Kenny Han 1 Posted December 19, 2019 My clutch bite very low (all the way to the floor) and my pedal has been adjusted taller than both the brake and throttle pedal (towards the driver). Anyone can shed some light on the issue? My mechanic said my clutch plate still thick. What could be the issue? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jackherer 543 Posted December 19, 2019 Is it a BE1 gearbox? (lift up reverse by first)? If so check the pivot arm that the clutch cable attaches to, these can fatigue and gradually bend. Also check the rod is in place between the pivot arm and the paddle that goes into the bellhousing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kenny Han 1 Posted December 19, 2019 6 minutes ago, jackherer said: Is it a BE1 gearbox? (lift up reverse by first)? If so check the pivot arm that the clutch cable attaches to, these can fatigue and gradually bend. Also check the rod is in place between the pivot arm and the paddle that goes into the bellhousing. Yup. It is a BE1 gearbox with lift up reverse. Will check on the things you mentioned. Many thanks! Are the parts you mentioned hard to find now? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jackherer 543 Posted December 19, 2019 You shouldn't really need new parts, normally the pivot arm can be welded to repair it and you can add a brace bar so it wont happen again. And if the rod is missing it is just a plain length of rod with rounded ends. There is plenty of info about these two parts in these threads: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kenny Han 1 Posted December 20, 2019 Many thanks for the info jackherer. Not sure if it looks ok, but I will pry open the rubber boot and take a picture again during daytime. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jackherer 543 Posted December 20, 2019 The pin looks like it's probably OK to me, I've never seen a rubber boot there before though. Get someone to press and release the pedal while you watch the arm on the gearbox, look for any bending or twisting of those two parts. If the paddle coming out of the gearbox has excess play it could be the ball joint it pivots on inside the bellhousing, they are only riveted on and can detach. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ozymandis 97 Posted December 20, 2019 That looks fine. Another cause can be the clutch release bearing contact patch on the clutch cover operating fingers, the bearing wears the ends off the fingers and goes deeper into the clutch cover than it should. This gives a long pedal travel before anything happens in the `releasing department`. Think of an apple corer or a pastry cutter, type action. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kenny Han 1 Posted December 24, 2019 Thanks guys for the help. I will have a look when I am back from my travel. Cheers! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kenny Han 1 Posted January 2, 2020 On 12/20/2019 at 10:52 PM, jackherer said: The pin looks like it's probably OK to me, I've never seen a rubber boot there before though. Get someone to press and release the pedal while you watch the arm on the gearbox, look for any bending or twisting of those two parts. If the paddle coming out of the gearbox has excess play it could be the ball joint it pivots on inside the bellhousing, they are only riveted on and can detach. Hi jackherer. Is the ball joint inside the bellhousing shown in the image below? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jackherer 543 Posted January 2, 2020 No, that just shows the gear change linkage. The ball joint is number 9 on this diagram: I can't find any actual photos to confirm it but I don't think that diagram is very accurate, it's years since I've touched a BE1 but I was sure that ball joint is just riveted in. Maybe it is the socket on the fork I was thinking of..? Either way it definitely comes loose. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kenny Han 1 Posted January 9, 2020 On 1/3/2020 at 2:44 AM, jackherer said: No, that just shows the gear change linkage. The ball joint is number 9 on this diagram: I can't find any actual photos to confirm it but I don't think that diagram is very accurate, it's years since I've touched a BE1 but I was sure that ball joint is just riveted in. Maybe it is the socket on the fork I was thinking of..? Either way it definitely comes loose. Thanks for the info. Very much appreciated. Recently I got a donor car with BE3 box (reverse below fifth gear). Is there any merit of swapping from BE1 to BE3? I read from the other post that shifter stick can leave it as it is and gearbox+mechanism (lever, clutch calbe, fork etc) is an easy direct swap, am I correct? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jackherer 543 Posted January 9, 2020 BE3 is definitely better but it's not night and day different. Do you know the donor gearbox is definitely good? If not then you risk a load of work to find out it clunks into third or something so you might do better to keep your BE1 that you know the condition of. If you do swap to BE3 it's not too involved, you definitely need a BE3 release bearing though (the rest of the clutch is the same for either box.) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
