Spring / Clutch Pedal

[aslives]

So I had the clutch cable replaced recently and there was a "twang" odd feeling and sometimes noise in the motion of the pedal. My mechanic said that the spring under the pedal was causing the problem and removed it, saying that it really isn't necessary and that the clutch has enough force to return on its own.

Anyone dealt with this issue before? Any reason to leave that spring in place?

[azruss]

I think the spring pulls the pedal to the top position. The twang thing is probably the tee on the end of the cable isnt nesting properly in the groove or isnt greased. This will make for a very short cable life.

[Curly]

The big heavy spring attached to the clutch pedal is not a 'return' spring, it's an assist spring. Because of its strength and location they are very tricky to fit and I'm not surprised your mechanic left it off. The return spring is attached to the lever at the gearbox end of the cable. I have one 124 with the assist spring removed and another with it fitted and I can't tell the difference, so if you're happy with the pedal pressure, leave it off.

[bradartigue]

So I had the clutch cable replaced recently and there was a "twang" odd feeling and sometimes noise in the motion of the pedal. My mechanic said that the spring under the pedal was causing the problem and removed it, saying that it really isn't necessary and that the clutch has enough force to return on its own.

Anyone dealt with this issue before? Any reason to leave that spring in place?

Sometimes you need a translator for mechanic speak. What he was saying was "I removed this and I can't figure out how to put it back on."

I know that the prevailing wisdom of mechanics is that auto manufacturers put a bunch of stuff on cars that isn't necessary (which is why most Spiders are missing their rock shields). In truth these pieces and parts contribute in small ways to improving the overall experience. It's like a gear syncrohonizer, you don't technically need it, you can double clutch and grind gears all over creation, but they sure are nice to have.

[majicwrench]

It must be a full moon, once again I agree with Brad, why would the engineers put the spring there if it "isn't neccessary"???

Lots of things on cars aren't neccessary, like timing covers (one of my pet peeves) but it is all there for a reason. Mechanics who leave parts off (and there is a lot of em) should be run out of the business. And most of them that leave parts off, eventually are.

Keith

[carl]

I'm with Curly, if the clutch feels OK then don't worry about it. If you go back to the mechanic and ask him to reinstall the spring (which he probably already threw away) then he will be a pissed mechanic working on your car....they are a pain to remove and install. Unlike the other posters here, I am not in a religious experience with my Fiats where everything has to be as done by the factory (such as building our cars with poor quality-unprotected steel).

carl

[Tobi]

Here is a list of items that I removed from the car and are not missed.
-clutch spring
-engine rock shield
-brake rock shields
-timing belt covers
-wheel house liners
-sun visors
-interior mirror (missed a little)
-spare tire
-jack
-windshield cleaner bottle
-bumpers
-catalytic converter
-trunk light
-upper center console
I should put that all on a scale and see how much weight I lost

[aslives]

Thanks for the replies. Actually my mechanic offered to put the spring back but thought it wasn't necessary. I'll hold onto it for now.

While I'm sure there was a perfectly good reason for it, as many of you have described, being a product guy myself I can't imagine that it was perfection back in 1979. Sounds like folks find all sorts of things that could be removed - may not have made sense at the time, but 35 years later we've learned a lot...

[majicwrench]

We haven't learned much. Did it make noise before mechanic replaced clutch cable?? But it did AFTER?? Guess what, something is not correct under there. Let's just leave it out then...

Keith

[Weelan]

Here is a list of items that I removed from the car and are not missed.
-clutch spring
-engine rock shield
-brake rock shields
-timing belt covers
-wheel house liners
-sun visors
-interior mirror (missed a little)
-spare tire
-jack
-windshield cleaner bottle
-bumpers
-catalytic converter
-trunk light
-upper center console
I should put that all on a scale and see how much weight I lost

That's actually an interesting topic. I have my center console "in" right now. it's not actually attached as the floors need to be replaced and the carpet is ripped out. I have the original radio in right now in replacement of the old one the guy before me had, but I don't have the antenna plug so it's just there for nostalgia.
Did you also remove speakers? I clicked through your flicker from your sig, and it looks like you don't have the radio in place. Do you have a closer picture of that area? Is anything covering your heater box area? It's hard to tell from the only picture that shows that area.
Maybe this should be a private message topic...

For relevance: I also removed my clutch spring from the pedal assembly. I was a bit nervous that it would be too much strain on the clutch cable, but I recently wound up replacing that cable, so I should be good now after reading these comments saying it's not very noticeable. Might not be a bad idea to carry a spare on longer journeys for serious backup if you're still nervous.

[Tobi]

Sorry Weelan, I don't have any closer pics yet.
The car never, ever had a radio so I did not have to remove speakers. The hazard switch is going to be in the upper dash.
I still need to replace the lower center console with one of the original wrapped consoles before I can wrap carpet around the heater box.
I also like to redo my dash wood and hope one day to take the time to post pic's when I am all done with the interior.

[majicwrench]

Just think, you could leave out the dash and save weight!!!!

[fiat218]

PUT SHIT BACK WHERE IT BELONGS
I call it lazy ness

[aslives]

Well, Jim is a bid adamant, but it turns out that that spring keeps the housing from coming off. My mechanic figured this out on a test drive when the cable popped out. He then put the spring back -all is well.

[fiat218]

Great