DIY - Easy clutch grab adjustment (~10 mins)

[unsurety]

If you lower it to 2-3 mm above the brake pedal, that should still be fine, right? Did it by spinning the clevis.

I haven't heard any chatter yet, knock on wood. Cruise control engages/disengages like normal, car doesn't move in 1st gear with pedal to the floor and revs applied.

[xxBrun0xx]

I've put ~5k miles on my lowered clutch (2-3mm above break pedal) and haven't had any issues. Any idea how quickly after doing this mod people were having issues?

If you're like me and only read the last page of long threads, be warned: This mod is incredible. You won't ever go back to stock

[Stealthy]

Originally Posted by xxBrun0xx

Now you just have to pull the return spring out and it'll actually feel like a real clutch!

Any tutorial /instructions for that? :p

[unsurety]

Originally Posted by Stealthy

Any tutorial /instructions for that? :p

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showt...ghlight=helper

[Synack]

Originally Posted by xxBrun0xx

I've put ~5k miles on my lowered clutch (2-3mm above break pedal) and haven't had any issues. Any idea how quickly after doing this mod people were having issues?

If you're like me and only read the last page of long threads, be warned: This mod is incredible. You won't ever go back to stock

Maybe 5-10k. Honestly if you don't feel that your clutch's engage point is getting lower and lower the more you drive, then you're probably OK. If you do feel it, then I'd raise it back up to stock.

If you've got whistling and chirping or spinning grinding noises it's time to replace it.

[TCGMark]

I Just did this adjustment today. Amazing what a quarter turn does.

[aristo]

Originally Posted by Synack

You can actually see this at a certain angle when underneath the car (with engine running). I think I also saw it through the clutch fork boot. As long as your throwout bearing is disengaged 100% after this mod, you're good to go. I just put my pedal level back up to stock height because the turbo setup and aftermarket clutch and flywheel isn't helping my throwout bearing any lol.

Sorry to bug you chief but could you provide more detail about where to look for the throwout bearing spinning? Or maybe what it looks like specifically, or from what angle it needs to be viewed

Here is a picture of the under body to use for reference:

Going to lift my car just to see if mine is engaging or not because my clutch pedal is adjusted a little lower than brake

[TCGMark]

So, behind the aluminum panel under the engine, there is a plastic one that has the exhaust coming out of it. Remove that and you will expose the underside of the transmission. There are open "vents" on the bell housing that you can look in to see the clutch assembly.

[Synack]

Originally Posted by TCGMark

So, behind the aluminum panel under the engine, there is a plastic one that has the exhaust coming out of it. Remove that and you will expose the underside of the transmission. There are open "vents" on the bell housing that you can look in to see the clutch assembly.

Yes this exactly, sorry couldn't reply sooner.
There are actually a few things you can see inside of there including the clutch assembly and the throwout bearing if you can see it at the right angle.

If it's difficult to see or you aren't entirely sure what you are looking for, have a friend in the driver seat pushing the clutch pedal down and up repeatedly until you can see how the system works. The throwout bearing is attached to the clutch fork (inside the trans) which is the big black metal piece that the clutch master & slave is pushing back and forth (at the very top of the transmission) to disengage and engage the clutch.

The throwout looks like this, probably not the same colors though after thousands of miles of usage.

[Shady195]

Just did this.

My biggest issue with the clutch was that everytime I felt I had it perfect, its like my muscle memory decided LOL not anymore you dont and I would disengage is sloppily and sometimes slip it. I've never had this issue on any other of my standard vehicles.

I did the initial just below the brake pedal, and while I really thought the engagement made for a much smoother shift especially when heel-toeing, there was a slight "slop" for the first little bit that I did not like. While it did not affect how the car drove, everytime i put my foot on the pedal, or took it off the pedal i could feel this "slop" and it drove me nuts. Now I have it just in line with the brake pedal and im getting used to that.

[benlaz88]

So, i just adjust my clutch pedal today and put it to the same position as my brake and its feel so much better. Pedal are lower and no need to push gas to roll forward and reverse. Didn't smell any burnt for 20 mile ride, shifting are good, and no grinding while shifting to all gears. Seem like there are no problem so far.

Is there any other things i should be noticing or be aware of while testing the adjustment?

[xxBrun0xx]

Originally Posted by benlaz88

So, i just adjust my clutch pedal today and put it to the same position as my brake and its feel so much better. Pedal are lower and no need to push gas to roll forward and reverse. Didn't smell any burnt for 20 mile ride, shifting are good, and no grinding while shifting to all gears. Seem like there are no problem so far.

Is there any other things i should be noticing or be aware of while testing the adjustment?

If there is just a hair of free play at the bottom of the pedal, you should be OK. That being said, you'll notice your pedal has much less resistance to being pushed in now. Remove that helper spring attached to the clutch pedal and enjoy!

[aristo]

Just to make sure - what exactly is free play?

When you mean free play at the bottom is it the gap before the clutch begins to slip and engage the gear?

Likewise what would free play at the top be? The travel that occurs before the clutch disengages?

Thanks

[xxBrun0xx]

Originally Posted by aristo

Just to make sure - what exactly is free play?

When you mean free play at the bottom is it the gap before the clutch begins to slip and engage the gear?

Likewise what would free play at the top be? The travel that occurs before the clutch disengages?

Thanks

Top freeplay = "Clutch Disengaged" section - in this section, the clutch plate is completely pressed against the flywheel with enough force to prevent any slippage, therefore the engine and tranny are spinning together

Bottom freeplay = "Clutch Engaged" section 0 in this section, the clutch plate is completely disconnected from the flywheel, so regardless of how much the clutch plate is forced to move, the engine is spinning independently from the transmission


Think of the freeplay as safeties. Those areas are put in to ensure that all clutch pedals can be set to the same height regardless of manufacturing tolerances on the clutch plate itself. By lowering the pedal, you're effectively removing some of that safety margin, which is okay, as long as you leave a little bit. You just don't have to leave as much as the stock car comes with.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that over time, due to the clutch wearing, the section between "clutch starts engaging" and "Clutch fully engaged" will move downward towards the floor, requiring you to adjust the pedal upwards as needed to maintain your "Clutch Engaged" safety region.