Is The Clutch Cable Too Tight??

[Blackbeauty32]

Hey guys im new on here i just bought my first 5.0 ! Love the car but i noticed a squeek coming from the trans (5spd) after investigating i discovered the arm that connects the clutch cable to the throw out bearing was vibrating and loose. So i tightened the cable under the dash i used my thumb to push up on the piece that looks like a third of a circle and has the j hook on it while i held the peddle from moving this was successful at removing the noise i just dont want too much pressure on that pressure plate o and the clutch engages fully with lots of peddle left at the top, wondering if anyone can tell me if its ok to have the cable tighter like that?? Thx guys in advance for ur advice!

 

[revhead347]

I've seen that once before. There should be a little bit of slack between the throwout bearing and the pressure plate. The car I saw it on ended up having a problem on the diaphragm of the pressure plate which was causing the clutch fork to vibrate. The solution was to change the clutch. If tightening the cable fixed the problem, I would leave it alone regardless of how much slack you have. The worst that can happen is that you will need a new clutch, which is what you are looking at anyway.

Kurt

 

[jozsefsz]

If you still have the stock quadrant / adjuster, then you adjust it by simply pulling up on the clutch pedal (usually not needed unless you've replaced the clutch since it's self-adjusting). If you have an aftermarket quadrant and firewall adjuster or adjustable cable, then you do want some slack between the throwout bearing and the pressure plate. Adjusting it until it touches to get rid of the chirping is just fine though, it's the same thing the stock quadrant self-adjuster does. That's why your throwout bearing gets noisy well before the clutch is worn out on our cars.

If you want the throwout bearing to last a lot longer without chirping / chatter, the best thing to do is adjust it with some slight slack and also put a return spring on the clutch fork to keep it from bouncing around. They used to sell a nice return spring kit for our cars but I can't find it any longer. Luckily some folks have put out DIY instructions to make your own. http://www.mustangevolution.com/forum/f280/t272375/