Xantia Clutch Cable Linkage

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mak224751
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Xantia Clutch Cable Linkage

Post by mak224751 »

Whilst driving home the other night I put my foot on the clutch pedal and heard a lovely twang noise. Not a problem I thought clutch cable has gone just phone the AA. Unfortunately the AA can't fix these so I ended up getting towed home. What I didn't realise was that the noise was as a result of the plastic cable linkage at the top of the clutch pedal breaking (a common problem I have since been told). When quoted 3 and a half hours labour (by a citroen garage) to fit the £7 part. I decided to do it myself and change the clutch cable at the same time as it was stiff. Everything was going fine(ish)until I had to put the end of the cable into the cable linkage for some reason it just wouldn't stay in. Does anybody know an easy way of doing this or is it just luck, also does anyone know of a way to prevent this from happening again. The nice citroen dealer told me that the linkage has gone because the clutch may be on its way out. But the clutch was only replaced 2000 miles ago so it must only be the clutch cable.
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Post by RichardW »

This has been reported before with aftermarket cables. Try filing a mm or two off the end of the nipple on the cable. If the clip was original (black?) then it was on borrowed time anyway, the new (white - or is it the other way around?) are supposed to be stronger. If you've had the whole clutch replaced it shouldn't go again for another 80k miles - and at least then you won't have to saw the bolt off!
BrianM
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Post by BrianM »

The replacement one is the white one.
Brian
mak224751
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Post by mak224751 »

The linkage that went was black so looks like I was just unlucky. It has been replaced with a white linkage and it is comforting to know that they are stronger. One thing that I have noticed is the clutch pedal still seems a bit heavy as I said before the clutch was replaced 2000 miles ago and I have just replaced the clutch cable and linkage does anyone know why this is. By the way it is no way as bad as the old clutch cable. Unfortunately when I bought the car the clutch was heavy so I have got nothing to compare it against. I have heard that there is a metal linkage available which as you can imagine considerably stronger so am thinking of buying one of those just in case it goes again.
ghostrider
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Post by ghostrider »

if you search for threads about this problem one of them gives you a link to another Cit BB which describes how to make a metal clip easily, sorry I can't be more precise but I lost the bookmark for it in a hard drive failure about a month ago Pete
________
CHEVROLET KADETT
Last edited by ghostrider on 22 Feb 2011, 05:58, edited 1 time in total.
Neil T
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Post by Neil T »

Thanks once again to this excellent forum for giving us the confidence to tackle yet another Xantia, 'oh my God, I can't even see it, I'll have to throw the car away this time' type job.
My brother who designs electronic systems in cars informs me that molding parts is a lot cheaper than machining them, hence the plastic clip, but since car prices have kept pace with inflation since the days of more honest engineering, I remain unimpressed by such excuses. 100,000 miles is apparently a cross the board industry standard goal for the life of car parts, hence the service booklet running out of slips at 90,00 miles I suppose.
Putting the pedal fulcrum bolt with the head against the brake pedal, instead of the space you could withdraw it into was either deliberate, or at best completely uninterested in the prospect of repairing these intended to be quickly disposable cars.
But I want to return the favour by adding a few tips, having successfully replaced this rubbish clip with the slightly improved ("it's already on order for this afternoon Sir") new rubbish clip. This procedure worked well for us.
You'll almost certainly need a light.
1) Remove the air filter assembly to gain access to the clutch end of the clutch cable directly underneath it.
2) Remove the kick panel.
2a) To avoid breaking your spine in half lying across the door sill, you might prefer to remove the drivers seat first.
3) 2 ring spanners will reach the fulcrum bolt and nut - loosen enough to 'comfortably' slip a new hacksaw blade behind the head of the bolt.
4) Saw off head, holding blade in gardening gloved hand, and head of bolt in vice grips. Doesn't take too long, especially if you turn the bolt once or twice.
5) Remove pedal, trying to keep bushes and washers in place, or noting order, and particularly the position of the pedal spring, which thankfully is not under significant tension, so not too hard to get back (on a scale of these things!)
6) With a pair of stiff school geometry dividers, measure the length of the exposed thread at the end of the clutch cable at the clutch end. This enables re-setting the clutch adjustment as was without needing to muck about. Slacken off the adjusting nut to the end of the thread. This will make locating the new clip at the pedal end much easier, or even possible.
7) In addition to the half of the clip attached to the end of the pedal, somewhere on the floor you should find the other half, which consists of a tube and a metal spring clip, probably also broken. If you can't find it, then it is almost certainly still up the end of the cable housing, and we eventually managed to retrieve it by worrying at it with a thin piece of stiff wire with the end bent into a hook. I wonder if references to having to drill out the clearance on the new clips in order for the cable bullet to locate are because this tube has not been recovered, as we had no such difficulty.
8) After attaching new clip, offer up the pedal. With someone, or a handy tyre lever wedged in, ensure the cable is pushed in as far as possible and held from the clutch end.
The cone shaped 'bullet' at the pedal end of the cable should be clearly visible and exposed. Push the new clip onto it, and it should click into place without too much of an enduring struggle.
9) Carefully re-assemble the fulcrum, remembering to locate the pedal spring. It helped us to sellotape the assembly in place, removing the tape only once everything was back in place.
Slide the new bolt in from the non brake side (you don't have a choice about that!). Sellotape the nut into the end of the ring spanner, because unless you are aged 4 or below, there's no room for your hand to hold the nut. Hold it against the end of the bolt and turn the head of the bolt into it. This worked first go for us, the only bit of the job that could be said of.
10) Restore the measured thread depth to the cable end adjuster, and replace the air filter.
11) Pray that Citroen used something more socially responsible at the end of the brake pedal, but that you also never find out!
cobra427
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plastic clip

