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While out driving this summer something dropped on my foot. I stopped the car and found a fairly substantial spring in the foot well. I didn’t recognise it but everything seemed to work fine so I continued on my way. Back home a bit of research identified it as the snappily titled “Spring - clutch pedal retracting cable assy - clutch releaseâ€. The spring tensions the clutch cable adjustment quadrant. My first instinct was to just try hooking it back where it came from. I soon realised that the only way the spring could have escaped was if the quadrant had broken. Picture from FordoPedia the spring is part 17, the quadrant part 20.
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I am constantly being told by wife and daughter that I should do yoga classes to keep my body supple. I can assure them that extracting a clutch and brake assembly from a Marlin is a far more comprehensive workout. Requiring, laying on the seat squab with legs in the air. I took the best part of a morning to remove it and another morning to get it all back again. Changing the part took 30 seconds.
Sure enough the plastic around the hole had split releasing the spring.
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The reason for my tale is that Ford makes the quadrant with different rolling radii. The standard Sierra one fitted to my car is yellow 45mm radius. They are also available in white 50mm and black 55mm. My Zetec engine bolted to a type 9 gearbox is not a Ford option. Despite using thicker clutch release bearing from a Capri the clutch bite point was very low. I found my lazy foot not pressing quite far enough. The clutch pedal does not “roll†far so I was sceptical that it would make much difference, a little harder to push but a little less far to push to disengage. I was right it does not make much difference but it is perceptibly better in use. The new 55mm quadrant does lift the bite point perceptibly. I wouldn’t do the Marlin yoga unless you have too but if you find yourself needing to renew the clutch quadrant of if you are engaged in a new build it’s certainly worth considering.
Disappointingly, my lazy foot has quickly adjusted to the new bite point.
Paul
D2.10c.gif
I am constantly being told by wife and daughter that I should do yoga classes to keep my body supple. I can assure them that extracting a clutch and brake assembly from a Marlin is a far more comprehensive workout. Requiring, laying on the seat squab with legs in the air. I took the best part of a morning to remove it and another morning to get it all back again. Changing the part took 30 seconds.
Sure enough the plastic around the hole had split releasing the spring.
Img_9619s.jpg
The reason for my tale is that Ford makes the quadrant with different rolling radii. The standard Sierra one fitted to my car is yellow 45mm radius. They are also available in white 50mm and black 55mm. My Zetec engine bolted to a type 9 gearbox is not a Ford option. Despite using thicker clutch release bearing from a Capri the clutch bite point was very low. I found my lazy foot not pressing quite far enough. The clutch pedal does not “roll†far so I was sceptical that it would make much difference, a little harder to push but a little less far to push to disengage. I was right it does not make much difference but it is perceptibly better in use. The new 55mm quadrant does lift the bite point perceptibly. I wouldn’t do the Marlin yoga unless you have too but if you find yourself needing to renew the clutch quadrant of if you are engaged in a new build it’s certainly worth considering.
Disappointingly, my lazy foot has quickly adjusted to the new bite point.
Paul
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