Christmas clutch calamity! [Xantai 1.8i 1994]

Le-Mans · Post by **Le-Mans** » 24 Dec 2003, 06:22

Hi folks,
What a day…
Xantia 1.8i petrol 1994 right hand drive.
Just this morning left the car in to have a second hand hydraulic pump fitted. The old one was leaking. Picked the car up this afternoon, all fine and dandy. The replacement pump sounds so much healthier than the old one. Anyway…
I was doing a bit of last minute Christmas shopping tonight and had just started to reverse out of the parking space, when… THUNK! JERK! CLANG! Tinkle tinkle… Oh she hit! Yeah sudden stop and stall and sounds that can only be described as not nice.
So at first I thought the clutch just went. Then I had a looksee around the foot-well because I thought I felt something small hitting my foot. I found this clip:

Note the broken end of this clip in the bottom of the picture. So now I reckon this broken clip is the only thing that is actually broken, and I’m hoping the clutch is ok. I know the cable is ok. So now all I need to know is, can I reattach the pedal end of the cable myself? Obviously I need a replacement clip.
On a scale of 1 to 10 in the mechanical ability stakes I score about 8 to 9. But in the car maintenance and repair experience stakes I score about 0.8 to 0.9. I don’t have a copy of the Haynes manual for the Xantia. I took some of the foot-well covers away and can see exactly where the end of the cable is, and where it has to go on the pedal lever. I can say this much, it’s in a VERY awkward position and I can’t see how to get at the foot-well bits from inside the engine compartment either. I have adjusted the clutch end of the cable so I could push it back into the foot-well.
So to repeat the question, should I try this myself? Or should I go straight to a mechanic.

Le-Mans · Post by **Le-Mans** » 24 Dec 2003, 08:04

Ok, um... That picture doesn't show the shape of the clip very well so I took another one, with a different camera (don't ask).

Le-Mans · Post by **Le-Mans** » 24 Dec 2003, 08:15

Ahem! I should get used to this forum and the fact that it has all happened and been discussed before. I found this:
http://www.andyspares.com/discussionfor ... utch,cable
I guess I can do the job myself. [8D]
Who needs a Haynes manual when you've got Andyspares forum?

arry_b · Post by **arry_b** » 24 Dec 2003, 15:13

Bad luck chap, cars seem to know when it's Christmas and when the shops will be shut! Check the cable is free and "un-stiff" or you'll be back there again soon.

Dave Burns · Post by **Dave Burns** » 24 Dec 2003, 18:22

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">
cars seem to know when it's Christmas and when the shops will be shut!
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Hehe...yeah don't they just, thats when my bugger bust at christmas a few years ago.
Dave
MC and a HNY to all.

Le-Mans · Post by **Le-Mans** » 25 Dec 2003, 04:45

Hey y'all!
Merry Christmas!
So... I printed off that thread all about the naughty clutch pedal and it's friend awkward brake pedal (no presents for them this year!) and went at it without any new replacement parts (coz the suppliers were closed), hoping I might "gunter" the old bits back into temporary use...
I used the "bend clutch pedal bracket away from brake pedal" method to get the clutch pedal bolt out in one piece. Not easy, sore head, sore back, sore hands, but it worked. Took the pedal out. Removed the plastic bit from the end of it. Pulled as much clutch cable as I could back into the car and put the plastic bit and metal clip back onto the end of it. Bound it up with a few cable ties. LOL! Then attached the pedal back to the plastic bit and fed it all back into place. The masking tape and a bit of coat-hanger worked a treat to get the spring and other things like the nut (the one for the bolt naturally enough) back into place. With the bolt now in the correct orientation it was a breeze to put back together (compared to the dismantling anyway).
The brake pedal canister thing proved VERY reluctant to go back in place so I cut an X into the insertion end to make it a bit more flexible. This worked a treat too.
Adjusted and tightened everything... Then the moment of truth... FAILED! [:(]
Ah well, at least it'll be easy to take out and re-do when I get the new parts.
Cheers to everyone fot the very helpful tips and tricks.
He he, no drunk driving for me this Christmas. There is a god!
[:p]

Le-Mans · Post by **Le-Mans** » 25 Dec 2003, 04:46

Just thought of a nice New Years resolution...
I'll take photo's with the good camera when I install the new bits and post the lot here.
[;)]

