Cannot adjust "by the book"

[gr_diver]

Hello once again!

Today I tried to adjust the clutch of my Ascona. The manual says that the distance between the front face of the bellhousing and the front of the actuating lever should be 109mm.
Before doing any change it was at ~78mm, and the operation of the clutch was slightly below the middle point of the pedal travel. Good in general, only sometimes when trying to shift into reverse, I had to double-press the pedal, or other (rare) times it made that silly "grrnd" noise although having the pedal to the floor...

Trying to achieve correct distance, the adjusting bolt almost bottomed in and I was still at only 90mm, while operation of the pedal was "dangerously" towards the upper end of the travel. I then went backwards again, and adjusted so that operation of the clutch was done at about the middle of the pedal travel, just to be sure that it is engaging/disengaging fully (higher in the pedal travel than before, so the plates get more seperated when pedal floored...). I also took any slack from the pedal cable (later type, with adjusting bolt at the lever), and now the pedal travel is about 13cm (opposed to the 15cm that the FSM recommends).

So I can get the clutch operating well, but this does not happen with manual's specs...

If I went the adjusting bolt all the way in it can go, without dropping it inside the bellhousing, I could achieve maybe 95mm, but I believe that the clutch would never engage fully. On the other hand, I could easily get it to start engaging at only 1cm from floor...

What could be the problem in there? I replaced the clutch disc 2+1/2 years ago, and it has seen about 25.000km, with proper usage...

Thanks in advance!

[anastosmotors]

i did not check the spect adjustments,
but you always do the adjustments with new parts.
if something changes, most likely you have
part fail [ defect ]. petaxeto.
Pete

[gr_diver]

OK, update on the subject.

Today I re-tried to adjust. After carefully reading the FSM, I could see that adjustment of the ballstud is not only performed when installing new clutch parts, but also SHOULD be done at times to compensate for normal wear, and also at every clutch cable replacement... So my problem could not be caused just by used parts (and they are not that much used)...

To make a definition here, when measuring the distance of the actuating lever, I measure from the front of the bellhousing and approximately the middle of the lever's thickness (it is cupped with the "hole" towards the rear, so I measure to about where the surface of the adjusting nut touches it).

So I completely removed the locknut, adjusted the ballstud (which went way in), and contrary to my expectations I could get the locknut back on and snug. I then adjusted cable lash, and started the engine. Now the lever was rattling inside the bellhousing when I was not pressing the pedal, so I backed out the ballstud lightly to take the excess gap. The distance finnaly is about 10,2cm lever-to-bellhouse. The clutch operates well, very close to the correct adjustment, BUT STILL NOT BY THE BOOK!!!

I am starting to get really confused... Coming to the specs after HARD effort*, and then it is like I have exceeded them... when I have not, at least not by the high precision ruler... :-(


* I do it with a socket through the engine compartment. I can get my hand in there (between the bellhouse and the tunnel). I didn't think I could when I first thought about it... I do it from there because from below the exhaust pipe is in the way and I can hardly get to it...

[namba209]

I have a question for you on the throw-out arm adjustment. Did you push the arm forward until the throw-out bearing contacts the pressure plate, or did you just measure it static, that is, with the spring holding the arm back? If you did not push the arm forward to get the 4.25" from the arm to the bellhousing, you adjustment will be incorrect. HTH.

[gr_diver]

I completely removed the cable from the arm, to relieve any force that would affect it, and then pushed it forward until it would stop going any further. After this point the clutch would start to engage (and I do not have the physical power to do this by hand...).

[namba209]

Yes, that's the way the clutch should be adjusted. I have no idea why you cannot get the ideal dimension, unless the clutch plate is worn.

[gr_diver]

Anyway, something is out of shape in there. I think I will give up this thing, until there is need to open the bellhousing anyway. The clutch operates well, so I don't have reason to worry...

Thanks anyway guys!