according to the workshop manual, there should be a return spring associated with the clutch cable.
Click to view attachment

so far from what i've gathered, the spring in the pedal assembly is supposed to do all the work of actuating the clutch. i probably didn't describe the issue clearly to others, but from dave at gpr to several people here in a different thread all have said the same thing.

in my minds eye, there needs to be a spring somewhere in or near the clutch fork or cable to work against the pedal spring.

can someone help me understand?
paul

I did not have this spring or any other spring when I swapped out my clutch cable??

I have the same question. I replaced my cable and while adjusting and getting it set perfect I wondered "What is keeping the Throwout Bearing from ridding against the fingers on the clutch pressure plate all of the time?"

The throwout bearing does ride against the fingers of the pressure plate all the time.

The thing shown in the photo is a rubber boot, not a spring. And I think it's on wrong--I always thought it should be on the outside of the roller housing, facing forward...

--DD

well what's really bugging me is that at rest, the pedal lays on the floor. if i pull the cable to raise the pedal into position i need to use the fork to secure it erect so to speak.

doing that deletes the throw completely.

wtf am i doing wrong?

The spring in the pedal cluster holds a light pressure between the throwout bearing and the clutch springs. With the cable unhooked the pedal should drop to the floor.

At least that's my take on it.

exactly! thanks.
now, if i pull the cable to raise the pedal into position i need to use the fork to secure it erect so to speak.
doing that deletes the throw completely.

what am i missing?

(i think i'm too stupid for this)

Not sure why you think this deletes the clutch throw. The pedal is now raised into a position that your foot can push it - releasing the clutch. This is the way it is supposed to work.

Please define what you are referring to as 'throw'. I suspect you think it means the amount of free movement of the clutch fork (when the cable is not attached).

Demick

there has never been a return spring other than in the pedal assembly for any
of the 901 style transmission clutch assembly that I have ever seen in the 911 and 914 that I have had. Also I believe the rubber bellows to be proper in the picture
its purpose to protect the cable sheath from filling with crud.

well, the throw of the fork: the movement of the fork from its position towards the front of the car to it's position towards the back of the car.
it's one of the definitions of my stupidity, yes. but it's also a way to describe that action, so please work with me if it's wrong.

the point is the spring tension from the pedal assy pulls the clutch fork to it's farthest point rearwards. it rests against the trans. housing, at the end of it's available travel slot. since i know the pivot point is well into the housing, if i depress the pedal, i'll either bend the fork or break the housing.

sorry for the frustration! i appreciate your patience.

paul

In this case, you have a clutch problem. Could be a variety of things. But if you can pull the clutch fork rearward so that it rests against the transmission housing (either with your hand or with the weak force generated by the clutch pedal spring), then you've got a problem.

Could be that something is not put together right, or that the geometry is wrong with relation to the fork/ball/TO bearing/pressure plate/flywheel. Hard to say, but it looks like you need to pull your transmission and investigate.

The way it should work, is that without the clutch cable hooked up, the clutch fork should be angled toward the motor. There should be some free play, but when you pull it back toward the transmission, it should stop (TO bearing hitting the pressure plate fingers) but will not be anywhere near the end of it's overall travel. This is where the fork (being pulled taught by the clutch pedal spring) should normally sit. Then when you depress the clutch, the cable will pull the fork further rearward, releasing the clutch.

yep, now we're gettin' somewhere.

that's one of the things i suspected. now that it's assembled and installed, i suppose it's a rpita to pull just the tranny.

i think i've seen some threads about it, i'll do a search along with welcoming advice here.

Pulling the tranny is not difficult. Do a search here and you'll find plenty of advise. Good luck.

Demick

You have to think this thru a little bit. First of all the spring on the pedal cluster
merely preloads the cable to eliminate play and rattling. Pedal forward pulls
the cable forward. Cable runs over pulley and at this point on top reverses direction
and runs to the back pulling the fork to the back. Fork has a pivot more than
have way up, motion is reversed again and throw out bearing is pushed forward,
releasing pressure plate. Dimitri

Have you figured it out yet?
Where in mpls are you?
I'm in chaska and can give you a hand if you need sometime
jule

i'm in uptown.
(it's a long story now) it probably needed to be shimmed before re-assembly.

i am going to fire it up if i can get the valves adjusted, then see how it reacts. maybe more wrenching afterwards if needed.

i could sure use a hand w/valves tho! first timer here. we're gonna try it again tonight.

thanks!
paul

btw, i get to your neck of the river pretty often, once the cars back on the road i'll be on that twisty part of 101 pretty regularly!