Clutch pedal doesnt return all the way?

[chrisc]

Just heading back home after a weekend away and heard a twang like a cable snapping and the clutch pedal went slack. Expected to have no clutch but it appeared to operate as normal when I pulled over.

Looking it over the clutch isnt returning for the top half of the travel - it actuates the cable properly, and for the bottom half of the travel has proper pressure, but the top half of it is totally slack and unless you hook your toe under it to bring it back all the way it holds the cable under tension.

The spring on the clutch arm on the gearbox is in place and I cant make out anything looking at the mechanism under the dash - is there another spring somewhere thats snapped? maybe a frayed cable sticking in the sheath?

Heres hoping its not another hard to find / reach fault of the right hand drive controls travelling across the bulkhead... you guys dont know how lucky you are to have it all on the same side!

Car is a 85 hpe vx.

[Will]

There should be a clutch return spring up high above the pedal, I think it's inside of the bent metal of the HPE pedal box but I'm not sure- I can post the parts diagram if you need, I have it on disc converted from fische.

I am guessing the spring came unsecured rather than broke outright, but that's just a guess.

[Jim Keller]

I aggree with Will, probably wasn't on all the way and popped off, it's up there, just look closer, it may have shot off both mounting points and is laying up there or fell behind the carpet

Be REAL careful putting it back on, I have sliced my hands pretty bad when I had one slip on me. A brake tool with a groove in the blade makes installing a bit easier and safer. Put the end of the spring on the brake tool shaft, center the grove on the post and tilt the tool till it stretches far enough to reach and slides off the tool onto the post. You may have to give the spring a bit of a push to slide it on the tool to the post with some other tool like a flat blade screw driver. Job's a "B" sometimes, other times they pop right back on no problem

[davidb]

2ND Jim's advise: Lancia stamped the pedal shafts & NEVER ground off
the edges. They are very sharp!!!!

[chrisc]

Noted.. I took a look and I cant even see that part of the assembly though I see the spring on the diagram. I take it access requires some earnest dissassembly of the underdash gubbins?

Theres a bracket with a return stop for the clutch pedal and a switch for when the brake pedal is depressed - looks like that needs to come out?

[Jim Keller]

Easiest way and least time is take out the front seat the lower dash panel, lay on your back on the floor once the seat is gone with your legs/feet on the rear seats, you should be able to study it enough, with the manual, to see what's up. There could be something else let go which let the spring go, I have a pedal assembly if your's is toast for postage, clutch pedal bushing is toast do you'll have to rebuild that, I found a local lawn mower repair joint that had the bushings to do that, but changing out the assembly is no easy job I must warn you so try like hell to repair yours, trust me! <wink>