MK ! clutch cable bind

[belchfire]

I have an '81 diesel caddy with a 1.6 TD and a '94 jetta 5 speed trans. The trans is the same .020 casting as every other one and it mounts the same. My clutch travel is long and stiff. I bought a new cable when the old one broke and it was for the stock '81 application. It seemed short so I routed it as straight as possible. It goes up and over the brake booster and enters the firewall grommet at an angle. The grommet is horizontal but even if it were angled upward to accommodate the cable, the hook on the pedal arm is higher than that entry point so the cable rubs against the housing and there's the problem. Without the booster, there'd be no problem but that's not going to happen. I tried to get a longer cable but this is about it.  It seems that the hole for the grommet could be moved upward but the firewall starts to angle out and would entail some body work. The cable barely makes it so re-routing doesn't seem possible. This part of the project is stone stock so I don't know how they made it work originally.  Also, the travel is really long. I've got the freeplay as tight as it will go but have to stab  the floor for full disengagement. I had to run the jetta 215mm clutch as the input shaft is larger diameter. Everything swapped out and looked the same as the old diesel set up. It almost seems that if I sectioned a piece out of the lever, then the angle would be right and the travel would increase but what would that do as far as effort? Or would eliminating that friction point cancel it out?

[Powered by Spearco]

Check the cables end at the trans. There is two different sized rubber insulators at the clutch arm. Maybe you have the small/skinny one and you need the bigger/thicker one. That will take up some of the cable free play and travel. Also check that the peddal assemblely where the cables shield rests at fire wallt is not bent.

[belchfire]

Should have read MK1 I held the shift key down too long. That aside, it's the cable sheath that's too short. I have plenty of adjustment. Even if I bent the grommet to a more accomodating angle, the location is too low and the cable has to go up to reach the attachment point. What I did though was to take a chance and make a new hook. I drilled a 3/8" hole below the old hook and chamfered both sides. Then I hacksawed off the old hook and finished the hole into a new hook. Much better. The pedal effort actually decreased due to the friction reduction and the leverage ratio wasn't as much a factor as I thought that it might be. I was worried that I wouldn't have tnough throw but I just made it and now that there is better feel, pushing it to the floor isn't as hard as previously.