Welded clutch pedal assembly still has play

[turboAWDfanatic]

I've pulled my pedal assembly TWICE. Once to replace arm/lever with brand new Mitsu OEM parts (including new bushings). Still had free-play after that (the type where you can lift the pedal up with your toe after you've pressed the pedal down to the floor).

I pulled it a second time to weld the brand new parts together. I also had the factory welds on the assembly reinforced to prevent flex.

After all this I put the assembly in, pushed the pedal ONCE, and I've still got an inch of freeplay at the top. With the adjustment rod threaded a little ways into the pedal clevis the clutch pedal rests lower than the brake pedal and I have to screw the cruise switch all the way in.

I've been reading threads on 1g pedal wear for hours and can't find anything beyond what I've already done to solve the problem. So...besides the lever, bushings, and flex in the assembly from old welds, what else can cause excessive freeplay???

Thanks

 

[BrokenTsi]

the arm probably broke behind the welds. Welding it inproperly can weaken the shaft at the very end. It happened to me once. Ive been fabbing up clutch pedal assemblies on here for some guys using custom made brass bushings and then welding the assembly afterwards. I just put one on my car and I can shift like john shepherd now, .

 

[turboAWDfanatic]

If the arm broke, wouldn't it be completely loose? I have about an inch of play like a worn assembly, but after that it will actuate the master cyl. Any idea where I can get a hold of those solid bushings? I know Taboo used to sell them but I haven't seen them anywhere else.

 

[boosting_laser]

Same thing happened to me when I welded my assy. In my case those plastic/rubber bushings melted & the problem persisted. Check those bushings...that might be your problem

 

[turboAWDfanatic]

In my case those plastic/rubber bushings melted & the problem persisted. Check those bushings...that might be your problem

We kept a close eye on the bushings while welding. I didn't have the guy weld the entire circumference around the shaft/nut. The shaft/lever are brand new, so I tightened down the nut real good, and the welder put some pre-load on the lever and basically tacked the shaft to the nut, nut to the washer, washer to the lever. It definitely wasn't hot enough to melt the bushings, but I'll give it a closer look just to make sure.

I'm baffled as to why there'd still be a lot of play right off the bat. I can't see the weld breaking and the lever instantly getting "worn" after pressing the clutch pedal in once.

If it helps any, when I watch the lever, it starts to move the master cyl rod as soon as I push the clutch pedal, but once I release it the pedal stops about an inch from the top. I can then pull it out, and as I do the lever and master cyl rod stay in place.

Thanks for the input. Hopefully I can find a solution here and get back on the road.

 

[1qkfwd]

Have you checked the rest of the clutch system for maybe something in the line of a bent clutch fork?

 

[turboAWDfanatic]

Have you checked the rest of the clutch system for maybe something in the line of a bent clutch fork?

Sorry, forgot to mention. Everything has been replaced.

NEW:
- Clutch/PP/flywheel (properly stepped)
- Ball/Fork
- Slave/Master cyl
- Clutch fluid hard line (lower)
- Clutch fluid soft line (replaced w/ SS braided line)

All components except the SS braided line are OEM Mitsu. On top of all this the transmission is a brand new built tranny from Jack's Transmissions. I'm hesitant to start driving until I resolve the issue so I don't trash my brand new double synchros because of clutch drag.

I'm going to back the trans off and put a shim washer under the ball, but neither that nor extend slave rod (which I may resort to) will solve the source problem of a shortened stroke of the clutch pedal.

Thanks again. Keep 'em coming! <=)

 

[1qkfwd]

I'm going to back the trans off and put a shim washer under the ball, but neither that nor extend slave rod (which I may resort to) will solve the source problem of a shortened stroke of the clutch pedal.

Thanks again. Keep 'em coming! <=)

Thats where I was going with that. You can check the fork to see if its in the right spot before even having to pull the transmission to shim the pivot ball.

 

[turboAWDfanatic]

Thats where I was going with that. You can check the fork to see if its in the right spot before even having to pull the transmission to shim the pivot ball.

It sits right at the 50% point with everything bolted up. That *should* be perfectly fine (as long as you have full travel with your clutch pedal). I didn't shim it b/c I was worried that w/ all new parts and a welded assembly that the shim would cause too much pressure to be put on the TOB when my foot is off the clutch pedal, not allowing the clutch to fully engage. But, seeing as I'm not getting full travel, I'm going to shim it and as a last resort extend the slave rod.

I've thought about extending the master rod like people do but apparently that pushes the plunger too far into the master cyl. But, I guess all of that is a debate for another thread. I just want full travel out of my ##$%@ pedal!!!

 

[turboAWDfanatic]

I checked the pedal assembly tonight and realized that the welding I had done didn't hold. I didn't have the entire circumference welded so that if I needed to pull everything apart in the future I could simply grind a few welds.

So, I pulled the assembly out tonight (man, I've got this whole thing down to like 30 min now!). When I get a chance I'll post pics on how NOT to weld a 1g pedal assembly.

Thanks for the input guys, I'll come back for a wrap-up once I get it welded and installed again. Can't wait to test out my brand new transmission from Jack's!!!

 

[1qkfwd]

At least you didn't HAVE to pull the transmission. Let us know how you like that Jsck's transmission when you get a chance.

 

[seefour]

If it's a brand new pedal assembly and arm, I don't think it should have play after only one push of the pedal. Something else has to be causing it.

Did you replace the dowel pin that goes throught the lower arm and connects it to the master cylinder?

 

[Indyxc]

Looks like you got the problem figured out.

But one more suggestion, as it seems like you are having trouble with clutch disengagement.

