My clutch cable just went

Well, my beautiful drive by the beach turned into a nightmare today as my clutch cable just snapped! Does anyone have any advice, how easy to replace a fix are they? PLEASE HELP, I'M A NEWBIE!

I feel your pain. Last summer was the first summer of ownership, and I broke one too. The metal tube where it routes was at the wrong angle causing excessive wear. This design, however, will wear out, eventually, and the cable will go. I took my car back to Carey this spring and upgraded to a hydraulic clutch. I'm
much happier with it. I can live with Speedster top, etc., but couldn't live with that cable clutch. My car was under warranty, so SE sent someone to my house to do it. He was a seasoned builder and took about a 1/2 hour to do it. You have to jack up the car, remove the pedals, and reroute the cable. It's not that bad, but glad that I don't have to do it. You also need to fix the primary failure, which was causing the cable to wear.

Hi Tom,

Really interesting, I'm embarrested to say this, but it did know that you could upgrade them to hydraulic!!! How much did it cost including the labour? Does it make the gear change much more positive too?

Olly, I didn't either. Yes, I get full disengagement every time now making it a breeze to change gears. Basically, if it is more difficult to change gears with the engine running than off, then you aren't getting full disengagement. If you like the way it feels with the engine off, you'll enjoy the new clutch. Depending on your trans, it may still feel mushy. I have a Rancho Pro Trans and it is very crisp. It's not cheap. I'll dig through my March receipts and let you know.

Thanks so much Tom. Any info at all you can send me on parts and costs would be ace. You're a legend!

Olly, sorry, I can't find the info anywhere. Carey, can you provide some info?(I'll email him this link) I think that you're in Australia, right?

alot of us carry a spare

I put a lot of miles on my car and have a spare clutch cable in the trunk. I think I'll install it this Fall as preventative mtce. and keep the other as a spare. I'll have a look at my throttle cable while in there and probably replace it for the same reason.

A spare is a good idea in any aircooled VW or one of these cars.

I drove my old '61 camper (wish I'd kept it) from Missoula, MT to Tiburon, CA with a broken cable doubleclutching to shift and using the starter get me restarted on the move from stops. But it was 1970, I was 21 and in college, and could do anything. I'd hate to try that now - some cop would probably arrest me for vagrancy or something.

If you have a VW tub speedster there should be a place where you could cut an access hole so that you can get to the pedal eye and feed the cable into it's tube. Make a sheet metal screwdown cover for the hole if you do this or it'll pack up with mud and road stuff, but it can save having to remove the pedal set.

Oh, grease the cables as you change them; they'll last better.

I put a polyethylene tube inside the metal tube for my clutch cable.

This does mean I probably can't pass a cable with the threaded end through the tube now.

I am using a cut cable with the threaded end attached after it is through the tube.

i think you are starting to see why I ditched the clutch cable. The throttle cable, on the other hand, routes through a plastic tube and can be swapped out from the passenger compartment without even getting dirty. After being under my car about 10 times, before and after the new cable, trying to tweak the length and never being satisfied, I gave up on it.

In the short term I might try to replace it myself, does anyone have any step by step instructions for a rookie like me??? Thanks in advance!

There are several suppliers that make a hydraulic clutch kit but I like the one from CNC the best. They make an add on kit that has the master cylinder, slave cylinder, a weld on tab to modify your existing pedals, and the push rod for your new clutch master. Couple that with one of CB's teflon line kits, or run a brake line between the slave and master. I also use a slave saver bracket which corrects the angle between the slave and the throw-out arm.
Keep in mind the kit is made to retro fit in a beetle, so in the case of a Beck you have to mount it differently and fabricate a few of your own brackets, but it should be straight forward for a belly pan car. It comes with complete instructions.
If you don't want to source everything individually, McKenzie's Performance Products carries all the parts http://mckenzies.com/
CNC-320-B is the clutch kit, I don't know the part numbers for the line kit or the slave saver, but they'll know what you are asking about. You also choose between 3/4" and 5/8" bore on the master. I like the feel of 5/8" the best, just FYI.

Ollie,

There are lots of step-by-step instructions already posted on the net. Google "replacing VW clutch cable", read a few posts, and choose the one that makes the most sense to you. They will all approach the project in a similar manner.

Here's one for you http://www.vw-resource.com/cable.html

Yeah, and even for a newbie, it shouldn't take more than one beer or 45 minutes.

Check your e-mail, Olly.

