Clutch clip!

harryb.48 · Post by **harryb.48** » 26 Jan 2005, 20:44

The other day while out driving and with my confidence in this car growing by the minute - maybe it`s not such a bad car after all,Ive had now about 500 trouble -free miles and even lent it to my sons for a week with only minor reservations( it behaved perfectly) - a sudden bang and twang awoke me from my pleasant reverie and I had no clutch[:(!] I managed the drive home and was amazed how the car managed to lift away easily in 5th at 20mph.
Anyway ,after inspecting the cable I realised it was ok but the clutch pedal end came away from the fastening. A search on this forum told me it was the notorious clip which was damaged/broken so I went for a new one and now comes the crunch - I`m a bit confused with all the potential solutions posted and wonder if anyone can give me the definitive method of getting the pedal off(don`t know if I can lie upside down for so long with my bad back/arthritis!)and fitting the complete plastic/metal clip[?] It`s a Xantia 1.8 estate and I`m told by the previous owner that a new clutch was fitted just 4-5k miles ago.The clutch to me feels a bit heavy but then I had a 405 with a cable clutch and it felt about the same.

Kowalski · Post by **Kowalski** » 26 Jan 2005, 20:55

It might be time for a new clutch cable, they can become dry and stiff with age and become prone to jamming.
If you don't do something about making the clutch lighter, you'll almost certainly be replacing another clutch cable clip in the near future.

harryb.48 · Post by **harryb.48** » 26 Jan 2005, 21:10

Thanks for the tip - have checked the cable and it looks practically new,in fact it could possibly have been renewed with the clutch.
When I say the clutch is heavy I think it`s because i drive another car with normal hydraulic clutch and it`s heavy compared to that.,so I don`t really know if it`s heavier than it should be.
I do believe the previous owner that a new clutch was fitted as he traded the car in before I got it .

harryb.48 · Post by **harryb.48** » 26 Jan 2005, 21:12

ps the car has done only 72k miles

Post by **RichardW** » 26 Jan 2005, 21:16

You need to remove the clutch pedal to change the clip (IIRC Wheeler said he could do them in situ, but for us mere mortals, taking the pedal out is easiest). In order to do this you need to remove the pivot bolt. For reasons best known to themselves, Citroen installed this with its head next the brake pedal, making it difficult or impossible to remove. So:
1. Ascertain if the bolt is fitted the wrong way around - remove the carpet under the dash, and the bottom plastic trim around the fuse box (takes a couple of minutes and makes the job 9 times easier) - you should be able to reach your hand up and feel which way around the bolt is - head towards the brake pedal is bad news.
2. Remove the plastic canister from behind the brake pedal - this takes a bit of prying / wiggling, but again makes the job 9 times easier.
3. Undo the bolt (this is where you need to get right in the foot well - with a pair of 13mm spanners - preferably a ratcheting one!).
4. Remove the bolt - this is where the confusion starts, as cars seem to be different. There may be enough room to get it past the brake pedal if you orientate the head correctly. If not, you may be able to bend the bracket at the LH side of the clutch pedal, which allows the bolt to twist a bit axially, and may generate enough clearance. Similarly, cutting the carpet back and removing some of the foam under the brake pedal might make enough clearance. If non of this gets it, then saw the head off the bolt.
5. Remove the pedal - make a note of the orientaion of the spring!
6. Fit the new clip (plastic from Citroen or your home made metal one)
7. Refit is the reverse of removal, but use a new bolt, and fit it with the head on the LH side!

harryb.48 · Post by **harryb.48** » 26 Jan 2005, 21:55

Thanks for that Richard,it`s made it completely clear what must be done.
I`ve had a good look and taken the brake spring thing off(had it off before) and the bad news is of course that the bolt is in the wrong way[:(!] - no more than I expected really.So I will prepare myself for a gruelling day tomorrow. I may have to get a new hacksaw blade to remove that head as I don`t see it going past the brake pedal[V]
I have yet to remove the fuse box surround/cover but I can see that doing so should give me some more room and I will try cutting the carpet and bending the bracket as suggested,before mutilating the bolt.
I`m getting too old for all this[:(]

den169 · Post by **den169** » 26 Jan 2005, 22:17

Mine went last year i took the seat out made it a lot easier took me and a m8 an hour and three quarters to do it.it'll be easier next time with no bolt to cut.

BrianM · Post by **BrianM** » 26 Jan 2005, 22:25

Just go straight for the bolt and cut the head off it. When I did mine, I loosened the bolt a bit to give access to the shank and used just the blade of a hacksaw to cut through. The bolt is easily available in any hardware shop.
Don't worry, it'll seem easier the next time !![;)]

harryb.48 · Post by **harryb.48** » 26 Jan 2005, 22:31

Thanks all for the tips and encouragement,it certainly helps !
I will get started tomorrow afternoon (work in the morning)
and let you know how I got on.

harryb.48 · Post by **harryb.48** » 26 Jan 2005, 22:47

Just as an afterthought ,does anyone know the exact size/length of the bolt so I can perhaps get it in advance??

wheeler · Post by **wheeler** » 26 Jan 2005, 23:37

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by RichardW</i>

You need to remove the clutch pedal to change the clip (IIRC Wheeler said he could do them in situ, but for us mere mortals, taking the pedal out is easiest).<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
yeah,i do them in place.have a look at this thread,its quite hard to explain how to do it without showing someone or with pictures though.
http://www.andyspares.com/discussionfor ... lutch,clip

harryb.48 · Post by **harryb.48** » 27 Jan 2005, 00:58

Thanks for the expert advice,Wheeler.
Somehow I don`t think I possess the manual dexterity to perform that particular piece of magic but who knows,perhaps if I ever have to do it again...
I think the problem is,like you say,not knowing how everything looks unless you`ve done it before,or seen it in pictures.

Post by **Jon** » 27 Jan 2005, 01:48

Ok guys, I have the solution here (apologies for pic quality, taken with mobile phone)
Its a billet replacement clutch cable clip, produced by a local engineering shop. Once fitted, forgotten! The cable is gripped by 2 angled collets inside the billet housing. Cable replacement after the modified clip is possible, if the cable outer is snipped then threaded through the modified clip.
To make this viable, I need around 20 orders to bring the price to something realistic (bear in mind it will still be lts more than a plastic clip). If interested, please drop me a line.
Jon

harryb.48 · Post by **harryb.48** » 27 Jan 2005, 21:53

Update:
After successfully removing the pedal (I had to cut the bolt head off,trying to get the bolt out past the brake pedal is a waste of time as brian said) I realised that I`d not taken a good enough look at the spring orientation so now I`m stuck , having tried a couple of possibilities.
Each time I ended up with the pedal biased upwards which I know is wrong as it was flat to the floor when the clip broke.
Can anyone help me with this? - Even if I knew which side of the pivot it fits on would help!
I`m afraid my short term memory is poor ,was it the brake pedal side ?And where does each end of the spring locate?
I must admit I`m lost and each time I get into the footwell I get more frustrated so I stopped for the day.
The solution which Jon describes above looks like a permanent one and I would be very interested while I have the thing off anyway.There must be others interested out there??

harryb.48 · Post by **harryb.48** » 27 Jan 2005, 23:23

I decided to look in the haynes manual and could not believe it but theres actually a picture of the pedal assembly with spring .
Should have looked there first!