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@Matt McNeil posted:

I'll check it out at the clutch arm. My buddy mentioned the lack of a return spring on the arm in the video. I'll take a look when I get home but if that's necessary and missing, could that be a culprit? I assume that since everything is upside down, a modified spring would be needed?

As Danny said, the return spring is on the clutch arm at the transaxle and since the bell crank reverses the pull, the clutch spring is stock VW.

The more I think about tit, the pin on the clutch pedal shaft is likely your culprit so I'd pull the pedals and inspect.  The suggestion for the upgraded big-foot pedals is a good one.  Anyway, if you have a vice, once pulled, lock the clutch hook in the vice and feel the pedal for freeplay and then a good physical inspection to see what's happening.  

Do you have any specs on the pressure plate used in your build?

@chines1 posted:

As Danny said, the return spring is on the clutch arm at the transaxle and since the bell crank reverses the pull, the clutch spring is stock VW.

The more I think about tit, the pin on the clutch pedal shaft is likely your culprit so I'd pull the pedals and inspect.  The suggestion for the upgraded big-foot pedals is a good one.  Anyway, if you have a vice, once pulled, lock the clutch hook in the vice and feel the pedal for freeplay and then a good physical inspection to see what's happening.  

Do you have any specs on the pressure plate used in your build?

I'll see if I can work up the nerve to take the pedal set out this weekend and report back... LOL

I'm pretty sure it's the Kennedy PP as I bought the kit from Fibersteel. I'll look at the box when I get home.



Matt

UPDATE! So, I thought I'd report back as I hate it when threads almost solve an issue then just don't...

So, I pulled the pedals and the clutch hook was VERY worn. I was expecting slop in the clutch shaft/pin area but it was tight. The pedals did wobble side to side as a result of worn bushings, though. I took the group's advice and bought the updated clutch shaft and rebuilt the pedal cluster. The bushings were VERY worn but since there were no good replacements to be had (I bought a set from eBay and they were terrible) , we turned the original bushings 90 degrees and that tightened everything up. THANKFULLY, I can now adjust the clutch cable at the rear and see a change in the pedals. I THINK this may have solved the issue but I'm currently dialing the cable in.

One side note... I tried to pull the clutch cable to grease it and the tunnel BUT, the bends in the metal tube prevented the rod at the end of the cable from clearing that first "Boden tube" bend. I imagine they ran the cable and THEN bent the tube? ALAS... I bought a grease gun and loaded as much grease into the end of the tube as I could, but I don't think it got very far even with the longest needle I could find at the moment.  Further, if I ever break a cable I am FUBAR. Any suggestions?

@Lane Anderson spyder doesn't use a Bowden tube, rather the metal tube in the chassis acts as a Bowden tube.

@Matt McNeil No, the cable is installed much later, so if your cable will not come out, something has been bent more than it was when initially installed.  I've seen everything from the motor rested on the e-brake tubes during install, bending them down, to someone just kicking them "out of the way" because they thought they'd be int he way, to someone cutting the welds and moving things around...  You'll likely have to measure how far it will pull out so you can figure out where it is binding and try to straighten it out a bit.

That actually brings up another good point that I had forgotten about (we stopped using cables in the Spyder clutch a long time ago).  If one of the weeds that secures the clutch cable tube has broken or was removed so it is less supported, you can have the cable flexing the tube before it actuates the clutch lever.  When depressing the clutch pedal you should see no movement in the tube itself.

@chines1 posted:

@Lane Anderson spyder doesn't use a Bowden tube, rather the metal tube in the chassis acts as a Bowden tube.

@Matt McNeil No, the cable is installed much later, so if your cable will not come out, something has been bent more than it was when initially installed.  I've seen everything from the motor rested on the e-brake tubes during install, bending them down, to someone just kicking them "out of the way" because they thought they'd be int he way, to someone cutting the welds and moving things around...  You'll likely have to measure how far it will pull out so you can figure out where it is binding and try to straighten it out a bit.

That actually brings up another good point that I had forgotten about (we stopped using cables in the Spyder clutch a long time ago).  If one of the weeds that secures the clutch cable tube has broken or was removed so it is less supported, you can have the cable flexing the tube before it actuates the clutch lever.  When depressing the clutch pedal you should see no movement in the tube itself.

I'm pretty sure it's hanging up at that first bend (4-5 inches back) where the Bowden tube would be. If I straighten the tube there, wouldn't it muddle with that geometry and also rub the cable? (currently, the cable is really very centered in the tube opening). Or, is there NOT supposed to be a bend there?

I also had my kid get in and push the clutch in and out. I saw no tube movement where the tube is visible.

So, is the clutch cable more likely to make the car hop if too tight or too loose? Is the sweet spot only within a few turns or should it be fine over a good number of turns? I have it pretty loose now and it seems good. That said, I would love to get that cable out and grease it.

Thanks again, guys. I appreciate it!

-Matt

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