Clutch Cable

I am having trouble getting the clutch cable past the clutch cable
sleave under the vw close to the clutch arm, any advice or hints?

Thanks!

CB2090 (ZBUGBITE) wrote:
> I am having trouble getting the clutch cable past the clutch cable
> sleave under the vw close to the clutch arm, any advice or hints?
>
> Thanks!

You must unbolt the sleeve (Bowden tube) and straighten it out.
Slide the cable thru and then re-attach the sleeve.

Speedy Jim
http://www.nls.net/mp/volks/

In article >,
Speedy Jim > wrote:

> CB2090 (ZBUGBITE) wrote:
> > I am having trouble getting the clutch cable past the clutch cable
> > sleave under the vw close to the clutch arm, any advice or hints?
> >
> > Thanks!
>
> You must unbolt the sleeve (Bowden tube) and straighten it out.
> Slide the cable thru and then re-attach the sleeve.
>
> Speedy Jim
> http://www.nls.net/mp/volks/

and make sure that bowden tube is sagging. It's easiest to "shim' with
washers while it's "loose" otherwise I cut washers into a "C" shape to
squeeze on to get that sag.
and of course grease the cable plenty and the wing nut.
thank you for keeping another ACVW alive.
--
Money; What a Concept !

Speedy Jim wrote:
> CB2090 (ZBUGBITE) wrote:
>> I am having trouble getting the clutch cable past the clutch cable
>> sleave under the vw close to the clutch arm, any advice or hints?
>>
>> Thanks!
>
> You must unbolt the sleeve (Bowden tube) and straighten it out.
> Slide the cable thru and then re-attach the sleeve.
>
> Speedy Jim
> http://www.nls.net/mp/volks/
>

Speedy Jim,

The only VW I have worked on is my Type 3, so I don't know how much the
clutch systems differ between models. (You don't "unbolt" the Bowden
tube, you pull it out from the retaining hole on each end.) That Bowden
tube is flexible but very, very stiff and resistant to removal once the
tranny is bolted in. You have to withdraw the Bowden tube about an inch
to clear it from the transmission end of its receptacle, and I found out
how difficult it is to get it back in. Ideally, you want to remove the
Bowden tube only when you have taken out the tranny and are
re-installing it, but in the case of replacing a broken cable, removing
the tranny to relieve tension on the Bowden tube would be more trouble
than it is worth.

If the cable is almost all of the way through the Bowden tube but won't
go any farther, then it is caught on the lip. You should be able to
stick a thin screwdriver in the end of the Bowden tube to free the cable
past the lip. If the cable is caught on the front end of the Bowden tube
(the body connection end) then withdrawing the Bowden tube enough to be
able to see the cable end will allow you to jiggle the cable so you can
pull it through a fraction more before putting the Bowden tube back in
place.

Another trick that might work is to twist (rotate) the cable at the
pedal cluster end while pushing it into the guide tube, kind of like
using an auger to unclog a drain; that might free it past the lip. Also,
having an extra pair of hands usually helps.

Thank you to everyone for thier help!

It was the bowden tube, which I just pulled down and off. I was also
doing this project by myself and I was having a hard time getting the
loop on the clutch cable to stay on the clutch pedal arm (in the pedal
assembly) so I used a simple twisty tie from a bread bag and twisty
tied the clutch cable to the pedal arm while the pedal assembly was
unbolted and out and this worked.

CB2090 (ZBUGBITE) wrote:

> I used a simple twisty tie from a bread bag and twisty
> tied the clutch cable to the pedal arm while the pedal assembly was
> unbolted and out and this worked.

Did you remember to coat a liberal amount of multi-purpose grease on the
cable/pedal hook and eye? If you don't then the two parts will wear each
other out -- like in less than two years. I went a step further and put
a small plastic bag, like 2"X2", over them to help keep the grease in
place. It was one of those small parts bags that you can reseal. Doing
that will give you peace of mind.

On Mar 5, 10:51 am, Randall > wrote:
> CB2090 (ZBUGBITE) wrote:
> > I used a simple twisty tie from a bread bag and twisty
> > tied the clutch cable to the pedal arm while the pedal assembly was
> > unbolted and out and this worked.
>
> Did you remember to coat a liberal amount of multi-purpose grease on the
> cable/pedal hook and eye? If you don't then the two parts will wear each
> other out -- like in less than two years. I went a step further and put
> a small plastic bag, like 2"X2", over them to help keep the grease in
> place. It was one of those small parts bags that you can reseal. Doing
> that will give you peace of mind.

