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Vintage Suggestions for clutch cable replacement 1970 142

1

1970_Volvo_142S

Member
Joined
Jun 28, 2006
Location
Alexandria, VA
Well on the way to work this morning my clutch cable broke about 6 inches from the clutch pedal. Bap-Geon has one for me on Monday for 31.00. It looks pretty straightforward as far as install but I was wondering if anyone can give advice or tips that will make the install go smoothly. Fortunately I was able to start the car in 2nd gear and drive it home without using the clutch. Car is a 1970 142 s with an m40. Thanks.
 
You might need some thick cut washers at the firewall to account for the short cable housing on some aftermarket cables.

Other than that it should be straight forward.
 
Thanks Ken. Ill make sure I have a few handy. Is the cable already lubricated or is that something that's done during install? I'm still wondering why it broke. Everything seemed smooth and bind-free. I did have some trouble with reverse and first lately and had to adjust the pedal last week but now I'm thinking the cable was starting to stretch.
 
There is a grommet where the cable goes through the firewall that is usually deteriorated or missing.Volvo has discontinued it but VP has them part #677056 (I sent them a NOS part and they had it copied).

Check the clevis on the pedal side of the cable. The original cables had a very nicely forged end, the aftermarket cable ends are rough, crooked and can get stuck on the hook at the end of the pedal. I have had several Gemo cables break right at the pedal clevis within a few months of replacement from the clevis binding at the pedal. Gemo claims there is no problem, I beg to differ. Use a file to smooth the clevis and a little grease on the contact point to prevent it from binding.

It takes 2 people to remove the cable, 1 under the dash with a 15/16" box wrench on the nut and 1 under the hood with a 7/8" wrench to turn the cable. There isn't enough room under the dash to swing the wrench. Remove the cable from the bell housing first, it makes it easier to spin the cable off the nut. Make sure to replace the clamp that holds the cable to the inner fender, it will rub the steering shaft if you don't.
 
hiperfauto said:
There is a grommet where the cable goes through the firewall that is usually deteriorated or missing.Volvo has discontinued it but VP has them part #677056 (I sent them a NOS part and they had it copied).

Check the clevis on the pedal side of the cable. The original cables had a very nicely forged end, the aftermarket cable ends are rough, crooked and can get stuck on the hook at the end of the pedal. I have had several Gemo cables break right at the pedal clevis within a few months of replacement from the clevis binding at the pedal. Gemo claims there is no problem, I beg to differ. Use a file to smooth the clevis and a little grease on the contact point to prevent it from binding.

It takes 2 people to remove the cable, 1 under the dash with a 15/16" box wrench on the nut and 1 under the hood with a 7/8" wrench to turn the cable. There isn't enough room under the dash to swing the wrench. Remove the cable from the bell housing first, it makes it easier to spin the cable off the nut. Make sure to replace the clamp that holds the cable to the inner fender, it will rub the steering shaft if you don't.
Click to expand...

Thank you, that is some good info. I'm not sure what brand the cable is, but at $31.00 I'm certain it's not OEM. I'll take yours and Redwood's advice and do the repair on Monday.
 
It's a sod of a job, mainly because of the grovelling under the dash.

I do them on my own. I use a large ring spanner and I tape the nut to it and then tape the spanner so the nut is in front of the bulkhead hole. Then I lay the cable out straight and I rotate the cable, never the nut. Finally I fit the bell housing end. Removal is done the same way.

The cable will function without the bulkhead nut, but I hate hearing it rattle so I refit it.
 
Fivehundred said:
It's a sod of a job, mainly because of the grovelling under the dash.

I do them on my own. I use a large ring spanner and I tape the nut to it and then tape the spanner so the nut is in front of the bulkhead hole. Then I lay the cable out straight and I rotate the cable, never the nut. Finally I fit the bell housing end. Removal is done the same way.

The cable will function without the bulkhead nut, but I hate hearing it rattle so I refit it.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the advice sir. I was thinking of a way to do the job myself since there's no one I can think of to help me on Monday. I was planning on following hiperfautos advice but without a helper it makes things difficult. It just sucks because I went to the filling station last night and have a full tank but can't drive the car until I do the repair.
 
Well the job is done. Took me almost two hours and the hardest part was the nut on the inside of the firewall. I ended up jamming the wrench onto the nut and using electrical tape to secure the wrench to the clutch pedal so I could rotate the cable until it was tight. It would've been easier with two people but it was just me. On the clutch fork there is a rubber bushing that the tip of the clutch cable fits through, but the ball kept slipping through it. I didn't use the bushing I hope that will be okay. Anyway thanks to all who posted it really helped. I can put the gearbox in reverse and first gear nice and easy now and the m40 shifts nice and smooth.
 
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