Clutch return spring removal

[xxBrun0xx]

Whatever it's called, this mod is incredibly good. This + TRD Quickshift + clutch lowered to a hair above the brake pedal = perfect setup for this car. Every owner should do this mod.

[stockysnail]

Originally Posted by customfab87

Highly Recommended! I always wondered why the car felt like it was responding to very stiff diaphragm springs, yet the clutch return travel had no feel. I have owned about a dozen stickshift cars over the past 10 years, with stock to 6-pucks, and have never had a clutch be so soft, vague, and jerk the car so much. LOL. Although the pedal is a little stiff now, I can completely feel the action of the springs, which helps when you're feathering a non-responsive electronic throttle! No more stalling EVERY SINGLE DAY.

I found the easiest way to remove the C Clip is to take a small flat head, stick it into the middle of the "C", and push away from the rod. If you try to push on the ends of the "C", you'll just keep rotating the clip and get annoyed. Easiest way to remove the spring, as others have said, is to push the clutch in all the way to relieve compression on the spring, and then to push the spring away from you. It should pop right out.

I would compare the stiffness to an ACT HD Street clutch.

I may end up looking for a very weak helper spring (I've seen compression springs at Home Depot and Auto Parts Stores) if the stiffness gets annoying in LA traffic. I think the stiffness is something easy to get used to. Plus it prevents me from holding down the clutch and putting wear on the bearings!

Thanks for the tips. It only took 15mins! This may be the best 15mins of car work I've spent. I can tell where the clutch is engaging now instead of a guessing game of if the spring rotating is the clutch grabbing or if the clutch is actually grabbing. Only slightly heavier feel. Not to the level of a stonger aftermarket street clutch. I need to have everyone drive my car now to see how much different it is since I also just put in the TRD quick shifter, which shortened the throws drastically, much more than the much more expensive Kartboy shifter.

[Simon99]

Originally Posted by xxBrun0xx

Just did this as well and it is incredibly good. My only question: Has anyone else who has done this noticed that the first half an inch or so of travel has basically no resistance? Might this have anything to do with the petal height adjustment mod I did prior to doing this? Any way to fix this?

This ^ performed the clutch engagement point DIY yesterday and now wanted to remove the spring, hoping it would resolve the inch or so with no resistance whatsover ...

[xxBrun0xx]

After about a week with the spring out, I've gotten used to the barely any resistance at the top of the pedal feel. Think it was just strange at first because of how much resistance the first half an inch or so is in the stock pedal. I think that area with low resistance is where your clutch is completely disengaged. Could be wrong, though.

What do cars without the rotating spring do to keep the pedal firm up top?

[Slysdexia]

Originally Posted by xxBrun0xx

I think that area with low resistance is where your clutch is completely disengaged. Could be wrong, though.

The softness up top is when the clutch is fully engaged.

Originally Posted by xxBrun0xx

What do cars without the rotating spring do to keep the pedal firm up top?

They don't. My '94 Ranger 4.0 had an auto-adjusting hydraulic clutch you could use to launch grapefruit, but it still had a bit of a soft area right at the top of travel. My '00 Civic had an easy, auto-adjust hydraulic clutch with a long throw, and an easy spot for the first inch. Friend's 86 Fiero had a medium weight, manual adjust hydraulic clutch and had a small dead spot at the top, and his '88 CRX has a manually adjustable cable clutch, and still has a small dead spot.

If it was hard right at the top, there'd either be pressure on the clutch at all times, or there would be no leeway for age, wear, etc. to happen which would lead to pressure on the clutch.

Slack is a nessecary thing sometimes. It's the same deal with throttle cables.

Sent from my PO-T4T0 with Eyes.

[k.houan]

Hmm, I want to try this. But how hard would it be to reverse? In case I need to get back to stock or don't like the new clutch feel.

Sent from my LG-E980 using Tapatalk

[stueck9356]

The space is tight, it would be more difficult that it was to remove, but not impossible. I was hesitant because the first day I had it off I was in traffic and the pedal was so stiff that I almost reinstalled the spring, but now I love it.

The soft spot at the top of the clutch is normal. @Slysdexia covered it. Also, the master cylinder has a pin-hole that leads to the reservoir. With the clutch pedal up, the pin hole is open and fluid can equalize between the reservoir and the clutch lines. As you depress it, the pin hole closes and the line is able to pressurize itself. If it didn't have this "breather hole" to the reservoir, then as the clutch line warmed up the fluid would expand and your engagement point would change not to mention it would ride the clutch.

Sent from my GS4

[Slysdexia]

Originally Posted by stueck9356

The space is tight, it would be more difficult that it was to remove, but not impossible.

Thinking about it, if you used zip-ties to compress the spring, you might have an easy enough time getting it all back together if you change your mind.


Sent from my PO-T4T0 with Eyes.

[stockysnail]

Been two weeks without the spring and I'm happy to say I'm never going back!

[Slysdexia]

Originally Posted by stockysnail

Been two weeks without the spring and I'm happy to say I'm never going back!

I decided to never go back after 50 feet.

Sent from my PO-T4T0 with Eyes.

[xxBrun0xx]

This thread should be stickied. Every single person with an 86 should be doing this.

[JDKane527]

After removing the spring, you can even try replacing the thin factory rubber clutch pedal travel stop with a thicker piece.

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=62137

[MikeyBRZ]

I am glad so many of you have done this and enjoy the "natural" feel on the clutch!

[elbles]

Unlike some folks who have done this mod, I found that the hardest part was actually removing the pin at the top of the spring, holding it to the pedal assembly. I couldn't get the pin to budge with the clutch fully engaged (which is sort of expected), but there wasn't much room to pull it out with the clutch pedal fully pushed in.

In any case, once the pin came out, the spring assembly was easy to push out.

And yes, what a difference. The first time I drove a BRZ, I almost ruled it out on the basis of the clutch feel, and it's easily been the most irritating part of the car since I've had it (with ~22,000 miles on it now), but it totally transforms the feel of it. I don't really notice it being much stiffer, it just feels far more natural in its engagement.