Try bleeding the master cylinder on its own in the future. That helped a lot for me when I went through the same problems around 00' and it wasn't common knowledge the pedal assemblies were wearing out on 1gs yet.

 

[kottyking]

Keep us posted man!

 

[turboAWDfanatic]

Update:

I got the assembly welded again at RRE. They welded the snot out of it, but made sure the plastic bushing didn't melt. I installed everything and checked the fork action and decided it was still a little sub-par.

At this point, "boosting laser" (posted above) saved my day. He came over and helped me pull the trans *one more time* and I put a washer behind the ball.

I put EVERYTHING back together today and adjusted the clutch and it was still engaging pretty close to the floor. A little more adjustment and *poof!* it works! Clutch engagement seems just right and the transmission shifts SMOOOTH! There's still a fair amount of threads on the Master cyl and the pedal height is just about right.

I can't report on the true potential of Jack's Transmission yet b/c I have to break in this new clutch. I'll keep you posted!

 

[boosting_laser]

Good to hear she's running again

I did find it interesting that shimming the pivot ball was still needed even w/ new hardware & welded pedal assy. I guess it seems like it's a must when running heavier then stock pressure plates

 

[nates6969]

Hey guys I just finished welding up a new pedal assembly after my old welded one slowly twisted and wore out. I'm having the same problem as turboAWDfanatic as after welding I can push the clutch in once and still pull the pedal up another inch or so! I pulled the assembly out and jammed the lever with a screw driver and applied pressure to the pedal and then looked to see where the slop was coming from...the exposed threaded part of the shaft does not twist at all however it appears the rod is twisting just behind, to the left of the lever arm...is this similar to what yours was doing after welding? I wonder if the heat from the welder softened the pedal arm rod, almost like it annealed it.

 

[turboAWDfanatic]

Hey guys I just finished welding up a new pedal assembly after my old welded one slowly twisted and wore out. I'm having the same problem as turboAWDfanatic as after welding I can push the clutch in once and still pull the pedal up another inch or so! I pulled the assembly out and jammed the lever with a screw driver and applied pressure to the pedal and then looked to see where the slop was coming from...the exposed threaded part of the shaft does not twist at all however it appears the rod is twisting just behind, to the left of the lever arm...is this similar to what yours was doing after welding? I wonder if the heat from the welder softened the pedal arm rod, almost like it annealed it.

That's not what happened to me, but I have heard of the welding process weakening the threaded part of the shaft underneath everything. I recommend that to truly fix everything you buy NEW OEM parts and then have them welded by somebody who knows what they're doing. Good luck!

 

[nates6969]

Ya I just about did that, however when I realized that the threaded portion of the rod was twisting I continued to wiggle it back and forth until sure enough the threaded rod broke clean off the shaft. It wasn't that I was welding the pedal assebly wrong, it was a problem with the clutch fork that was causing an excessively large amount of force to be exerted on the clutch pedal rod. I didn't realized this at the time but a prong on my clutch fork had broke and was causing the fork to actuate on inner bellhousing (no outter) this increased the force by about 5 times on the pedal assembly, which caused the rod to twist. What I did in the end regarding the pedal assembly is rewelded the lever to the rod with no threaded portion. This gave me great penetration to the large diameter portion of the clutch rod. Its super strong now...after that still didn't fix the problem I dropped the tranny to find broken clutch fork and a nice 1/4" hole in the bell housing where the broken prong ejected! Clutch is amazing now!! shifts like butter!

 

[Froyd79]

If it's a brand new pedal assembly and arm, I don't think it should have play after only one push of the pedal. Something else has to be causing it.

Did you replace the dowel pin that goes throught the lower arm and connects it to the master cylinder?

Thats what one would think! However I also bought brand new arm and lever from the dealership and it had more play in it than the original! Not sure how its possible or why but it sure makes you mad!

 

[HookedOnFonix05]

Does any one have any tips or a procedure on how to remove the clutch pedal assembly?

 

[Nihad]

could some one post up some pics of the bushings that go bad i have a 91gsx and the clutch pedal doesnt come back all the way i dont know what to do to fix it but i figure some thing out.

 

[Black_Bullet]

Update:

I got the assembly welded again at RRE. They welded the snot out of it, but made sure the plastic bushing didn't melt. I installed everything and checked the fork action and decided it was still a little sub-par.

At this point, "boosting laser" (posted above) saved my day. He came over and helped me pull the trans *one more time* and I put a washer behind the ball.

I put EVERYTHING back together today and adjusted the clutch and it was still engaging pretty close to the floor. A little more adjustment and *poof!* it works! Clutch engagement seems just right and the transmission shifts SMOOOTH! There's still a fair amount of threads on the Master cyl and the pedal height is just about right.

I can't report on the true potential of Jack's Transmission yet b/c I have to break in this new clutch. I'll keep you posted!

Good to hear its running good now and that your problem is fixed...
When i used to have a act2600 I had to put a nickle sized washer behind the pivot ball
and replace all the same stuff you replaced and used a 2g braided clutch line but it still didnt engage properly due to a feramic disc I guess being too heavy.
With this 2200 pressure plate southbend half kevlar/ceramic clutch disc is engauges smooth with perfect pedal travel. I may need more clutch power though if I ever upgrade turbos.

Does any one have any tips or a procedure on how to remove the clutch pedal assembly?

Funny I didnt have to remove my clutch pedal assembly to weld???
This local dsmer "Jerry aka lancerman " on the tampadsm forums welded a screw onto
the end of the rod bracket to lengthen the throw without removing anything really...hmm.

 

[jab-619]

Does any body have part numbers for the clutch pedal assembly???

 

[jab-619]

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