Xantia clutch cable clip

Dave Burns · Post by **Dave Burns** » 14 Dec 2003, 17:54

Both the self adjusting and manualy adjusted types have a spring loaded clutch pedal, the difference is the springs are not the same type and are not fitted in the same place, they also act differently on the pedal.
Self adjusting type is a compression spring fitted to the side of the pedal and works on the over centre principal, this spring maintains upward pressure on the pedal when the moving pivot (spring mount) on the pedal is above the fixed pivot mounting.
The manual type has a rotating coil spring fixed on the pedal pivot and works exactly opposit to the auto type, this time the spring maintains a light downward force on the pedal, presumably to prevent the cable disengaging at the box end.
Removing the brake pedal spring canister doesn't allways allow the pedal to go far enough down to let the clutch pedal bolt be removed, if it is in the unfavourable orientation tha is, I had to saw the bolt off on a friends car recently even after removing the canister, that car had a manualy adjusted cable, don't know if there are subtle differences somewhere preventing this on that type, but I did notice the pedal had the holes in it for the other type of spring so would assume they are the same, so where is the difference?
Dave

RichG · Post by **RichG** » 14 Dec 2003, 18:33

Howard,
If the existing plastic clip is in one piece you may get away with fitting the new metal clip, Citroen do not appear to have changed this part. However I would change the whole lot as if the metal clip has come off once it may do again at a very inconvenient moment.
I changed my clip last year. It had not failed but as I was going on holiday abroad with my caravan I did not want it to fail whilst I was away.
Richard

wheeler · Post by **wheeler** » 14 Dec 2003, 20:42

sorry,i meant spring on the side of the peadal.i dont remove the pedal or cut bolts to replace the clips,the only difference the new type makes to me is that the pedal with the side spring is less manoverabe (because it is still bolted in),you can hook the old style pedal onto the steering column pinchbolt with a little persuasion. its a little tighter getting the new type back in but it only takes about 2-3 minutes more.

Dave Burns · Post by **Dave Burns** » 15 Dec 2003, 04:52

Wheeler are you saying you can change the entire clip without taking the pedal out.
Dave

wheeler · Post by **wheeler** » 16 Dec 2003, 04:53

Yes i can replace the full clip without removing the pedal,the only things i remove inside the car is the carpet trim under the dash & the black plastic tube thing (which i throw away)where the cable comes through.i dont know how well i can explain it without pictures but basically i have a big screwdriver which the tip of the blade is ground down quite flat & sharp at the top,i disconnect the cable at the gearbox end & pull the inner cable right through,inside i remove the carpet trim underneath the steering column,using the screwdriver like a chisel break the old one off,if its the old style pedal it can be hooked onto the steering column pinchbolt (with a little bending) to make this easier so the pedal dont move,next using long reach pliers pull the black tube thing off that sits where the cable comes through into the car,throw this away(you dont need it[;)] ).using the same screwdriver cut away a small square of the sounproofing about the size of a stamp under where the cable comes through,take the new clip & remove the metal part from it,tap the pin through the plastic part so that it is JUST protruding through & no more,using your long reach long nose pliers hook the clip onto the pedal it should stay in place because you tapped the pin through slightly,using the modified screwdriver (which has to be quite thin for this part) lever the pin through enough so you can then get a proper lever in to push the pin right home,push the inner cable through a bit lower the pedal onto it using a screwdriver to help guide the plastic part then using long nose pliers fit the metal part.the rest is just re fitting.remember to bend the pedal back if you moved it.
it can be done this way in 15-20 mins with practise.i could maybe explain it better with the help of pictures.

Yawler · Post by **Yawler** » 21 Dec 2003, 18:29

Well, I drove 100 miles on Thursday, probably used the cl;utch 100 times - drove home, parked up in the drive, - in the evening I got in the car, started the engine, put my foot on the clutch - and it stayed on the floor - AT HOME IN THE DRIVE!! This has to be a good omen for the Xmas season! Just imagine if I'd been stck in a traffic jam somewhere!
ANYHOW, First, I want to tell you all that without your forum I’d not have been able to do this job – paying out hundreds of £ to fit a £5 clip doesn’t suit me too well! So Thanks!
To start with, I lay with my head under the pedals - and my back hurting - and looked up at what seemed quite impossible! You can’t even see what you are trying to do, and my Haynes Manual (maybe they’ve improved it in later editions???) gives no idea on how to do it other than suggesting you take a couple of days to remove & replace the fascia!!
So I went to Google, found your forum and read all the suggestions. I decided to get the pedal out so I could see what I was doing – while the long nosed pliers approach seemed quick, I couldn’t see what the thing looked like and didn’t want to get it wrong & have to do it a second time …………….. Maybe if there is a second timew, I might try that approach, now I know how the thing fits together, but for a beginner, I think I did it the easiest (but not the fastest) way.
I started by taking out the lower plastic panel under the steering wheel (just 6 Tor X screws) and the little bit of carpet above the pedals – it’s then a bit less claustrophobic when you’re head’s in there upside down. I din’t take out the seat, just pushed it right back and lay with my lower body outside the car in the rain …. ( the car was still where it broke!)
Then I took out the plastic canister above the brake pedal – it slips out easily, no fastenings – though I had to take out the electric switch on the brake pedal & force the pedal up & a bit sideways to get enough clearance to get the thing out. Then I had to get the pedal under the carpet to get it as low as it would go.
Then I took the nut off the clutch pedal bolt & pushed the bolt back – but the brake pedal was still in the way. A bit of bending of the metal on the nut side of the clutch pedal and the bolt was out of that side and I could angle it a bit – but still the head was stuck against the brake pedal. But then I put a molegrip on its head to waggle it till it came out (without sawing the bolt’s head off).
After that, fitting the new clip is easy and it’s a reassemble job – taking baldrick’s advice with grease & masking tape so the bits don’t fall off as you put the pedal back – and put the bolt in the proper way round. Once the pedal was back in place, I used a long screwdriver to lead the round bit of the new white plastic clip into the black plastic tube (the inner end of the cable mounting) as I lifted the pedal, and wedged the pedal up as high as possible with a spanner under the pedal end. I had already lifted out the aircleaner and it’s bracket (3off 10mm bolts – Baldricks’s advice again) and undone the nut on the end of the clutch cable. So now I pushed the cable back into the clip from the clutch end – until it clicked into place, and reassembled the whole thing. I nearly forgot to put the brake pedal canister thing back – but the pedal was on the floor under the caroet to remind me!
Job done – around 3 hours – but only thanks to you guys on the forum THANKS!!!!

