Clutch Cable

[bobstannett]

Hi,
I have just had to replace the clutch cable on my '95 2.0 16v petrol estate,not because the cable itself had broken,(it was in excellent condition)but the plastic bell-crank which pivots on a needle roller bearing at the bulkhead end had fractured, at the end which connects to the pedal cable, which would appear to me to be the most highly stressed point in the entire set-up: it is bad enough fitting a car of this type with a cable clutch,but then to compound the felony by using plastic components would seem to me to be an act of insanity,or a cynical ploy to keep service costs up! My question however is this:is it a common point of failure on the XM clutch cable assembly? I would greatly appreciate any member's experiences with this or any other clutch cable issues.
regards,
Bob

[aengus-xmv6]

Hi,

not had it actually fail, but did notice that the pivot holed were extending on my original 2.0SEi after running for 110K miles. Had the cable changed when the clutch was done.

Guess it wasn't helped by the fact that I used to sit at lights etc footbrake on, with the clutch pedal depressed while waiting to move on...agree that it's a bit of a weak point though, but not as bad as the pedal clip on a Xant

regards
Dave

[bobstannett]

Hi Dave,
Yes, I've heard a lot about the Xantia cable breaking at that end, and of course, as the clutch plates wear,the effort needed to operate the release lever increases,and eventually, something has to give - or at least, that is my understanding of it: had exactly the same probs. with diesel Pugs in the past, but I do'nt remember the new cables costing £140, or being particularly hard to fit,but perhaps that's just an old geezer's rose coloured glasses!
regards,
Bob