Greasing linkage for Clutch Pedal

[clinem03]

My 76 wagon sat for 20 years before we started the restoration. Lots of work has been done including a new clutch and flywheel. My clutch pedal was always a little rough when pushed, but it seems to be getting worse. There seems to be a lot of friction when I depress the pedal, and when it hits the bottom of its travel it squeaks (not consistently, only when the pedal is fully depressed and I move my foot around a bit so it is somewhere in the linkage). I have the shop manual open to see all the linkage but it is unclear to me where I should grease it to get rid of the friction and make the full travel more smooth. Does anyone have any tips on servicing the clutch pedal/linkage?

 

[okie4570]

Pedal squeak or throw out bearing squeal?

 

[clinem03]

Pedal squeak or throw out bearing squeal?

Pedal squeak for sure - and when I press the pedal it feels like there is a lot of friction as it sat for so long.

 

[.94 OR]

When I worked the linkage over on mine 30 years ago, I used a small diameter rod with heim joints on either end for the clutch lever to Z-bar connection (you can actually buy these now). Super tight and low resistance. I also put new pivot bushings in the Z-bar, inserted a wooden dowel between the bushings and retained with a screw through the tube wall then installed a grease zerk on either side of the dowel so I could force fresh grease through and past the new pivot bushings. Not sure where your issue is, but clean and grease is nice.

 

[blubuckaroo]

There are several places in the linkage that would cause pedal roughness and noise.
There are pedal bushings on a shaft that supports the brake and clutch pedal. These are made of nylon, and are fairly easy to replace by pulling out the shaft.
There are bushings both ends of the clutch rod, and also on the bullet adjuster.
Lube points would be the pedal bushings, clutch rod bushings, Z-bar zerk, and the bullet where it meets the clutch fork.
I like to use a silicone spray on the bushings, and regular chassis grease on the Z-bar zerk and on the adjuster bullet.

When I replaced the auto with a manual tranny in ours, I just bought all the rod material and heim joints to make the whole setup, and eliminated all the linkage bushings. It made a really smooth clutch.

 

[jckkys]

The original parts work perfectly well if cleaned and lubed. The knee jerk reaction to go to after market replacement parts has no basis in fact.

 

[blubuckaroo]

The original parts work perfectly well if cleaned and lubed. The knee jerk reaction to go to after market replacement parts has no basis in fact.

I agree. buy an aerosol can of white lithium grease. This stuff is perfect for brake parts, door mechanisms, and garage door hinges.

 

[73azbronco]

The original parts work perfectly well if cleaned and lubed. The knee jerk reaction to go to after market replacement parts has no basis in fact.

Boom, probably the bushing in the clutch pedal assembly under the dashboard. a Little tlc, but you need to remove the darn thing to do it.

But first I'd disconnect or loosen the clutch rod at the fork and let that fall lose, then see how everything above that moves. I bet freely. I bet a throwout bearing is gummed up.

BTW my new favorite grease is a wd40 product with teflon in it. Might not be as good as white lithium for this application though. Works great on home window parts. Thats thread creep for ya.

 

[clinem03]

Great advice everyone, thank you! I plan to take all the original components apart, clean them and then put it all back together. There was a lot of mud caked up on the bottom of the truck and I suspect its causing all the friction

 

[bmc69]

The original parts work perfectly well if cleaned and lubed. The knee jerk reaction to go to after market replacement parts has no basis in fact.

Except for the connecting link between z-bar and pedal arm. I've replaced many of those with a link with heim joints over the years because of the excessive wear in the two holes and the ends of the link itself. Works the charm...cheap and permanent.

I've put a heim end on a few of the clutch fork actuation rods too, over the years.