# Help! My clutch cable will be the death of me...



## Whitey212 (Apr 25, 2010)

Hello all,

I would like to share my frustrations with you and see if I can get any feedback from people that may of had this problem before or direction to any threads I may have missed in my search for the answer to my problem.

I have a 1998 200sx se-r. It is swapped with a sr20ve and has the stock sr20 transmission I believe. I bought the car about six months ago and had this problem multiple times. My clutch cable would begin to what I thought was stretch. So instead of purchasing a new one I just adjusted it multiple times. Finally I have had the pleasure of not being able to engage the clutch at all with the cable adjusted all of the way down. Now, being not quite that lazy I go and purchase a new stock cable and try and install it. The cable is about the same size as the one that I have been adjusting down for the past three months. Please help me find the right cable, I have tried two different stock cables from dealers to rule out any sort of packaging error...

The clutch was done recently, and still grips phenomenally... I do not believe it to be a clutch error. Im out of ideas, Thank you for any help in advance...


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## ChrisAce (Sep 30, 2004)

My best guess would be something wrong with the clutch. Is it an OEM clutch? I accidentally put the clutch plate in backwards once. It rubbed the spring casing off and caused the springs to fall out. Not fun. 

Looks like you will have to take it off and find out why it isn't releasing it. Maybe the arm that the cable connects to is not rotating inside the bell housing correctly for some reason? Not sure about holes in the bell housing, but perhaps you can obtain one of those snake cameras to look inside and see how the arm is operating.


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## GreenEyedAngel (Aug 22, 2008)

I just had my clutch cable replaced today (was completely stretched, but after 582K makes sense...lol - also see my thread on clutch squeal). As I don't have the facility to do my own work currently, had it done for me. Just an FYI, clutch cables for these vehicles are out of production so you have to find someone who stockpiled them - I wouldn't be surprised if the dealer(s) gave you a perceived equivalent rather than a true replacement. The key to me is your original statement that the cable is "about the same size." Perhaps someone can correct me, but I believe that mismatched cable could conceivably throw the clutch out or cause other issues.

Maybe things are different in NY, but that's the situ in Central FL. Also, I've found this article really helpful in getting to the basics: http://auto.howstuffworks.com/clutch2.htm


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## Jdoggsc (Dec 25, 2007)

ok i'm going to resurrect another thread here.

I replaced my clutch with an autozone clutch kit (new flywheel and everything) in Nov. 2009 and it gripped phenomenally. Since then, I replaced my clutch cable with a stock one. That was just over 2 years ago. Every few months I'd have to re-adjust it because it would start to grind--until I bottomed out my clutch cable adjuster. I called to get a new cable and the dealer wants $95 now. I'm figuring a clutch cable should last more than 2 years so i suspect it's something else, but I bought a new OEM cable anyway (got it online from nissanpartszone for just over $30 (be warned, they're getting expensive at the dealer!)). 

I put it in two days again, and when i adjusted it (pressed the pedal 50 times to break it in) it was still grinding with the pedal was all the way to the floor and the clutch cable adjusted as tight as it can go. brand. new. cable. clutch has 2 years on it, and < 20k. I don't drive it that hard.

I've read about cheap fixes putting washers behind the adjusting nut and all, but I'm concerned it's something else. Throw-out bearing? pulling the tranny out wasn't fun at all and I'd rather not do it again unless the culprit is the clutch, flywheel, or throwout bearing. The throwout arm has a lot of play in it... With no cable attached, i can rotate it like 30+ degrees with my hand. does that seem overly loose to anyone else? 
all ideas are appreciated.

thanks.


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## jdg (Aug 27, 2009)

Gonna kinda sound a bit stupid, but.......
Are you 100% sure that you're not adjusting the cable to be too _tight_? Something like bottoming it out and trying to force the cable to be longer than it should be and over time stretching it out?
And yes, 30 degrees of travel does seem like an awful lot. Not exactly sure how much mine moves, but I don't think it's anywhere near 30 degrees. Maybe 10 or so...just enough to let me know that it's not touching the clutch fingers at that particular point and no more. Isn't your throwout arm removable/reposition-able on there? Maybe move it back a notch or two?
Also, is the cable housing itself secured from the clutch all the way to the pedal?


