Can't shift - Clutch Issue?

@WOLFGANG posted:

Yeah 4"x8" is major.  Even if the clutch tube has broken loose that's too big a piece of steel to remove.  The gas line is in there too. Maybe rent a 12 year old to feel in there or run some 16 gauge wire thru from the back then catch it as it come through the tube and securely tape the new cable to it and pull it back to rear.

I like this idea, though I'd be inclined to use a piece of heatshrink tubing. Or a Chinese finger, if you have one. I used to make my own from the protective mesh on pre-made fiber cables at work. NOTHING works better to pull cable through ducts.

I'm with @LI-Rick you guys are making this too hard. How about a flashlight and a small mirror?

Forgot about those small dental mirrors!

By using the Borescope, we were able to locate clutch tube. We also tied some heavy gauge wire thru the tranny side of the car thru the clutch tube to help pull the clutch cable along. Thats the "good news"......now the bad news, Clutch cable is now "stuck" (either way) with about a foot to go before it comes out of the rubber clutch tube. The wire that we were using to pull it thru broke, and it also will not come back out by pulling on the remaining portion of the clutch cable inside the car. Any recommendations on what to do? Seems that the hang-up is occurring where the clutch cable transitions from the metal tube to the rubber clutch tube. Looking for a sign from above on this one!....HELP!!  What manner of fun is this?.....

That "rubber clutch tube" is called the Bowden tube - it comes off of the metal tube at the back of the tunnel and provides a flexible joint to allow for chassis movement, etc. If you have the cable out of the metal tube and it won't go through the Bowden tube, grab the Bowden tube and pull towards the rear of the car. It might be rusted or just stuck onto the metal tube, and you might need to work it loose.

And once you separate the Bowden tube from the car frame you can also separate it from the mounting bracket on the side of the transaxle by twisting it slightly and pulling it right out of the bracket.  Once separated, just straighten it out so that the cable end stud will pass through the tube (that is what’s stuck) and you should be all set.

Don’t forget to grease the cable that’s inside of the Bowden tube to keep it moving easily in the future.

Gordon and Stan thanks for recommendations....I included a picture of the Bowden Tube on my car, we already disconnected the bracket holder. In separating the Bowden Tube from the metal tube coming out of the tunnel, will it just twist and pull off?  Please advise.....Thanks!!

The Bowden tube should twist and pull off.

I think the Bowden tube typically bows downward, not upward as yours does.  Others can confirm.  Maybe that is related to your troubles.  There is also a specification on how much it should bow.

I am also wondering if you have the wrong bracket on the trans. It looks like it holds the end of the tube too horizontal rather than pointing at the end of the lever on the trans.

Ignore red marks on image:

@Larry Scislowicz posted:

Gordon and Stan thanks for recommendations....I included a picture of the Bowden Tube on my car, we already disconnected the bracket holder. In separating the Bowden Tube from the metal tube coming out of the tunnel, will it just twist and pull off?  Please advise.....Thanks!!

Your Bowden tube bracket doesn’t look correct. The Bowden tube should be bowed down, and the clutch cable should be coming straight out the middle of the tube, not at the angle yours is. That is a big friction point.  See the picture below what it should be like.

and yes, the Bowden tube just pulls off the clutch tube, unless it’s really rusty.

Here's a Youtube video on adjusting the Bowden tube.  As you can see, most of us have the sag on the downward side of the tube and the amount of sag is determined by how many spacers are used on the tranny end of the Bowden tube.  Just rotate yours around so it sags downward when you re-assemble everything.  

The video guy has fancy spacers, but plain old flat washers from an ACE hardware store that fit the OD of the bowden tube metal collar at the tranny end is fine.  You don't have to remove the cable to add spacers, but if it's loose anyway it's pretty easy. If the cable is already assembled to the tranny, cut a notch the width of the clutch cable into the spacers to form a horse shoe to fit over the cable, then put some vice grips on the throw-out arm and lever it forward enough to expose the cable by pulling the Bowden tube out of the bracket (tranny end).  Slip the spacers over the cable and onto the Bowden end until you're stack-up gives you the proper sag.  Release the vice grips and you're done.

The proper amount of Sag is 1" - 1-3/4" (use a straightedge along the length of the tube to measure the sag).

