hey,

Old clutch flange broke at bellhousing after I adjusted it tighter. I blame it on my buddy Kerry.

Installed new one. After a day or so it was getting deep and I was having trouble shifting, rode all the way to work in 2nd.

What I've got is a 245ti with an m-47 installed...Installed new clutch cable, and notice that rubber block is missing at arm, only the damper , (hunk of metal that holds cable ball in seat, it is a thick hunk of metal to reduce vibration). Anyway the clutch arm without the rubber block, ground against the damper quite a bit, the geometry of the whle deal was off and there was no "give" to the clutch cable system...

So after mulling it around for a while, I was theorizing that the clutch arm was flexing and was about to crack. I posted to the board and it was suggested that I check out the firewall where the cable goes through to see if it was cracked there and if it was flexing. Good idea I thought.

So today I went to the firewall and had my son work the clutch, no flex but there was movement in the cable, slight but the grommet on the cable and the grommet on the firewall hole made for a touch of play. I took them both out leaving the cable's plastic flange on the metal fire wall-no play, I also checked to make sure the pedal assembly in the car was tight, it was. OK , I've eliminated play and movement up top, off to the dealership to buy a $6.71 chunk of rubber that fits into the clutch arm, the cable ball goes through it (lube it first) and onto the cable end goes the damper.

The damper now sat parallel to the arm with the rubber block in place and not cocked to the side and gringing against the arm, the arm end was degraded somwhat.

It is important before installing a new cable that it be adjusted out all the way, this gives you the most length, and believe me you'll want that fucker to be as long as possible because you'll be under the car witha pry bar, I suggest a thin one, balanced on the end of the clutch arm and wedged at the bottom of the unibody, as the ball peeks through the rubber block you may find it difficult to get the damper around it, every millimeter counts, it can be a real PITA to get the damper around the ball as the crimped neck of the cable ball end won't make it through the slot in the damper and you must go lower on the cable. Be careful not to position your face behing the arm as you install the damper if you loose your pry bar grip it will fling a one pound chunk of metal into your teeth, I had a close call. Remember to install the cable to the pedal first.

I was lucky today be cause the cable had had time to stretch, I adjusted it out, giving it the most length, put the rubber in and grabbed the end of the cablei with a needle nose and held it out as I installed the damper around it without using a pry bar, so there is a way to do it with out having to hold a pry bar in place while you use your other hand to install the damper.

The cable can be adjusted more than I thought, screw it down until the nut begins to compress the rubber sleeve inside the plastic cable housing, in fact I'll advocate trimming a .25" of the rubber sleeve as this would allow for the nut to be sunk even more, and allowing the cable end to protrude more making it easier to slip the damper around the cable. After it's on, get a couple of channel lock pliers, hold the nut up front in place and crank the one at the back till there is .5-1" of upward play on the cluch pedal.


hopefully this extremely long rant was helpful.

Thanks to Rob and D. Lottman and especially Kerry O'Connor my local Volvo high priest, he let me use a really sexy red 242ti while my 245 was waiting on the cable he was nice enough to order for me, hell of an individual and friend.

Josh