When is adjustable clutch cable too tight?

[JAXCOBRA99]

I've had a Fiore Adjustable Firewall Clutch Kit w/Quadrant for a while and wasn't really that satisfied with the clutch letting out a little off the floor. Oh it's much better than it was without the kit but tonight I turned it 8 clicks more which is about a qtr turn each. That really took up some slack and now the clutch lets out much closer to the top of the travel.

My question is.. How do you know when you've cranked down on it too much.. I don't want to wear the clutch out by having adjusted it too tight.. It certainly feels better now but that's not always an indication of whats right or not.

Thanks!

 

[Mr. Freeze]

off topic but what do you dyno w/ your combo??

 

[Mr. Freeze]

and do you have any supporting mods. upgrade w/ the 2lb lower?

 

[JAXCOBRA99]

I dyno'd lower than I wanted on a Mustang Dyno. 456/486. On a Dynojet I expect closer to 500/500. Hopefully. Before my Ported Eaton & the 2lb lower I hit 451/458 on a Dynojet. What do you mean by supporting mods? All I have is what you see in my sig.

 

[Mr. Freeze]

I dyno'd lower than I wanted on a Mustang Dyno. 456/486. On a Dynojet I expect closer to 500/500. Hopefully. Before my Ported Eaton & the 2lb lower I hit 451/458 on a Dynojet. What do you mean by supporting mods? All I have is what you see in my sig.

supporting mods. like mafia, bap, bigger injectors , just curious what you dynoed since im leaning more towards a 2.76 4lb. lower but just checking if the 2lb lower dynos well or makes decent power atleast

 

[JAXCOBRA99]

2.76 and a 2.8 are very close.. the 4lb lower will make a huge difference IMHO. Heck the 2lb lower made gobs of torque on my car.

 

[Mr. Freeze]

yea, i noticed your tq. #'s are really nice for not having a ported blower, i think i will go w/ a 2lb first then switch out the ring for a 4lb. to see how much of a diff. it will be , ttt for ya' back on topic srry i couldnt be much help,,,,,

 

[JAXCOBRA99]

Actually my blower IS ported.

 

[SnakeBit]

I
My question is.. How do you know when you've cranked down on it too much.. I don't want to wear the clutch out by having adjusted it too tight.. It certainly feels better now but that's not always an indication of whats right or not.

Thanks!

There should be a slight amount of freeplay in the clutch pedal. If the cable is too tight, the clutch may not be fully engaged and it WILL wear out sooner.

I start by adjusting so the pedal can be easily moved by my hand 1/4" to 1/2". Then I make fine adjustments so the clutch engages where I want it (in relation to the pedal position). I do this in a parking lot or open driveway.

Good luck.

 

[FireRed04Vert]

There should be a slight amount of freeplay in the clutch pedal. If the cable is too tight, the clutch may not be fully engaged and it WILL wear out sooner.

I start by adjusting so the pedal can be easily moved by my hand 1/4" to 1/2". Then I make fine adjustments so the clutch engages where I want it (in relation to the pedal position). I do this in a parking lot or open driveway.

Good luck.

Good advice...except I like to see 1 to 2 inches of freeplay in the pedal. If you can't adjust the clutch to fully release with 1 inch of freeplay, you need to start looking at other problems somewhere else such as the quadrant or the fork....or even possibly something with the clutch itself.

 

[JAXCOBRA99]

Okay, thanks guys but let me see if I can get this straight.. When you say "Free Play". Are you talking about there being absolutely no tension on the pedal? as if to dangle a 1/2 inch because right now The pedal is TIGHT!. OR....

Free Play is in the amount of travel the pedal has after the clutch has engaged?

What I'm doing after the adjustment is putting it in 1st or Reverse.. No gas.. Slowly letting the clutch out and noting where it's starting to tax the engine.. Then I"ll give it a little gas and let it out all the way and there's usually a bit of pedal travel after it's fully engaged but the pedal is FIRM. There's no Slack or mushy feeling at all..

B.

 

[FireRed04Vert]

Freeplay is the amount of movement you have at the top of the pedal travel before it begins to engage the clutch. Reach under the dash and grab the pedal and move it gently up and down. You should feel it hit the stop when you pull all the way up and feel it start to engage the clutch when you push it down. The amount it moves between those two points is "freeplay". Try to get at least an inch.

 

[JAXCOBRA99]

Freeplay is the amount of movement you have at the top of the pedal travel before it begins to engage the clutch. Reach under the dash and grab the pedal and move it gently up and down. You should feel it hit the stop when you pull all the way up and feel it start to engage the clutch when you push it down. The amount it moves between those two points is "freeplay". Try to get at least an inch.

Hmm... What about putting the car up on ramps and removing that little Access panel where the Cable connects to the SHift Fork? Maybe have someone look at that while I remove the slack out of the clutch cable.. Then, the moment they see it begin to move I back off a click or two on the Fiore Adjuster?

The problem though as far as my knowing the freeplay is the fact that you can't really tell exactly when the clutch is engaging when you press down on it.. For example, when I'm just sitting there with the car in Neutral.. I put my foot on the clutch and slowly press inward.. Exactly how do I know where in the travel downward is the exact point that the clutch is actually lifting in the tranny? I'm up against the Pedal Return Springs too which conceals the feeling a bit.

Anyhow, the only way I know to do this is to have the car in Gear with my foot all the way down on the clutch pedal and Letting UP slowly. The moment I feel the car start to move I know about where in the pedal travel that it's engaging. For my car I wanna say that's about half way from the top of the full pedal travel. Also in order to prevent the car from stalling out.. I've also given it just enough gas to allow it to fully engage 1st gear and noted that it definitely feels like I've completely engaged 1st before the pedal has reach the immediate top of it's travel. About a qtr of the way from the top. So... It begins to engage halfway of the pedal travel and feels it's fully engaged by a qtr from the top.



B.

 

[FireRed04Vert]

Anyhow, the only way I know to do this is to have the car in Gear with my foot all the way down on the clutch pedal and Letting UP slowly. The moment I feel the car start to move I know about where in the pedal travel that it's engaging. For my car I wanna say that's about half way from the top of the full pedal travel. Also in order to prevent the car from stalling out.. I've also given it just enough gas to allow it to fully engage 1st gear and noted that it definitely feels like I've completely engaged 1st before the pedal has reach the immediate top of it's travel. About a qtr of the way from the top. So... It begins to engage halfway of the pedal travel and feels it's fully engaged by a qtr from the top.



B.

Where the clutch starts to engage when you let it out has NOTHING to do with freeplay!! What you are after is making sure there is no pressure to the TO bearing when the clutch pedal is at rest. Follow my instructions above...it really is easy to detect. The difference in pressure between the spring on the pedal and when the pressure plate starts to depress is VERY noticable. My clutch set up is totally stock...and I have about 1 1/2 inches of freeplay. If you still can't seem to get it, you can do as you say and double check yourself by pulling the cable inspection cover off the bellhousing and check for freeplay at the fork. But this measurement will be nowhere near 1 to 2 inches! The best advice I can give you to help you feel what pedal freeplay should actually feel like is to adjust the cable quite a bit in both directions. Stop and check the freeplay in the pedal two or three times while adjusting. You will feel the difference in when the pedal starts to engage the pressure plate. After you figure that out...go for 1 to 2 inches of freeplay...and adjust inside that parameter for any personal preference of clutch engagement off the floor. But definitely don't go any tighter than 1 inch. Too much is a LOT better than not enough.