[eXc450]

Hi All

I have searched, but could not find any posts that made sense to me.

1994 G16b LWB Vitara. Clutch replaced 40,000kms / 2 years ago.

I have been having to adjust my clutch cable a lot of late, so I assumed it was the cable. I have replaced the cable, and it is working, however I am struggling to get the adjustment right.

I have managed to adjust the Pedal free play, but not the clutch release arm free play

In the manual it says there should be a "Cable outer nut" in diagram 15.4. Neither my old cable, nor new has this. Would I be correct in assuming that is why I cannot adjust the freeplay at the clutch release arm (off the side of the clutch)

The posts I did find suggests there should be 20mm free play. Is that at the Clutch Release arm?

If I have any slack at the clutch release arm, then I have no clutch. I would say I have done it to the point where there is no free play, plus another 2mm (ie. not 2mm of free play, but 2mm of...the opposite of free play)

Going by the manual and others posts, this is wrong?

What am I doing wrong in the adjustment? Do I need those extra "cable outer nut" ?

As I said above, the car is driveable, but I am lead to believe from other posts my current settings (no free play) will wear the spiggot bearing?

Manual extracts attached so I/we can get terminology matched to it.

Cheers
Chris

[royce]

where the clutch cable attaches to the bracket on the block the nuts are there, unless you have the slip in rubber block method, which is shit

I had all sorts of trouble with mine, in the end I lifted the clutch pedal height a bit with the adjuster bolt on the pedal box then set it so there is just the slightest bit of freeplay at teh clutch arm

its not the correct way to do it but a bit of wear here and there combined with shit design in the later models means its about all you can do

[eXc450]

I do have the rubber slot in one. The Suzuki one was $340, so I decided not to get it!

I guess I'll have a go at doing what you did.

When you say pedal box, is that just the adjuster screw at the top of the pedal? Or is there actually a box I need to look for?

[royce]

nah its that one

are you adjusting the cable free play with teh nut on the cable at the gearbox end?

if you have to pull the cable out while fiddling, try and spray as much silicone spray down it as you can, ive found that makes a huge difference to pedal feel

[eXc450]

I tried to explain that in my first post - If I have any free play at the gearbox end, the clutch doesn't work. I need to have it tight (free play taken off) plus another 2mm or so tighter.

So is there a trick to allow me to get that free play back at the gearbox end?

[royce]

you dont have freeplay at one end and not the other

if you need more pedal travel to make it work, wind the stop on teh pedal in a bit so the pedal sits higher

make sure the firewall where the cable bolts to isnt cracked too

[eXc450]

Sorry, are you saying I should have free play at both ends? That is what my goal is, but I can only get freeplay at the pedal end.

So I'll try raisng the pedal height this afternoon and then readjusting the gearbox end?

[royce]

if you have freeplay at one end you have it at the other, its just hard to feel with the stupid rubber bush

when I set mine I get underneath, push the clutch lever forward so the slack is taken up and wind the nut in till it jsut touches gives, you about 1mm play at the clutch arm but its gotta be better than not being able to shift

[eXc450]

ok, so if I get the 1mm fre play at the gearbox, I get no clutch usabliltiy - I can't get a gear with the car running.

So with this scenrario, will changing the pedal hieght adjust that? I didn;t think it would?

[royce]

when you lift the pedal up, youll get more freeplay, which you can then adjust up to get some useability

the other way to do it is keep winding the nut in on the cable till the clutch takes up relative to teh floor where you want it and adjsut the pedal height up till you get the freeplay you want

youll have to redo it a few times as the cable beds in and stretches, after a year mine is pretty good now bar the nuts coming undone (I use a sierra cable and its a bit dodgy )

[losfer]

its the shitty rubber that slots into the bracket that is causing your problem , it compresses too much and doesnt allow the clutch to disengage fully

[eXc450]

Ended up breaking the arm that attaches onto the gearbox. Does that help determine what the issue might be? This happened 2 years ago, which is why I ended up getting the new clutch...Surely the clutch can't be gone after 40,000kms...I am never hard on it.

Any ideas where to get a new arm from other than Suzuki? I'll try wreckers tomorrow but would prefer new

http://www.suzistore.com.au/shopexd.asp?id=573 $30 Could be the go

[eXc450]

losfer wrote:

its the shitty rubber that slots into the bracket that is causing your problem , it compresses too much and doesnt allow the clutch to disengage fully

Anyone confirm this? If this is the case, I should try to find a different type...

[royce]

eXc450 wrote:

losfer wrote:

its the shitty rubber that slots into the bracket that is causing your problem , it compresses too much and doesnt allow the clutch to disengage fully

Anyone confirm this? If this is the case, I should try to find a different type...

When I put a HD clutch in the rubber was causing me all sorts of grief, part of the reason why I changed to a sierra clutch cable

[eXc450]

So the Sierra cable will work fine? Does anything need to be modified? Which model Sierra?

Also, anyone got any ideas why the arm broke? Does that suggest adjustment problem, or clutch problem?

[royce]

it fits the pedal and firewall, the angle out of the firewall isnt excellent but works, its a bit longer so you have to be careful around the fan, the rubber boot down the bottom splits cause its not designed for the travel of the vitara clutch and you need to make a bracket up for the mount on the block, but otherwise its ok

I only did it cause I was burning up a cable per month and it was cheaper to buy a sierra cable and they were the strongest one I could get, a better option might be an early vitara cable and bracket, they dont have the rubber bit

[eXc450]

ok thanks

[eXc450]

The person I got the cable off is going to send me a G16a one, which has the nuts.

So I'll try that and see if it's any easier to adjust.

Clutch shop says 40,000 is 'as new' for a clutch and shouldn't have failed.

[royce]

youll need the bracket on the block too, or make something up

[eXc450]

Sorry, I missed your post - I'll have to have a look and see if I can find a photo of one.

[eXc450]

Well I got the new arm, but not the G16a cable, so I put that on, drove around the block..had to adjust the cable...drove a few more laps...had to adjust the cable...

I'm about to take it on a bigger drive, but is it normal for a new cable to need that much adjusting when new?

[royce]

yeah a bit

[shandy92]

so im trying to adjust my clutch so the pick up is a bit soon on the stroke, i tried winding the nut on the end of the cable IN towards the engine (gear box end) and it somehow made it worse.



do i need to go further or the other way?
cheers

[eXc450]

you want to wind the nut in, so it pulls the cable tighter. In the above picture, you want the thread to be showing more on the right hand side of the nut. (not left side as it is now)

[shandy92]

eXc450 wrote:

you want to wind the nut in, so it pulls the cable tighter. In the above picture, you want the thread to be showing more on the right hand side of the nut. (not left side as it is now)

sorry didnt see this, sorry to say but thats wrong. i did that to begin with as i said before and it made it pick up later (more freeplay in clutch) so i wound it OUT, which lowered to pick up point in turn making it good again. im out of adjustment now