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## Jdoggsc (Dec 25, 2007)

> is the cable housing itself secured from the clutch all the way to the pedal?


yes, i secured it all the way to the pedal--even put it through that holder by the brake fluid reservoir.



> Are you 100% sure that you're not adjusting the cable to be too tight? Something like bottoming it out and trying to force the cable to be longer than it should be and over time stretching it out?


I would consider that as a possibility, except that I replaced the clutch cable 2 days ago and it's still tightened as far as it'll go but the clutch doesn't leave the flywheel. I'm following the FSM on how to tighten it.




> Isn't your throwout arm removable/reposition-able on there? Maybe move it back a notch or two?


I don't know. I didn't pay much attention to the mechanism when i replaced the clutch. I think it's something worth looking into--as long as it doesn't require taking the tranny off the engine.



> And yes, 30 degrees of travel does seem like an awful lot. Not exactly sure how much mine moves, but I don't think it's anywhere near 30 degrees. Maybe 10 or so...


I remember not even very long ago that it moved just a few degrees, and now it moves a lot more--like 4x more than it used to. That's why I was considering it possibly being the throwout bearing instead (crossing my fingers that it's not).


anyone know if the arm is adjustable?

please, keep the ideas coming.


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## jdg (Aug 27, 2009)

Just to make sure we're both on "the same page" (literally  )....
I'm looking at the "clutch withdrawal lever", part #5 on page CL-4 of the FSM.
Doesn't look like that arm is adjustable. I thought it might be.

Have you got all of your cables...new and old? Have you measured them to see if they are actually stretching out?


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## Jdoggsc (Dec 25, 2007)

I see it on CL-3, but yes, it's #5, the "withdrawl lever" .

I checked both cables side-by-side on saturday. i was going to post a few pictures and links to videos, but I'm having issues with my router and cable modem fighting and am not able to post those as I hoped. They two cables might be off by 1mm or so, but otherwise they're identical. 

I mauled a washer and used it as a shim between the cable and them withdrawl lever. no dice. it's getting progressively worse--now I can't get it into reverse without grinding gears worse than I've ever ground gears before.

I'm losing time. I'm going to start taking the dumb thing off tonight--I can't be this long without a car.


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## Jdoggsc (Dec 25, 2007)

OK i finally got stuff together, so i can post things now.

The situation is a little obsolete now, but here are the details of the of my 1.5-year clutch issue: 
here are the pictures of my 2-year-old cable next to my brand new one:

















and a couple videos i meant to link to to demonstrate the loose movement of the withdrawl lever.

Withdrawl arm travel without cable attached.

Withdrawl arm travel by pushing on pedal.

I ended up pulling the transmission out and checked out the damage.

The leaf springs in the pressure plate went flat for some reason.

















see. compare the leaf springs to the new pressure plate. 









so I replaced the clutch only 1.5 years after I put it in. the clutch itself was in great condition. too bad i have no use for it now.

anyway, for anyone who stumbles across this issue too, here's a possible cause, and a likely fix.


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## jdg (Aug 27, 2009)

Looks to me like the old clutch had a bunch of "little fingers" vs the new clutch which has fewer, but "bigger fingers".
Did you go the cheap route the last time around?


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## Jdoggsc (Dec 25, 2007)

not that I know of. I didn't buy a performance clutch kit for my 1.6L econobox--I spent a good $120 on a complete clutch kit incl/flywheel. dunno what the difference was this time. hopefully the "bigger fingers" will hold up better...


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## LvR. (May 26, 2010)

You cannot compare a pressure plate's fingers angle with another if they are not both in the same situation (either installed with a clutch plate on the flywheel or removed from the flywheel).

Once the clutch assembly is on the flywheel the "fingers" get flattened due to operational design anyway. 

Glad you got it all sorted though


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## Sgtalers (Sep 2, 2014)

im having the same issue but can not see your pictures or video. Please help.


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