Rabbit Clutch Cable

[thebluebird]

My clutch cable snapped and I ordered a replacement. The cable is the correct length but the cable housing is a couple inches too long. Anyone have any idea how I can get the correct part when the parts stores don't advertise the length of the cable housing?

I should mention, it's a 1981 Rabbit Diesel. And the incorrect length cable housing was Pioneer CA 953.

[TDCTDI]

The cables are all the same with the exception of the self adjusting cables but they are interchangeable. Have you threaded the adjustment in fully?
_________________
Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.


GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!


An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.


Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it.

[thebluebird]

Oh yeah, Duh!! Thanks

[ps2375]

171721335E

What leads you to believe the housing is too long?

[thebluebird]

OH man, here I am again! The housing is too long even after I threaded the adjustment fully. It's just like 1/4 inch too long (visibly longer than the cable housing that I pulled out).

[ps2375]

Buy from a place that has them on-hand to compare lengths or order from an actual import part place, your pn says autozone all over it, and I wouldn't trust anything from them site unseen (even for a domestic).

[thebluebird]

I trashed the AutoZone cable (it was from Pioneer - why I would think a part with such a name would work with german car I don't know). The Coife cable fit perfect. I went ahead and changed the accelerator cable with a Coife cable too. All looked great. Then I turned on the car, tested the clutch, the gas, and the brake.

Something went wrong with the brake. The brake light came on and stays on. I can't try driving the car until space clears up in the front of the driveway, but maybe that's a good thing. Is there anything that can go wrong with the brake fooling around under the dashboard with the pedals and whatnot?

I will post and check in again when all is said and done about rolling the car forward and maybe even driving and shifting, but asking about brakes first off as a safety issue.

Thanks!

[ps2375]

81's had a switch on the brake pedal under the dash, did you miss adjust it?

[TDCTDI]

Brake warning light on dash or the brake lights on the back of car?
_________________
Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.


GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!


An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.


Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it.

[ps2375]

[thebluebird]

The brake light on the dashboard.

I'm not sure if it comes on when the fluid is low, but I can feel it in the way the brakes handle when it's low and I add fluid. It has been full so I'm thinking that's not the issue.

The sensor on the pedal is an idea. I can see there is a piece there that looks like a sensor. I didn't touch it, at least not on purpose. It has a little square end that goes in and out when the pedal is depressed and released.

I can hear air escaping when I depress the brake pedal. Like a whooshing sound. I can't recall if that's normal. Also I don't feel the same resistance when I depress the pedal, but it's been a while since I drove the car.

[TDCTDI]

Brake fluid shouldn't get low. If it does & you add fluid and the brakes start to feel better without bleeding the system, this is an indication that you have a leak in the system. Do NOT drive the car until you address this problem.

The "whooshing" sound is your brake booster, if your master cylinder has been leaking, it's possible that the brake fluid may have damaged the diaphragm in the booster.
_________________
Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.


GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!


An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.


Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it.

[thebluebird]

So the whooshing sound indicates damage to the booster?

[Butcher]

As the brake pads start to wear, the fluid level will drop. If it was topped off when new pads and shoes were installed, it should never get so low that the warning light comes on.

I try not to top off the fluid level so when the pads are replaced, it will not spill over when the pistons are pushed back.

[TDCTDI]

[ps2375]

[thebluebird]

Update:

The brake light is on because there is something amiss with the brakes. They worked before the clutch cable snapped. After I replaced the cable the car had been sitting for a while (in colder temps - low 40's to 60's) and I compressed all the pedals to test them. The brake pedal went to the floor on the second pump and the light came on. Something else snapped?

When I roll/drive the car forward in 1st and backwards in reverse and apply the brake the car stops, but the brake goes to the floor. It's not drivable to test further. The e-brake works good as ever.

[ps2375]

Any fluid coming out? Does it have a low fluid sensor?

[thebluebird]

There is a puddle of brake fluid around the rear wheel after I added some so I'm guessing the problem is a leak at the wheel cylinder.