Cordoba clutch replacement

[hugh.venables]

I'm getting close to having to replace the clutch in Bron's Cordoba. Is it possible for the cable to prevent the clutch from driving properly? I don't drive it regularly enough to get a feel of how it's going but she seems to be coping with driving it carefully for much longer than I would have expected. She knows when it slips and has been avoiding it slipping for over a year now. It almost seems to be an intermittent fault which is unlikely from a clutch.

If I do have to replace it, I've had a read of the Haynes manual (better than nothing) and a look and it seems to me that there won't be much holding the engine up by the time the transmission is removed and that the engine won't be very solid for undoing and torquing up bolts and nuts. Is it necessary to temporarily mount some sort of brace between the engine and the body? The car will be on a hoist.

[Golf Loon]

Should use an engine bridge to hold up the engine.
Self adjusting clutch cables are misunderstood and can cause dramas.

[hugh.venables]

Thanks Matt,
How can I get to understand the cable better? Can it malfunction and take up all the free travel and hold the clutch off a bit?

Is there a recommended set of mounting points for the engine bridge?

[Peter Jones]

Hi Hugh, haven't heard from you in a while.

Engine bridges just support the motor from either side of the engine bay where the bonnet rests.

You could also use a bit of 2x4 and some rope after dropping the motor down on a jack.

I've got a few boxes on the ground at the moment if you want to see how it goes together before you make the attempt.

Should only take you a few hours to do.

[gldgti]

I dont personally use the bridge for the engine but I have an engine crane and a good jack - I put the jack under the engine and use the crane to take off/lower the gearbox.... anyway I've found its OK torquing the pressure plate bolts with the engine supported on the jack - but safer to support it from above as pete and Loon said.

Also, its probably worth sourcing a new clutch cable, you can get a manually adjustable replacement that has no mysteries about it just to make sure. Last time I bought one was from HSY.

[hugh.venables]

Thanks Guys, I thought I had replied to this but maybe took too long and got logged out.

I have made a start and have a couple of little problems. There is a pressed steel bracket about 250 m.m. long bolted to the end of the transmission with two nuts and bolts extending towards the back of the car until it shares the rear trans mount centre bolt. The two bolts have been fitted from the left side of the car and hit the inner guard sheet metal long before they can be removed. We may get them when we can roll the trans around and drop it a bit. If only the bolts were fitted from the other side.

The left drive shaft looks difficult to get to clear the output flange and pull up out of the way. I was hoping not to have to disturb the wheel alignment but may have to remove the two bolts that clamp the strut bottom to the upright.

Any suggestions?
Thanks, Hugh.

[Golf Loon]

Remove the 3 bolts on the bottom of the ball joint. Should allow you to move the hub without rooting the wheel alignment.

[hugh.venables]

Thanks Matt, that worked well. It was still a fight to get the transmission off the engine. The right side output drive flange doesn't get past the flywheel very easily. We had to drop it a lot to get it out from under the inner guard sheet metal. Not looking forward to trying to get it back in. We've got a turnbuckle chained to a bit of RHS across the tops of the guards and bolted to the left side of the engine which is very useful.
Hugh.