What did I do wrong? Argggg!

[fiasco]

Replacing clutch cable (http://www.fiatspider.com:16080/f08/vie ... f=3&t=4809).

Took old cable out. Put new cable in. Got the little pivot thing seated in the pedal fork (very tricky, as Mark predicted). Went down to connect under the car. Put the little ball-shaped adjuster nut on and threaded it all the way down, and the cable is still loose. With the adjuster threaded all the way down, and the pedal on the floor, the cable still does not engage the clutch on the tranny.

What did I do wrong? The cables are the same length - how could I have so much play in the new one that was not there in the old one?

Frustrated and running out of daylight.
-- se

[So Cal Mark]

I'm a little fuzzy on what you've done. With the pedal depressed, the cable is not pulling the clutch lever at all? With the pedal up, can you move the clutch lever by hand?

[fiasco]

With the pedal completely depressed, and the adjusting nut threaded all the way down, the cable puts no tension on the lever under the car. The lever will move by hand - it's not that the lever is stuck, its that the cable doesn't pull on it. It's almost like the cable is too long, but it's the same length as the one I took off.

The picture shows the lever under the car with the adjuster threaded all the way down and the pedal depressed to the floor. The nut comes right up to the lever, but applies no pressure, so the lever is not pulled forward.

-- se

[joelbert2k]

I haven't looked at mine for a while but it seems to me that that white collar on the end of the cable housing should be attached to something solid like a bracket or something.
Joel

[So Cal Mark]

the cable passes through a hole in the bellhousing. The white collar has to push against a solid mounting point, otherwise the cable sheath moves with the inner cable

[TulsaSpider]

Steve,
You forgot to run it through the transmission housing. There's a hole there that you feed it through and the white part buts up against the housing.

[fiasco]

Ok - I'm going to look now.

[fiasco]

Ya know, when I first went under the car, I thought to myself, "I should take a picture of this so I know for sure how it goes back together." But did I? Of course not. Won't make that mistake again.

Thanks guys. Cable though the housing, and installation complete!

Now my problem is...I dropped a washer...and I can't find it. I heard it fall in the vicinity of the timing belt cover, and I'm afraid it went down there among the pulleys. I'll gonna keep looking, but I'm not sure what I'll do if I don't find it. If it's down there and I start the engine and it gets sucked into the timing belt - I know I'm a mechanical neophyte, but I'm figuring that could be bad.

Thanks again!
-- se

[perthling]

Don't panic, just stand your Spider up on its rear and shake it until you hear the washer come loose (I thought I'd get in before Pope or Tappy had the same suggestion)

[mdrburchette]

I know it's a pain, but maybe you can remove the timing cover or at least loosen it and see if you can blow air around there. Maybe it'll blow the sucker out.

[baltobernie]

Congratulations! You may be among the newest members to discover Mike's Black Hole of Doomed Parts. Also known as the crossmember openings at the body attachment points. These oblong holes are famous for sucking in not only nuts, bolts and washers, but sometimes tools, the HoneyDo list, and even homework, never to be seen or recovered again.

Not to be confused with Denise's Vortex of Nut Hell, AKA the sheet metal gap near the upper rear shock absorber mount. Not even an aluminum-foil hat can shield you from these two evil electromagetic forces. Garlic sometimes works.

[fiasco]

Thanks guys. Never did find it (I like the black hole of doomed parts theory), but I did start it up with no ill effects.

-- se

[pope]

Steve,
You're only getting picked on because its your turn... so, I was laughing so hard yesterday that you wouldnt start your Spider because you dropped a washer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have wrenches, sockets and bolts that I still havent found over the years.

OK all done. By the way, pick up the back of the Spider and shake it till...opps, someone beat me to that one!

[fiasco]

I kept going back and forth between, "This is dumb - it's just a washer." and "How dumb will I feel after the washer gets caught between a pulley and the timing belt and my rods all end up bent?" I figure all's well that ends well, and I don't mind taking my share. Gives me more standing to dish a little on the next guy!

-- se

[mdrburchette]

We all gotta laugh at Bernie's theory of the missing washer since we've all listened to bits and pieces tinkle down the side of an engine, never be found again ....yeah, it's funny when it happens to someone else.