Clutch pedal replacement in 1/2 hour! (Pics)

JFLACROIX · Posted: Fri Apr 18, 2014 2:06 pm Post subject: Circlip E Type is back!

Hello Again!

The circlip decided to come back this morning as I was trying to measure the size of the notch in the main pin.

For the records, the notch on the main pin is 15mm measured on pin. The main pin being 18mm (measured on the clutch pedal not on pin itself.)

odamark · Posted: Wed May 28, 2014 6:46 pm Post subject: Clutch Pedal Removal

Not that easy at all! 2.5 hours into this beast and the pedal is still stuck up high! I have taken all of the "long" cut suggestions and taken my time, but still it is not as easy as portrayed!

Level of mechanic, well I'm okay, I can get my way around the Syncro. This job is a bit more than a SINGLE Fat Tire into it!

I'll update when I have cooled a bit and reassess where I am at.

odamark · Posted: Fri May 30, 2014 9:42 am Post subject: Clutch Pedal Removal

So I revisited the clutch pedal the next day and it was out in 34 min (remembering that it took 2.5 hours of prep!). Here are my observations:

1. The clip was removed in a timely manner, but the whole time I pondered replacing it. So before I reinstall, I hope I get it right!

2. Sliding the "pivoting pin" to the passenger side: I did not realize how far it needed to be extended/or pushed to the 'passenger' side. I had this overwhelming fear that it would fall out, and I would be finished! So I ended up, applying the same technique I use for any sort of work, I left a little tail of the pin exposed. In doing so, I hope to 'snap' the pedal back in place which makes it easier to reinstall.

3. I just recently installed a new clutch master cylinder. So I carefully removed mine from the mount. That allowed me to apply easy energy to remove the clevis pushrod. Having it detached made more room to access anything I needed. This is an extra step, one I'm sure most skilled individuals can avoid.

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

One can see that it was due! This could have been a catastrophic failure!

goffoz · Samba Member Joined: May 09, 2007 Posts: 1486

dhaavers · Posted: Sat May 31, 2014 6:17 am Post subject:

Yikes - good catch!

FWIW, you have the prettiest shop towels I've ever seen. <jealous>

Wink

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odamark · Posted: Sun Jun 08, 2014 7:11 pm Post subject: Clutch Pedal Removal

Goffoz, I am so sorry I got to your offer so late! I would have loved a little trip to P'ville, my apologies! I did go to Harris Welding in A-Town, they treat Placer HS people really well, I think they did a splendid job. Thanks again for your offer!

Dhaavers, thanks! My wife has no mech skills (much like her man) so she contributes by offering outdated B, B & Beyond 'hand-me-downs,' I appreciate her efforts! Thanks

After a long delay, can you believe all the small hardware shops in A-Town and no one had a clevis pin??????? Had to order it. The first order went towards central/costal Cali, it sat pending for five days! Cancelled the order and went to the 'Cool Cats" on Soquel Ave, they had it to me in 36 hours! VC ROCKS! PS-Loved the cookie!

As far as the reinstall goes, I'm at an impasse! I've got 5+ hours trying to get the shaft back through, and I'm about a 1/4" short. It has been frustrating, to say the very least. Matthew remarks as if it is as simple as threading a needle, not so! I have remounted and inserted the clevis pin unit, into the clutch master. The return spring, done! The shaft is all but a micro hair away, and I have had no luck. I have done micro-pivots on the pedals, as to align the shaft, no luck. I'm at a loss! More trial and error?

SofiaWarren · Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2014 3:28 pm Post subject:

Just did this on Saturday - took about 2 hours to do the entire removal/re-install with the GW pedal on hand to replace my worn one.

IMHO, unbolting the clutch master is the key to creating enough room to make this job possible.

This should be the official way to replace the clutch pedal, not removing the dash....

rubbachicken · Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2014 9:39 pm Post subject:

i pull the whole lot out, with the dash already out, while it's all out, it's easier to get at, also a good time for the BMW booster upgrade.
while repairing the pedal, weld the washers to it, make it thicker, and lubricate it, it'll last a whole lot longer, they only wear due to lack of lubriaction, the brake clevis pin got greased from the factory, most pedals i've replaced looked like they didn't.
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windnsea

I have the dash out do some other things back there, and am attempting to do the clutch pedal replacement. I got the C-clip off of the transverse pedal shaft, but when trying to convince the pedal shaft to move to the right, it will only go about 1/2 inch and then it is a dead stop.

I agree that with 31 years and 340,000 miles since it was assembled it might be tough to undo without a complete disassembly of the pedal mechanisms, but sheesh!

I tried to pro-offer a little WD-40 last night, but still no movement . Any suggestions?? It is a tight fit, but I can see how some have been able to do it.

Thanks in advance!!

Windnsea

localmusicfan · Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2015 4:40 pm Post subject:

The clutch pedal on my 82 Westy started to clunk last week and it reminded me of my 71 bus where the clevis pin wore all the way through the pedal arm and stranded me without a clutch. So I wanted to get this fixed before getting stuck somewhere.

I tried the shortcut from under the dash but on a 30ish yr old van the clutch/brake hinge rod would not move more than 1/2 inch after 3 hours of trying to get the circlip off. Even if I had tried the previously mentioned holed drilled through the headlight bucket to use a punch and drift it out enough, there is no way it could have been driven it back through the clutch pedal after fixing the clevis. You guys with the newer, less used vans appear to have an easier time moving that hinge rod.

