Clutch pedal question

[fireguyfire]

Spent some time today adjusting the clutch rod on my A833 after a full tranny rebuild, new clutch, etc.
On my clutch pedal, if you push it in, when you let it out it doesn't come fully all the way back up to its original position; if you give it a tiny pull, the spring overcomes the spot and it pops back up the final couple of inches to the all the way up position.
The car is new to me (73 challenger) and I didn't drive it much after purchase as it needed a bunch of repairs to make it pass an inspection so I dove right into it.
As it is right now, if I was driving and shifting the transmission the clutch pedal would never come all the way back up on its own, but would stay down a couple of inches.
Again if you give the pedal a slight tug it pops up the final couple of inches on its own using the spring.
Has anyone out there had a similar issue, and if so how did you deal with it?


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[RUNCHARGER]

Adjust the clutch rod so you have 1 inch of freeplay at the top of the pedal and that should take care of it. Sometimes the pin in the pedal linkage that the return spring under the dash hooks to is worn halfway through and that will mess things up as well.

[Racer57]

The Z bar has poly inserts inside of each end. Make sure they are there and the ends don't look like their moving around causing a slight bind.

[fireguyfire]

Thanks guys; I'll look for wear in that pin runcharger. If there is a bunch of wear, is there a way to fix it?


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[RUNCHARGER]

Yes: I think Passon and Brewer's have the pin available. Not sure it can be changed with the pedals in the car though. I change them before I install the pedals into the car. Hopefully you won't have to.

[Topcat]

Precise Clutch operation and I totally agree.


https://www.ebay.com/itm/Mopar-Clutch-Linkage-Problem-Solver-A833-340-383-440-Dart-Coronet-GTX-R-T-Cuda-/323772397858?oid=323668778487

[73440]

As mentioned, adjust the free play , had the same problem with needing to pull it up with foot till adjusted the free play.
Is your clutch a diaghapram clutch , if so the overcenter spring should not be used

[Topcat]

Yes: I think Passon and Brewer's have the pin available. Not sure it can be changed with the pedals in the car though. I change them before I install the pedals into the car. Hopefully you won't have to.

The over center Spring has a lot of tension.

With the over center spring stretched open, stick big thick washers in between the spring coils.

Then,you'll be able to remove the Spring safely without any possible injury.

[YellowThumper]

Or... it is the pressure plate with the non factory arms. Clutch will not come back if its retraction is not past the "over center". Stamped bent tangs vs the arms.

[70 Challenger Lover]

@fireguyfire Did you ever get this clutch issue figured out? If so, what fixed the problem?

I have the same issue on one of mine. Everything on mine is new and the pressure plate is not a diaphragm type. I even rebuilt my pedal assembly so I know the pin and bushings are new. If I adjust it so the pedal returns to the top, then the clutch engages at the very top of the pedal stroke which makes it horrible to drive smoothly. If I adjust it so the clutch engages closes to the floor (like it should be) then the pedal stays down halfway. The over center spring won't let the pedal return to the top without a little help from my foot. Aside from pedal position, it works beautifully.

[fireguyfire]

I was able to fix it by adjusting the clutch push rod a bit tighter so it is slightly helping the return spring.
My clutch pedal is working perfectly now!

[JS29]

@70challenger Lover one inch of free play at the top of the pedal. 

[70 Challenger Lover]

So does that mean that the clutch engages and disengages at the top of the pedal stroke? That seems awful. My knee is so high that it's hard to get good clutch control and certainly not comfortable.

[JS29]

Should be about half way, maybe you have something going on with your pressure plate or throw out barring. try an inch and a half maybe. 

[70 Challenger Lover]

It does start to engage about halfway up but by the time the plate is fully engaged, it's about an inch or two from the top. That is not comfortable having my knee that high trying to finesse the clutch in stop and go traffic. Maybe that's as good as it gets. This is my first Mopar four speed so I only have GM to compare it with.

I have lots of thread adjustment to allow me to have it engage closer to the floor where it really belongs or all the way up top with zero free play. It's more of a geometry issue. If I adjust it to engage just off the floor like a proper clutch normally works, then the over center spring keeps it from returning all the way up. I just don't like the pedal not returning all the way to the top and having to lift it with my foot. And if you leave the pedal down partway, then there is no free play and the throwout bearing constantly spins. That just sucks and if that's factory design, I'm going to have to find a way around that. Maybe a lightweight secondary spring on the pedal assembly somewhere to bring the pedal back. It wouldn't take much Spring tension.

I read a few web articles where people have modified the pedal and rod geometry to correct this issue. And it must be common. Searching the Internet you will find dozens of people all over the Mopar forums talking about the same problem.