BTW:  As mentioned already, the cable should exit the tube on the tranny end from the middle (more or less) of the exit tube.  If it's dragging a lot at the top or bottom lip and cutting into the Bowden end nipple then it will prematurely wear and fail.  If the cable is just touching the nipple and not wearing into it, I wouldn't worry about it.

Don't forget to fill the Bowden Tube with grease while you have it out of the car.  any decent automotive grease with molybdenum is good.

Here's some more good Bowden tube info from Rob and Dave:

http://www.vw-resource.com/bowden_tube.html

This is how guys end up putting hydraulically actuated clutches in their cars.

@Larry Scislowicz posted:

By using the Borescope, we were able to locate clutch tube. We also tied some heavy gauge wire thru the tranny side of the car thru the clutch tube to help pull the clutch cable along. Thats the "good news"......now the bad news, Clutch cable is now "stuck" (either way) with about a foot to go before it comes out of the rubber clutch tube. The wire that we were using to pull it thru broke, and it also will not come back out by pulling on the remaining portion of the clutch cable inside the car. Any recommendations on what to do? Seems that the hang-up is occurring where the clutch cable transitions from the metal tube to the rubber clutch tube. Looking for a sign from above on this one!....HELP!!  What manner of fun is this?.....

I replaced my cable two years ago just because it was old and ordered a pre made cable from vintage motorcars. My cable got stuck about a foot away as yours has and the culprit was that there was an upward rise in the internal guide tube which would not allow the long threaded portion to pass through.

I pulled the cable out and put put a slight bend in the threaded end to allow for the upward contour of the guide tube. My boroscope was placed in the guide tube at the firewall side so that i could twist the cable just a little so that the threaded end would follow the contour of the tube. The bend is ever so slight as you still have to make sure it will make its way along the length of the car. This came as a surprise to me as my original cable did not have the threaded end on it and was just a bare cable at the engine side so it slid right through back in 1985.The old cable used a clamp to to tie a loop in the cable end. There is a picture of one of these in the archives on the site.

Good luck

@Larry Scislowicz It looks to me like the Bowden tube bracket is bolted in the wrong place. It looks like someone drilled and tapped two holes to mount the bracket. The bracket is supposed to bolt to the transaxle side plate using the stud just to the left of it's current location. Then the tube would point slightly up so the cable goes straight to the clutch arm. 

Ok...Thaks for all of your suggestions again, from all the information gathered it looks like I am going to purchase a new Bowden Tube along with the correct mounting brackets and install it correctly. Any suggestions on where to purchase these from?

Also, in the melee of putting the clutch cable in I noticed that I am now missing the pushrod clip that locks in the brake pedal return spring (garage gremlins). Anyone have any of these lying around that they would like to part with? and if not, where can I purchase these? I will go back at it again when I get all the parts together....Thanks!!

@MikelB posted:

I replaced my cable two years ago just because it was old and ordered a pre made cable from vintage motorcars. My cable got stuck about a foot away as yours has and the culprit was that there was an upward rise in the internal guide tube which would not allow the long threaded portion to pass through.

I pulled the cable out and put put a slight bend in the threaded end to allow for the upward contour of the guide tube. My boroscope was placed in the guide tube at the firewall side so that i could twist the cable just a little so that the threaded end would follow the contour of the tube. The bend is ever so slight as you still have to make sure it will make its way along the length of the car. This came as a surprise to me as my original cable did not have the threaded end on it and was just a bare cable at the engine side so it slid right through back in 1985.The old cable used a clamp to to tie a loop in the cable end. There is a picture of one of these in the archives on the site.

Good luck

Good to hear that someone else went down the same path I am going down....I also had the "kluge cable" connector on the transmission end of my clutch cable........must have worked well when they first installed it........

@Larry Scislowicz

All that stuff is available from Bugcity.com

it’s easy to lose that litle clip for the brake pedal push rod.  Bug city has that, too.  Just search for “pedal” and scroll to the third page.

https://www.bugcity.com/shop/s...9b-97cc-015dafbc6456

@Gordon Nichols posted:

@Larry Scislowicz

All that stuff is available from Bugcity.com

it’s easy to lose that litle clip for the brake pedal push rod.  Bug city has that, too.  Just search for “pedal” and scroll to the third page.

https://www.bugcity.com/shop/s...9b-97cc-015dafbc6456

Great...Thanks!