Le-Mans · Post by **Le-Mans** » 30 Dec 2003, 07:31

Necessity being the mother of invention… Had to get the car back on the road for an important trip. She didn’t care how I got there. [;)]
So I rummaged in the shed for a while and came out with a handful of scraps of metal, nuts, bolts, and washers. Considered a few options and then decided on what looked like the best solution – A small piece of pre-drilled brass box-section, a wood screw, and a couple of cable-ties. I only had to cut the box-section to the right length, cut a pivot space at the top, and cut a retention space at the bottom for the bullet end of the clutch cable to go into. Here’s what I ended up with:

And here it is going into action (notice how I bent the bottom flanges inwards to grip and hold the thiner part of the cable in place, and provide a "seat" for the bullet end):

And finally a couple of cable-ties to make it all that little bit more secure:

Bring back toys like Mechano! That's what I say! Never mind all this plastic rubbish. [:p]
Incidentally, it only took me 15 minutes to take the pedal out now that the clutch pedal bolt is in the correct orientation.
I’ve done about 100 miles with this temporary DIY clip, but the new clip goes in when the parts shop opens.
Or does it? [:D]

rs1800 · Post by **rs1800** » 31 Dec 2003, 22:52

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, 22:53

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

Le-Mans · Post by **Le-Mans** » 01 Jan 2004, 01:49

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by rs1800

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
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Look at this first pic, taken as if you're in the car upside-down looking up at the pedals. This can all get very confusing, so we'll use "passenger side" and "driver door side" for orientation. The spring goes on the passenger side, and the *rimmed* side of the white plastic spacer/cylinder goes to the passenger side also. The head of the clutch pedal bolt is on the passenger side, and of course the nut is on the driver door side.

The second pic shows more detail. Note that the bigger hook goes onto the lower edge of the clutch pedal, and the smaller hook goes onto the back of the pedal bracket.

It'll all make sense when you are in the car, upside-down, with the pics in one hand, and the parts in the other.
Have fun!

JohnW · Post by **JohnW** » 01 Jan 2004, 14:12

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Le-Mans

Necessity being the mother of invention… Had to get the car back on the road for an important trip. She didn’t care how I got there. [;)]
So I rummaged in the shed for a while and came out with a handful of scraps of metal, nuts, bolts, and washers. Considered a few options and then decided on what looked like the best solution – A small piece of pre-drilled brass box-section, a wood screw, and a couple of cable-ties. I only had to cut the box-section to the right length, cut a pivot space at the top, and cut a retention space at the bottom for the bullet end of the clutch cable to go into. Here’s what I ended up with:

And here it is going into action (notice how I bent the bottom flanges inwards to grip and hold the thiner part of the cable in place, and provide a "seat" for the bullet end):

And finally a couple of cable-ties to make it all that little bit more secure:

Bring back toys like Mechano! That's what I say! Never mind all this plastic rubbish. [:p]
Incidentally, it only took me 15 minutes to take the pedal out now that the clutch pedal bolt is in the correct orientation.
I’ve done about 100 miles with this temporary DIY clip, but the new clip goes in when the parts shop opens.
Or does it? [:D]
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Looks like it might be stronger than the original design!
JohnW

Le-Mans · Post by **Le-Mans** » 02 Jan 2004, 02:53

Thanks folks.
I'll either tidy up this design a bit, or fit a regular plastic clip. Won't know until I take out my DIY clip and inspect it for stress damage and wear. I don't expect the wood screw would last very long. Heh heh.
I'd have chosen parts more carefully if I hadn't been in such a hurry... She was so glad I go there. [;)]

Brunel · Post by **Brunel** » 04 Jan 2004, 22:14

I struggled for two days to get the clutch pedal off, replace the cursed plastic (Why plastic Mr Citroen?)clip and replace the pedal. Found it useful to tie a piece of cotton thread through the bush to hold the spring and bush in place while positioning the pedal. The bolt goes through OK and the thread can either be broken off or left in place! Then spent a couple of hours not being able to lock the cable into the clip. In desperation removed pedal again and found that the plastic clip was not deep enough to receive the nipple on the end of the cable and allow the spring clip to locate it!!!!
Ive drilled it out, very carefully, and refitted the pedal. I'm now knackered and as it's dark I'll leave it for another day.
What a performance!!!!!!!!!!!!

RichG · Post by **RichG** » 05 Jan 2004, 03:40

Brunel,
I had the same problem when I was supplied with a non-self adjusting cable for my Xantia which was fitted with a self-adjusting cable as standard. When I found out what was wrong I ground the end of the nipple just enough so that it would fit the clip. I then found that the cable would not work as I could not adjust it enough to get it tight as the adjuster nuts ran out of thread.
I bought the correct self-adjusting cable and all was well.
Richard