Used to bend back, weld and reinforce them with a steel rod ...Would reinforce all the ones I would do clutch jobs on since I saw it so much .... Hard to do in car, but not impossible ...
Thanks FMDivision. Based on your experience, do you think the crack could be the cause of my problem, or just a symptom of another problem? I tried again and it doesn’t seem to flex at the crack at all.
Also, i cant find an OEM cable anywhere online. I bought another aftermarket cable (Cofle) just to have another as backup that is not the Pioneer one. I will try adding some washers this weekend to see what that does.
I added 3 washers to see if cable length/adjustment was the issue. The pedal travel went back to normal and felt good. So i took it for a drive around the block. Worked fine! For a few miles…..then it started to get harder to put into gear and the pedal travel got lower and lower. Got it home, but now the clutch is engaged regardless of the pedal even though the cable positioning seems the same as before. Bottom line, it seems to me the cable is not the issue- points back to the crack in the lever or something else as the issue. Trying to figure out what to do now since i still cannot find a clutch lever anywhere. Is it worth trying to get it to a place that can bend/weld the lever back into place while on the car?
Yes, just compared photos, and the crack did open up much more after i tried the washer trick.
So maybe that is at least part of the problem. I wonder what the odds are i can find someone mobile to reinforce/weld the lever while on the car. Not even sure how to approach that. (Update- contacted one mobile welding service and sent them photos- they want $385-$450 to try. At that price, i might as well put it towards a new clutch and deal with the lever while it’s off the car.)
I did call Greg. He seems very knowledgeable about these cars and was trying to help me find a clutch lever. No luck as of yet.
If Greg can't find you a lever, then @Andreas Miko is your next move. He's easier found on Facebook these days, but might answer a call to the phone number in his forum signature. If that doesn't work, I'd start searching eBay or Car-Part.com--Used Auto Parts Market next.
Appreciate the advice. I will try to contact him. I also already submitted an inquiry to car-part (couldn’t really find a way to search for the part). Really want to try welding it in place but am having difficulty finding someone to do it for a reasonable price. May need to tow it to a shop after i find one that can help me. Other option is to get the whole clutch kit and deal with fixing the lever when everything is removed.
No luck in finding a clutch lever yet, so still fighting this issue. Havent found anyone to try a weld yet. Can anyone confirm whether a clutch lever from the 1.6L will work? Is it the same part?