Lessons Learned Adjusting The Clutch

youngm357 · Joined: 08 Sep 2009 Posts: 29 Location: Liberty Lake, WA

I needed to adjust the clutch on the 64 as it had too much play in it. They do the whole thing in a couple of minutes on YouTube; took me a couple of hours. Here is what I learned:
Yes, you have to take the drivers side rear wheel off.
Once you have the wheel off make yourself a pillow out of a few old towels so when you are laying on your side it will be much easier to work
Wear long sleeves and gloves. My arms are torn up
If there is such a thing as an extended reach vice grips sell everything you own and buy one! It is difficult to reach through and hold the vice grips and move the wrench at the same time.
Get somebody to sit in the car and work the clutch pedal. It is definitely easier to adjust it if you have the clutch pedal engaged and then place a 3 inch wood block between the lever arm and the case and then release the clutch pedal. This takes all of the slack out and makes it a breeze to loosen the 11m lock nut and then adjust the 14mm nut. On your own you have to prop the pedal down with a board get under the car and set the block and then get up again and release the prop and get under the car again and repeat numerous times to get the desired play in the pedal
Good time to replace a small section of cloth fuel hose.
AND WHATEVER YOU DO DON"T FORGET TO TAKE THE BLOCK OUT WHEN YOU ARE ALL DONE since you probably won't remember until the wheel is back on.

sandals · Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2012 9:57 am Post subject:

You forgot one thing. Replace that locknut/setnut combo with a later style wingnut, and you won't have nearly the hassle next time around.

You don't need to hold onto the vise grips any longer than it takes to install them. They can just hang out under there while you spin the adjuster nut. I have bought old VW's that still had a vice grips hanging there from the last time the clutch was adjusted twenty years earlier.

Removing the wheel is a good idea, and having a helper makes things easier. having nice clean threads on the cable is nice, too. I usually sneak a long prybar up behind the clutch arm to take the tension off the cable while I turn the adjuster.