1998 tracker 1.9 4x4 clutch will not disengage.

[fixkick]

i watched 5 times, video, #18 may be there, cant see closer so... that is the best I can.

[Perry]

The 2 man 1 inch rule did pass for sure.

I’m starting to wonder if I put the clutch in backwards!?!?! Can you confirm which way it is supposed to go? Raised side in or out?

[Perry]

I just a looked up a video of when I installed it. It was definitely installed with the flush side towards engine.

I will look back through your posts in a bit. I will try mock it up tonight and see if I can get the clutch to disengage.

[Perry]

Also, I can confirm that 18 is there.

It was not for a long time, I recently installed it correctly (about 150kms ago). But I did put many miles on without it. I know... oops

[Perry]

Well... it’s all put back together and it appears to be working... road test to follow. The only thing that I can think of is am incorrectly installed pilot bearing somehow made the clutch drag. I’m not sure how but that is the only thing that was out of place. Total time 7 hours! Faster then second time around.. LOL

I wonder how long it will take next time ?

[Perry]

Well.... test drive was a failure. Back to the drawing board.

When I mated the gearbox and engine last night I tried to spin the wheels with the transmission in first, and pulling on the clutch arm with a wrench. It worked well so I went and put it all back together. Anyway I started to go for a test drive and it won’t go into gear when running. Clutch arm moved well, no free play, everything appears to assembled according to the picture you posted.

I have another video here. https://streamable.com/xtblfp How does the free play look on this clutch arm without cable attached? It seems excessive but I can’t find a spec to be sure.

[Perry]

Ok it’s fixed.

Turns out when my outside casing snapped on my clutch cable it kinked, tightening it. When I replaced I the used cable I had was cracked off at the end of the threads, which made me tighten it too much.

The clutch will actually re-engage when the lever is pulled far too tight. The “disengage” range on the arm is like a sweet spot on the middle of the range of the clutch arm.

Well that was fun pulling a trans for nothing!!

I need to order a brand new cable!

[fixkick]

yup #1 is the cable , and when it fails it cracks up stream THINGS on that cable to all places end to end from drivers foot to cable damage.(gorrilla foot effect)
sorry for all that. but cables must not be old and insides worn and those jam lockup. nor have kinks of any kind.
a new cable is super cheap, like 8-10x times less than labor extreme (pull trans).
$25 not $1000 + labor in a shop.
warning on cable china carp sold is just that, even all plastic besides stranded cable, and fails day 1 or a month.
buy only top brands.

the titty on the arm sets the sweet spot then the Free play 2nd.
so now I know you did not have all slack out of the cable because it COULD not be done, due to KINKED.
I have zero trust in cables, after all not one can be inspected, and inside it is what matters most.
sorry for all that work , so very sorry!!!

also once kinked it can not be UN-kinked, outside armor yes, inside no. that is why all used cables are" pigs in a poke sack", very very suspect.

[fixkick]

I wonder how many clutches are replaced that are good.
seen many here.
folks forget the cable is 1st , first everytime, they can fail at 50k miles seen it. have clutches me driving over 250k miles and then only the hydraulic slave was bad.
same on bikes and motorcycles cables bad.

a city car, the clutch is pressed like 400 times day (4x2x25, both ways), and is doomed. (picture 25 traffic lights or worse stop and go for 50miles)
4 shifts (5th never used incity) x2 = up and down shifts, and 25 stop signs, and both ways.
yah it can take a huge beating. and fail. and in the city it sure will. 312 x 400= 124.8k (quarter million strokes a year M to Sat) 312 days.
or 5 times that with soccer moms? lubing the cables like we do no some older Harley's is a GO. for life. (a special tool just to do that, forced lubed)

[Perry]

Yep I feel kind of stupid but it was just a bad luck situation. The spare working clutch cable that I put in, has about 1-1.5 inches of the the threaded end cracked off, just a coincidence really. This resulted in me having it way too tight when about 10mm exposed at the end of the adjusting nut, in reality was more like 30+mm!!! Always compare the parts you replace side by side with old, no matter how sure you are!!