THanks so much guys, you are all stars! Fingers crossed I can do it :-)

Well, things were going so well, then BAM! I removed the pedals, then the old broken cable and had the new one sent from a place in sydney that said it was specially made for the shorted chassis of the 356 replica! All was going great, but then the threaded part of the cable just won't fit through the back part, just before it goes into the conduit. I removed the conduit and so there is just the exposed pipe and nothing! So i just tried it the other way to see if it would at least fit through from the back to the front and it still doesn't fit! It fits perfectly through the conduit when i try it away from the car, but just not through the tube that is in the chassis of the car! I'm now stuck! The cable that I removed didn't have the threaded part and was just doubled back on itself and then clamped. How has everyone else done theirs? Do you have the correct length one or a standard beetle one that is just doubled back?

Thanks in advance guys.

Olly

It's been a long while since I did mine, but I seem to recall a similar problem. My cable would go thru the tube from the front but would get hung up just before it would emerge at the end of the tube. I think I pulled the cover for the shifter linkage for access and found that the tube had an arc in it at the back that the threaded end would not pass thru. Think I used a hammer handle or something to "massage" some of the bend out of the tube so the threaded end would get by and out to the rear. I'll check some pics to see.

~WB

Clutch cables blow. Once you go hydraulic, you don't go back :-)

Yes, mine is the same, just won't get past that bend, and it is welded, so I can't even try to bend it back!!!

I'm really stuck now!

After doing the cable shuffle a couple of times, I went to a juice clutch like Tom, and it's well worth the effort.

Is there a time when these cables should be replaced as part of routine/ preventive maintenance, i.e. time/mileage, or is it just dumb luck when they decide to go? It would be a lot nicer to replace in a controlled environment than on the side of the freeway.

Well then the last resort would be to get a standard Beetle cable and cut about 12" or so threaded end included, run the cable back thru then put it back together with cable clamps. Wrap the cable with electrical tape where you cut it. It'll keep the ends from fraying. After you get it back thru, wire the cable's loop on the hook at the pedal end so it don't come unhooked whilst you're working at the transaxle end. The secret is to keep a constant tension on the cable as you work in the rear of the car. Not a huge deal, Olly, you'll get it.

~WB

Been trying to do some trouble shooting via another thread. In the process I found this which might be of interest here: http://unique-parts.com/?wpsc-product=new-clutch-pedal-shaft-design In addition, several You Tube videos I found on the subject of cable threading point out the difficulty, which leads me to believe that a hydraulic clutch is in my future.

Geez....you might think that the stock clutch cable is bad. It isn't. They normally go for years.

Oily: Do what Bill recommends except don't wrap the cut end of the cable with electrical tape - that's SOOOOOO old school!! Put a dab (or dip the end) of silicon caulk on it to keep it from fraying. I also used to use two 1/8" cable clamps to hold it fast. Sometimes that wouldn't be enough grip for heavy (2,200 lb) clutches, so I would clamp the cable where I could get good clutch adjustment free-play and then braze the two cable pieces together for 4" or so. Worked every time.

A few related links:
http://www.pedalwerks.com/
http://cma-vw.com/store/

Done it! TOok me 3 weekends and cable clamping 2 cables together, but I got there. Clutch bites too high now, and accelerator comes off the runner on the back, but I think i'll be able to sort that quotes simply. Any help or advice would be great, I know I can change the biting point with the wing nut, but any pitfalls would be good to know about. The accelerator issue is more concerning!

Thanks everyone for your help with the clutch, you are all legends! :-)

Good Show! Now you have to get under there again to set the wingnut properly. You have to be careful that it's not set too tight. There should be about 1/8" to 3/16" slack between the wingnut and the clutch arm. You should be able to wiggle the arm VERY slightly with no tension on the cable. If it's set too tight the throw out bearing will ride against the clutch slightly causing premature failure of same. Then from this setting on, you will have to check this setting periodically as the cable stretches and settles in. You'll notice it as you drive as the pedal feel will change as the cable stretches.

~WB

Bill, are you sure the 1/8" to 3/16" numbers are right. It seems like with 3/16" you would be able to wiggle it more than a little.

Three-eighths to three-quarters is what I adjust mine to, which works out to about the same pressure "feel" against your index finger as if you were lifting a gallon of milk with it.

Hold the faceted part of the cable end with vise-grips. Squirt a little WD-40 on the threads, get it started that way, then pull back on the arm with one hand and turn the wingnut with the other.

Cakewalk.

Cory, you must be talking about movement at the pedal. I think Bill was talking about movement at the wingnut.

Nope. At the wingnut. It's tight, but there's enough play in the lever to start the wingnut manually before it begins to pull the mechanism -- on my car, anyway.

Hmmm... Everything I read says 1/8" to 3/16". 3/4" seems like a LOT of slack.

I see what you mean ... I'm a little thick this week.
I'm talking about the actual movement of the fork once the cable is snug -- not after it's adjusted.