MarkB · Post by **MarkB** » 27 Dec 2003, 20:37

1996 Xantia TD 127K on the clock. Christmas eve 6 o'clock and the plastic bit on the top of the clutch cable gave way. Thanks to Baldrick its now replaced! Although it took me ages to cut the bolt head off to get the pedal off the rest was fairly easy. Happy Christmas!

hubcap · Post by **hubcap** » 30 Dec 2003, 02:10

I too had the misfortune of the clutch cable clip breaking on my xantia just before christmas. But thanks to the tips of you guys, an otherwise seemingly impossible task turned out to be not too bad, except from getting bum froze in sub zero temps, If these things are going to break, why does mine wait till mid winter???????? Thanks again for all you help.

Le-Mans · Post by **Le-Mans** » 30 Dec 2003, 07:28

I guess it's obvious that the old design with the black plastic is prone to failure in cold weather when also under more than the usual amount of stress - Christmas shopping in ridiculous traffic conditions.
I'm actually having second thoughts about fitting a new Citroen part at all. I might just develop my DIY clip using stronger materials.
See my own personalclip failure thread here:
http://www.andyspares.com/discussionfor ... IC_ID=5068

rs1800 · Post by **rs1800** » 31 Dec 2003, 22:41

Well ive only been 2 weeks on it lol
Ive followed all your advise and have got everything off.
I am putting it all back together but forgot to note where the spring went. I now cant work out which way round it goes (left or right side) or where it connects too. Is it pushing the pedal up or down?
Please can someone explain where it goes and what it connects too. I hope to finish it tomorrow if someone can help by then. Also any pics or drawings would be great.
cheers
Howard

rs1800 · Post by **rs1800** » 31 Dec 2003, 23:04

Also the black plastic tube that the cable comes through has become lose. What do I do with it?
Remove it or does it clip back on somehow?
cheers

Dave Burns · Post by **Dave Burns** » 01 Jan 2004, 01:12

Last one I did with the rotary type spring for the manualy adjusted clutch was about a year ago, so I can't remember exactly how it fits, but I can tell you that it must push down on the pedal when it is correctly fitted, getting it in position to do that was a frustrating affair, I remember that bit well enough[:(!]
My own car has an auto adjuster and so is completely different, so no use me looking at that for you.
The tube does clip in somehow but it can be a pain, seem to remember having to push very hard on it to get it in.
Good luck and happy new year.
Dave

Le-Mans · Post by **Le-Mans** » 02 Jan 2004, 02:59

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by rs1800</i>

Also the black plastic tube that the cable comes through has become lose. What do I do with it?
Remove it or does it clip back on somehow?
cheers
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
I don't know how that bit works rs1800. Mine was intact. But isn't that the part that someone said can be thrown away? Read this thread again, carefully.

wheeler · Post by **wheeler** » 03 Jan 2004, 01:37

ive done loads of these clips & i throw away the black plastic tube every time,never had a problem this way.

clink130 · Post by **clink130** » 13 Jan 2004, 22:24

I've just joined to say thanks! I can't say your comments made the job easy - nothing could, but they made it possible. I have a manually adjusted clutch and I found that a crowbar on the pedal brackets was needed to free the bolt. When the bolt was re-tightened on re-assembly it pulled everything back in line. I removed the tube as advised but this allowed the cable to bow when I try raising the pedal to clip it in. I left the cable bowed towards me and used a long screwdriver with a fine point to push it home.
One tool which I bought for the job made the undoing and tightening of the pedal mounting bolt a lot easier. Halfords sell under their own brand, a spanner (13mm) which is open end + ratchet and a nice length. The ratchet end is almost as thin as a normal spanner head and only takes 5% of movement to operate in. Only snag - it costs £8.50 all bar a penny. That's the most I've ever spent on a spanner in my life! However considering how much I saved by doing the job myself, it was well worth it. For this job it's the dog'd b*ll*cks.
Thanks again people, you're doing a great job.