I can't tell you how many tunnel mats I have pulled up, to find an
access hole opposite the clutch hook mechanism, it makes getting the
cable started in the tube, and held in place, a little easier.
However, you can also use twisty-ties (as the above poster said and
did) or a zip-tie.. the first time you stomp on the clutch pedal, the
zip tie breaks and just lays there in the bottom of the tunnel.

wrote:
> On Mar 5, 10:51 am, Randall > wrote:
>> CB2090 (ZBUGBITE) wrote:
>>> I used a simple twisty tie from a bread bag and twisty
>>> tied the clutch cable to the pedal arm while the pedal assembly was
>>> unbolted and out and this worked.
>> Did you remember to coat a liberal amount of multi-purpose grease on the
>> cable/pedal hook and eye? If you don't then the two parts will wear each
>> other out -- like in less than two years. I went a step further and put
>> a small plastic bag, like 2"X2", over them to help keep the grease in
>> place. It was one of those small parts bags that you can reseal. Doing
>> that will give you peace of mind.
>
> I can't tell you how many tunnel mats I have pulled up, to find an
> access hole opposite the clutch hook mechanism, it makes getting the
> cable started in the tube, and held in place, a little easier.
> However, you can also use twisty-ties (as the above poster said and
> did) or a zip-tie.. the first time you stomp on the clutch pedal, the
> zip tie breaks and just lays there in the bottom of the tunnel.


You can also use painter's masking tape or a rubber band. Both give and
deteriorate and fall off within a short period of time.

In article >,
VFW > wrote:

> In article >,
> Speedy Jim > wrote:
>
> > CB2090 (ZBUGBITE) wrote:
> > > I am having trouble getting the clutch cable past the clutch cable
> > > sleave under the vw close to the clutch arm, any advice or hints?
> > >
> > > Thanks!
> >
> > You must unbolt the sleeve (Bowden tube) and straighten it out.
> > Slide the cable thru and then re-attach the sleeve.
> >
> > Speedy Jim
> > http://www.nls.net/mp/volks/
>
> and make sure that bowden tube is sagging. It's easiest to "shim' with
> washers while it's "loose" otherwise I cut washers into a "C" shape to
> squeeze on to get that sag.
> and of course grease the cable plenty and the wing nut.
> thank you for keeping another ACVW alive.

I second the un-"bolting" . it's the fitting at the rear end of the
bowden tube. two nuts. and make sure there's grease inside the tube. It
wears a lot where the bend is. I carry a spare cable. tho, it have
gotten good at driving w/o a clutch cable. The method is in the "How to
Keep your VW alive" book, by John Muir.

A VFW wrote:
> In article >,
> VFW > wrote:
>
>> In article >,
>> Speedy Jim > wrote:
>>
>>> CB2090 (ZBUGBITE) wrote:
>>>> I am having trouble getting the clutch cable past the clutch cable
>>>> sleave under the vw close to the clutch arm, any advice or hints?
>>>>
>>>> Thanks!
>>> You must unbolt the sleeve (Bowden tube) and straighten it out.
>>> Slide the cable thru and then re-attach the sleeve.
>>>
>>> Speedy Jim
>>> http://www.nls.net/mp/volks/
>> and make sure that bowden tube is sagging. It's easiest to "shim' with
>> washers while it's "loose" otherwise I cut washers into a "C" shape to
>> squeeze on to get that sag.
>> and of course grease the cable plenty and the wing nut.
>> thank you for keeping another ACVW alive.
>
> I second the un-"bolting" . it's the fitting at the rear end of the
> bowden tube. two nuts. and make sure there's grease inside the tube. It
> wears a lot where the bend is. I carry a spare cable. tho, it have
> gotten good at driving w/o a clutch cable. The method is in the "How to
> Keep your VW alive" book, by John Muir.


I erred apparently in referring to "unbolting". Type 1 boxes (some/most)
had the rear end of the Bowden inserted into a recess cast into the sidecover.
http://images.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/455758.jpg
but some had a bracket:
http://images.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/355923.jpg

What often happens:
http://images.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/323483.jpg

Late Bus boxes did have a 2-bolt bracket which was easy to remove.
http://images.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/606236.jpg

Speedy Jim
http://www.nls.net/mp/volks/