stiff clutch pedal

[RUNINAGT]

How was it routed b4, and how is it routed now. Also b4 you lubed the cable was it difficult to move by hand. I am having the same problem with my car. I replaced the cable and all was good for about a week and now it is like a brick wall again.

Thank,

Mario

Mine is the same. Man I brought this thread back from the grave lol. I have a Ford racing adj that adj at the trans. Felt great last month, and now it stiff AGAIN!!! Now what?

 

[TOOLOW91]

i just picked up the MM kit with the oe style cable with the quadraant and the fire wall adjuster and it is like butter ive never drove one that felt this nice and the clutch grabs almost right off the floor where i like it to

 

[RUNINAGT]

Link? I just don't get why it's good then goes to bad after a month?

 

[foxbodymike87]

i need to adjust mine..mine catches at the very top

 

[RUNINAGT]

Talked with AM and he thinks it may be adjusted to far out. He told me that the Ford Racing cable and quadrant I have is just as good. That it does not sound like it's a bad cable

 

[jrichker]

Clutch adjustment
Do the clutch adjustment first before considering any other problems. With the stock plastic quadrant and cable, pull up on the clutch pedal until it comes upward toward you. It will make a ratcheting sound as the self adjuster works. To release to tension of the stock quadrant, use a screwdriver to lift the ratchet paw up and out of engagement with the quadrant teeth.

A binding clutch cable will make the clutch very stiff. If the cable is misrouted or has gotten too close to the exhaust, it will definitely bind. The binding common to adjustable cables is often due to misplacement of the adjusting nuts on the fork end of the cable. This will also cause the cable to wear and fray. Both nuts should be on the back side of the fork so that the domed nut faces the fork and the other nut serves as jam or locknut to the domed nut.

Clutch pedal adjustment with aftermarket quadrant and cable: I like to have the clutch completely disengaged and still have about 1.5” travel left before the pedal hits the floor. This means that I have only about 1” of free play at the top before the pedal starts to disengage the clutch. Keep in mind that these figures are all approximate. When properly adjusted, there will not be any slack in the clutch cable. You will have 4-15 lbs preload on the clutch cable.

The quadrant needs to be replaced if you use any type of aftermarket cable or adjuster. My preference is a Ford Racing quadrant, adjustable cable and Steeda firewall adjuster. The adjustable Ford Racing cable is just as good as the stock OEM cable. It allows a greater range of adjustment than a stock cable with a aftermarket quadrant and firewall adjuster. Combined with the Steeda adjuster, it lets you set the initial cable preload and then fine tune the clutch engagement point to your liking without getting under the car.

Using a stock OEM cable, firewall adjuster and a single hook quadrant may result in not having any free pedal travel before the clutch starts to disengage. I found this out the hard way.

See Summit Racing - High Performance Car and Truck Parts l 800-230-3030 for the following parts.
Ford Racing M-7553-B302 - Ford Racing V-8 Mustang Adjustable Clutch Linkage Kits - Overview - SummitRacing.com Cable and quadrant assembly $90
Steeda Autosports 555-7021 - Steeda Autosports Firewall Cable Adjusters - Overview - SummitRacing.com Steeda firewall adjuster. $40

 

[RUNINAGT]

ok I have the Ford Racing quadrant and cable. Adj at fork. We loosened it up to where I really had to press the pedal to engage and it still was very hard. So I put it back to where it was. The one thing that strikes ofdd to m, is when the release bearing is chirping in neutral, you can simply grab the fork and pull it down just a tad and the noise goes away. So I am starting to wonder if my problem may just be in the fork itself? When I was looking closer at it on the lift, I also noticed that the section of cable that goes from the fork to the front of the bell housing, Well from the front of the bell housing where the plastic cover of the cable come through, the cable is angled down slightly as it goes to the fork. Angled enough that it looks like it may be just hitting the end of the cable housing. I hope this makes sense to some one. So I was thinking about ordering another fork, and then grease the ball looking thing it sits on and see? I wish I could see if it was the pressure plate causing this, but every time I think that I remember that the hard pedal seemed to start once I replaced the oe cable with still having the plastic oe quadrant.

Could that slight angle downward be an issue, also could it be an issue that I can move the fork up and down with my hand and make the noise go away. I can get the bearing to stop squealing by adjusting the cable further in. Both of the nuts are on the backside of the fork. Man the bottom of my foot is sore. My leg feels fine it's my foot that is killing me. I have trying to think of something that would simply give me a larger pedal for my foot to have more leverage.

Has anyone converted their s to hydrolic??

 

[1987stangman]

I think most of us have dealt with the stiff clutch crap over the years I know I have over the last 10. The last time I fooled with it I got a OEM cable to replace it, never tried a adjustable. This time around what I tried is since you have to remove the rubber piece that comes on the cable for the factory setup to use with my UPR firewall adjuster I used my air cut off tool to shave a slice off and put it back on the cable so it sits between the cable and the adjuster. It cushioned the pedal and it's felt better than it ever had and it's been a year now. I used to go through a cable a year. Sounds dumb, but it worked for me and I'm not about to tempt it.

 

[RUNINAGT]

Interesting, I though about a way to cushion the pedal pad but can't figure out how. I think to me it's more of the pedal being small and pressing the bottom of my foot, rather than my leg hurting?
I think also I must of done something to my foot and the clutch has aggrevated it. When I got home from walking most the day at work, my foot was swollen. So it may just be that I hit my foot not knowing and the stiff pedal just bruised it more??? I drove a company truck home last night after fooling with the cable a little bit more. I moved the cable to the hook on the quadrant closest to the firewall just to see, and still the same.
I did order some new parts yesterday though. I ordered a new release bearing, bearing retainer shaft, fork, and pivot ball.

So now all the items will be new. I think it is possible that with me bearing being bad and squeaking like a stuck pig, that the retainer it slides on may be damaged some and not allowing the bearing to slide smoothly on the shaft. I'm not a transmission expert but have spoke with a couple guys that were and both said it is very possible that the retainer could be damaged. If it is then it can make your pedal feel like a brick. So keeping my fingers crossed that once the parts get in on Tuesday and we put them in, that my problem is much better.

This also hopefully could be the reason of my release bearings going out so quick after replacing. They start squealing in about 6 mths after putting in.

 

[Blackbetty88gt]

so would a stiff clutch pedal cause any damage any where? I've had mine for 3 years Stage 1 spec clutch UPR triple hook quadrant, firewall adjuster and adjustable cable. Its always been super stiff lets out close to the middle but just a little after. I do however have the cable on the middle hook on the quadrant. Also even after changing my transmission for a 3rd time still the same stiffness. It did get stiff after the quadrant change (no choice when the stupid plastic one breaks)