Post by cobra427 »

Like everyone else in this section - I'm having trouble with the renew of the plastic clip.

And I think like everyone else on this section, I dont have anything else to reference against for the "feel" of the clutch pedal - I bought my car just over a year ago and so far have only had to deal with the front spheres (not got round to doing back yet) and break pads/discs (which I'm still amazed at how somthing no bigger than a pushbike break block can stop a car :) )

Is the smart move while I'm off the road to replace the whole of the cable/clip or suck it and see. If it's going to go in 80k miles again the car might be in the scrappers by then.

What's everybodies opinion on this.
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davek-uk
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Post by davek-uk »

Whilst the clutch cable does become dry and stiff to operate, I think the plastic linkage just deteriorates and brakes after time. I opted to buy a metal replacement linkage and, after changing it, I'm glad I did - it's a tight fiddly, job in an uncomfortable position. At £20 I thought it was expensive, but having looked at the quality I'm pretty pleased - this isn't a job you want to do more than once!

I took the opportunity to run some oil down the cable and it made quite an improvement for a while. At the moment the clutch operation isn't too heavy but it can't be called light.

My original clip broke at 108k miles. Now, nearly 34k miles later, the clutch, cable and clip are still ok.

Excellent metal clutch cable clips are available from CGS Autosystems, Gloucester (tel: 01452-311110).
Pug Rifter long (20) - 41mpg - Gutsy for a 1.5!
Xantia 1.9 TD Temp.2 Break (97) - 208K@42mpg - Resting again.
Berlingo Multispace 1.6 16v (51) - 184K@36mpg - My shed! Still runs 15° retarded...
dnsey
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Post by dnsey »

A couple of additions to the excellent advice above:
I found it easier to drill the 'tube' part of the new clip slightly rather than file the nipple
I retracted the spring clip, seated the nipple, then pushed the clip home - again, easier (for me) than trying to grasp the cable well enough to push it firmly
After spending ages (and getting frustrated) trying to saw through the bolt, I discovered that a little careful bending will allow it to be 'sprung' out of the bracket.
citronut
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Post by citronut »

here we go again,cutting bending!!!!!!!!!!!,there is absolutly no need for these drastic mesures,once you have removed the nut from the pivot bolt you can slide the bolt out enough to clear the brake pedle,y tillting the bolt at an angle,to ease it out then refit it the other way,its not as bad as it first looks
regards malcolm
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Post by dnsey »

I haven't done enough to be sure, but I suspect that tolerances determine whether the bolt will come out easily or not - some will, and some won't!
cobra427
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done but new issue

Post by cobra427 »

I've got the plastic clip in (took all week due to bad weather- and backache) - but I've now got an problem that I think occured when old clip gave way.

The gearbox graunches into 3rd.

1-2 fine
2-3 graunch
3-4-5 fine
5-4 fine
4-3 graunch
3-2-1 fine.

didnt do this before...
RichardW
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Post by RichardW »

Sounds like the cable is not adjusted properly, and the clutch is not disengaging. If it's a manual adjust, make sure you've got 140mm of travel on the pedal. If it's an auto adjust, the just let the pedal bang up from the bottom, which should adjust it up. Or break the clip again :wink:

When I changed the clip on my previous Xantia, I removed the canister from the pedal, cut back the carpet and cut a piece of the foam insulation out underneath to get max possible pedal movement, and I was still half the head away from the getting the bolt out, so had to saw it off.
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cobra427
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Gear box graunch

Post by cobra427 »

UPDATE::

It sort of graunches into 5th - but not as much at 3rd.

Its man adjust - and it's within a mm or 2 of where it was originally on the gearbox - or do you think that the "old" clip had play in it and I need to compensate for the "new" clip. in which case I'll have to adjust again.
cobra427
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Gear box graunch

Post by cobra427 »

UPDATE::

It sort of graunches into 5th - but not as much at 3rd.

Its man adjust - and it's within a mm or 2 of where it was originally on the gearbox - or do you think that the "old" clip had play in it and I need to compensate for the "new" clip. in which case I'll have to adjust again.
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