ohbugger

Hi all,

A friend is having trouble with the clutch on his 86' Carrera. He replaced the cable and said that it worked great for a day, then started being trouble again. Today we tried replacing the helper spring, but cannot get the mechanisms adjusted right.

Based on the pic I stole and edited below, his car's #1 lever is in a position where the gap between it and piece that the cable attaches to (at #2) is way too much; maybe a half inch, instead of the feeler-gauge sized gap there should be. If we slip #1 out and rotate it one tooth over, it is too close (won't slide back on as it hits the other piece).

There was originally no play in piece #1, but toward the end of our time in the garage it budged and now it will rotate slightly.

Hoping he's not in for a new clutch..?

Peter Zimmermann

If you're absolutely sure that you had the clutch adjusted per factory method, it's possible that the roll pin that secures the clutch pedal arm to the pedal shaft is breaking. If yes, the "play" in the system will increase, making it difficult to disengage the clutch/shift gears. To check, you must drive the roll pin out and inspect it; some can manage this with the pedal assembly installed, some find it easier to remove the pedals and work on the bench.

The other possibility is a broken throw out bearing release fork.