should take up the space.
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1958 Karmann Ghia owner