3 speed manual on the floor, put in a new autospecialty (TRW) clutch, pressure plate, throwout bearing, z bar is greased up, new fasteners everwhere, even had a buddy modify the adjusting rod to get more life out of the clutch. I got everything together and the pedal is mushy. It'll grabs, lets you shift into any gear but then releases hard into gear and the pedal only comes 1/4 to 1/2 way up. ARGH! Tried two different return springs, what am I missing?

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If it ain't broke, you didn't have fun playin' with it.

'74 Duster
'74 Valiant

When you adjusted the clutch , unless told to do something different by the manufacturer ( some diaphragm clutches, etc... may tell you to adjust differently), you should only have about 1" of 'play' just above the 'all the way to the floor' with the clutch pedal to release correctly...

Another thing to think about is clutch size, if you used a 10" over the 9 1/4" it will feel different depending on which you are used to...

The other problem can be the nasty 'overcenter' pedal return spring which after about 10 years of use gets tired and doesn't allow your clutch pedal to return more than 3/4 of the way 'out', unless you use the left foot to pull it back...

Good luck,

-D.Idiot

Finally got a chance to get back under the tranny and re-adjusted the play in the return spring, throwout bearing. Still a little soft vcoming up, but working good to move around and test drive. I'm wondering why the pedal was coming all the way up before the clutch was swapped out?

I've heard changing the center return spring is a bear to do.

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If it ain't broke, you didn't have fun playin' with it.

'74 Duster
'74 Valiant

There is a trick to changing the return spring that makes the task very easy. You carefully remove the clips that hold the pedal shaft in place from the right side. Then wiggle the pedal and shaft out to the left just until the tab on the rear of the pedal that limits it's upward travel is disengaged from the pedal assembly frame. This only requires the shaft to move a short distance out of it's bearing tube. Moving it to the left, and disengaging the limiting tab will then allow the pedal to come further up, and lets the spring relax completely loose. It is a cinch to pop it out, replace it with a new one, and then push the pedal back down and work it back over to the right. Then reinstall the retaining clips. There is not much muscle involved, just care, and paying attention. Be sure to keep your hands, fingers, face, etc out of the way if you lose control of the pedal and it pops up.

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