This turned into a 2 day project as the whole dash had to come out to ultimately get the clevis pin hole welded up and a new pin in. Not a job for the faint of heart! Infinitely easier job on the Bay Window bus.

table · Posted: Mon Feb 09, 2015 7:22 pm Post subject:

Sorry for the hijack...

I'm contemplating an auto-to-manual swap. Does anyone know if VW used the same pedal assembly, less the clutch, so all I'd have to do is add the pedal and clutch master cylinder?

Agna · Posted: Wed Jun 03, 2015 2:18 pm Post subject:

Yes great write up, thank you. Just finished this project I wanted to give my advice to make the install portion a little easier. First rather than try to stick my head under the dash I used a mirror to get a good view on what I was doing. Sliding the main pin back on the clutch lever wasn't all that bad, although putting the curclip back at the end was a little difficult. The way that I found it to be really easy was to tape the curclip at the very end of a screwdriver and then push it all the way on. Worked great!! Now no more squeaky clutch.

dobryan · Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2015 10:37 am Post subject:

So I just did this job at Blue North Westy's in Calgary on the start of my summer trip. I was lucky enough to get a rehab pedal that syncrodoka made up and had it with me for the trip on a premonition.

Here is what I took out, not too bad but bad enough that my catch point was almost at the floor.

One thing I noted in doing this per the instructions from these two topics. The shaft did not move with my finger, it was too tight, I had to use a long needle nose pliers to move it. In order to push it back I had to use the heavy ratchet handle end from a 3/4 drive as a 'hammer' and tap it back a gazzillion times.

But the most important thing I learned is that the roll pin at the brake pedal end of the shaft can hit a weld on the brake pedal if is at 3 (or 9) o'clock. That will not allow the shaft to fully go back and will not allow enough of the groove on the clutch pedal end to accept the circlip. I had to roate the roll pin to be straight down and then all was well. I hope this helps some in the same boat.

Samba rocks! Very Happy

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https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=620646

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Ryan Alfonso · Posted: Mon Jun 22, 2015 12:07 pm Post subject:

Like me, you may have seen this thread and thought, "Oh damn, I'm doomed! I should do this!"

My van has 240k miles on it; half of them with a heavy duty LUK clutch and a 5 speed transmission, so I thought for sure my clevis pin would be worn to within a millimeter of failure. So, I gathered up all the parts (and a few Fat Tires) and got started.

Honestly, it's a bit more difficult than you'd think. Took all the Jedi mind-tricks and nearly all the curse words I know. I found it took a lot of time to get the circlip off then back on again, (fabricating special tools, bleh...)

But to my point! On disassembly, I was FLOORED to find the clutch pedal and the clevis pin in damn near mint condition -- no wear, still greasy. So, the old adage of "your mileage may vary", YMMV, applies to this situation as well.

We aren't all doomed to catastrophic clutch pedal failure somewhere around the 240k miles mark!

(and PS - some of the clevis pins sold by our beloved parts suppliers appear to be aluminum -- yuck! That won't work for long... Get a black steel one that looks like a new version of the stock one shown in the pictures above)

Farfrumwork · Posted: Tue Jun 23, 2015 7:50 am Post subject:

I just this a week ago or so. Mine was also in great shape (after ~220k mi), but I was swapping it for a Fred pedal that improves clutch action with a SC bellhousing.

I got it out in ~40min or so, and back in about the same...

Circlip install tip - - I lined the clip up on the end of a large flathead, then secured it there with some duct tape (classic Laughing

), a small strip on each side of the clip. This held it on the screwdriver and allowed me to apply a force to seat the clip... the tape just pulled away as the clip retention force is greater than the tape adhesion. That part was the easiest of the process in my experience.

small hands would be better too (I wear XL gloves) but I can't change that on my end... Wink

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jarad · Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2015 9:58 am Post subject:

This why I love this place! The pedal is my 305,000 mile syncro had about 1 1/2" inches of free play and just started cluncking last week. I was all prepared to pull the dash until I accidentally stumbled over this thread. Mine wan't quite as bad as odamarks, but it wasn't too far off either. Good thing, because I still have to swap the suspension before I hit the road, and this saved me LOADS of time. Cool

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1987 Sunroof Syncro
1987 Syncro Adventurewagen

16CVs · Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2015 10:47 pm Post subject:

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/1377798.jpg

My pedal had been clicking for 30K miles. While on Vacation I had a laundry list of things to do and this was one of them.
I had built the pedal a while ago ,I had my Mechanic install it. He has now done 2 and will do my Multivan next.

Stacy
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Huxmobile · Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2015 8:44 am Post subject:

Just pulled my pedal, spot on instructions! The clevis pin and hole look just like all the other pics. About 0.5mm away from failure after 200K miles.

Note: one thing to keep in mind, the shaft going thru the pedals needs to slide way more to the right than you think it should to remove the clutch pedal. Rolling the the shaft so the pin is horizontal or straight up while pushing down slightly on the brake pedal will give some more room to slide it. Then the clutch pedal is free.

Questions:
How much should it cost to have it welded and a new hole punched?
And where to get a new boot for the clutch master cylinder? Mine fell apart.

Stacy, would you be able to recommend someone in RWC to weld and drill? (btw...I believe you flew past me on 280 southbound last week.)

A local VW shop said it would take about an hour, $100.

Thanks for the info Samba!

Cheers
DJ
_________________
87 Westy 2.1L, manual (sold)

syncrodoka · Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2015 2:25 pm Post subject:

Take it to a welding shop, it shouldn't cost nearly that much.
If I was closer I would burn it for you.

Huxmobile · Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2015 12:27 pm Post subject:


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Clutch pedal replacement in 1/2 hour! (Pics)
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