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914World.com _ 914World Garage _ What exactly is clutch freeplay?

Posted by: RustyWa May 4 2005, 09:05 PM

I've always been somewhat confused with this. Is the freeplay the distance you get when you pull up on the clutch pedal until it stops, or is the distance you get when you push on the pedal before you feel resistance?

My feeling is that the answer is pushing the pedal until you feel resistance. Which seems like it would be pretty subtle and hard to get set "properly", maybe not.

Posted by: SLITS May 4 2005, 09:09 PM

It is the "free space" between the throw out bearing and the clutch fingers. If the bearing is in constant contact with the fingers, it will prematurely wear the bearing and possibly the fingers on the clutch plate.

Edit: Since the clutch pedal is spring loaded, pulling up on the pedal is the only way to determine if there is free play between the bearing and fingers...that is unless you have xray vision or a really small mirror and good light to look thru the clutch arm hole in the tranny.

Posted by: RustyWa May 4 2005, 09:16 PM

QUOTE (SLITS @ May 4 2005, 07:09 PM)
It is the "free space" between the throw out bearing and the clutch fingers. If the bearing is in constant contact with the fingers, it will prematurely wear the bearing and possibly the fingers on the clutch plate.

The clutch pedal is spring loaded which takes up the slack in cable. Doesn't this pull, albiet lightly, the T.O. bearing against the fingers?

Posted by: SLITS May 4 2005, 09:31 PM

If you disconnect the cable, the pedal falls to the floor....the resistance is opposite "normal cars". You pull the cable to pull the pedal up and the tension you are feeling is the spring pressure at the pedal.

At least this is how I see it.

My method is to tighten the nut on the cable, get in the car, start it and see where the clutch engages...if it is about 1/2 - 3/4 up from the floor, I know I have free play....but then that's just me.

Posted by: Bleyseng May 4 2005, 10:12 PM

should be 1/2 to 3/4

Posted by: Dave_Darling May 4 2005, 11:19 PM

In most cars, the free play is the amount of pedal travel you push down before encountering any resistance. In our cars, the spring on the pedal means all of the freel play is taken up already by the spring. So the free play is how much you can pull the pedal upward before it stops.

--DD

Posted by: RustyWa May 6 2005, 09:45 PM

Good stuff guys, thanks.

Posted by: URY914 May 6 2005, 09:53 PM

Freebird is the name of the song by Lynyrd Skynyrd that came out in about 1974.

Oh, wait FreePLAY.

Never mind

Paul