SAAB NG900: How to: Sloppy Clutch Pedal fix
Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2008 3:50 pm
My GM 900, as well as the 2 others I test drove, had about 1-2" of free play in the clutch pedal, meaning you had to really concentrate on flooring the clutch pedal to get a smooth gear change. I investigated a bit and removed the pedal and cable form the car and of course found the silly ratchet mechanism built into the cable. On mine, the cable was reaching it's stop before the pedal hit it's end stop, so there was indeed a fair bit wasted travel in the pedal.
I cleaned the pivot up and smeared plenty of grease around it and the rubbish plastic hoop of the clutch cable (so eliminating the annoying sqeak) and reftted it all. I attempted to re-adjust the ratchet to take this slack up. A quick 20 mile drive yesterday ended up woth me only being able to use 3rd gear! The cable had adjusted itself somehow so I couldn't get the clutch to disengage fully. Looking at the pedal it looked the same as a Mk2/3 Astra and Mk3 Cav item, which is far better made as it has a hole for the metal end of the cable to hook into with a spring retainer, instead of the hook and plastic loop of the Saab item. Why anyone alterned this aspect of the design I just do not know. I'm assuming the ratchet is to make the whole thing maitenence free. Which never works!
So a trip to a scrappy secured me a Mk3 Astra pedal, spring and cable to prove the theory. The Vauxhall cable is about £9 instead of the ludicrous £45 for the Saab item, and has a threaded section on the gearbox end so not only can you adjust it to get the bite and release points right, you can also adjust the pedal height to your preference. Much better system I think.
Comparison pics, Saab pedal on the left with the cruise switch pad:
You can see the shape opf the pedal and the rubber is exactly the same. It literally looks like the top hoop has been cut out to use the plastic hoop system. Horrible.
So a few minutes work at the bench has the rivet ground out and the new pedal drilled and the cruise switch pad relocted to the Astra pedal with a 5mm nut and bolt:
Fitting is very easy. Simply refit in the cabin using the same spindle shaft and 15mm nut and circlip but using the Vauxhall pedal spring, then pull the slack through to the engine bay. Then lever the clutch arm back on the 'box with a breaker bar in the gearbox mount to hook the cable end in, then 'screw up' the plastic locating shoe to the point at which the arm rests naturally on the box. When you then let go of the clutch arm, the pedal is pulled tight up to the stop on the pedal. Vauxhalls don't need the pedal stop as the cable cannot be accidently be knocked off the top of the pedal due to the closed hoop on the pedal, and the spring resting against it. Using the Saab method, if the pedal stop is removed and you lifted the pedal up, the cable will simply pop off the end.
Now, not only do I get a far nicer, notch free gear change (reverse is especially better), the pedal feels more positive, is much lighter now with the pedal cleaned and greased AND the clutch judder I usd to have is now completely gone! The clutch is totally smooth and had transformed the whole feel of the car. It really did let the whole quality feel of the car down. The quiet silky smooth engine, the positive gear change, then the illusion shattered by the whole car vibrating if I pulled away with anything under 1500 revs. Now trickling along in traffic is superb.
So, for a tenner all in all a worth while little mod. Of course during the week, with the theory proved, I'll buy a brand new cable.
I cleaned the pivot up and smeared plenty of grease around it and the rubbish plastic hoop of the clutch cable (so eliminating the annoying sqeak) and reftted it all. I attempted to re-adjust the ratchet to take this slack up. A quick 20 mile drive yesterday ended up woth me only being able to use 3rd gear! The cable had adjusted itself somehow so I couldn't get the clutch to disengage fully. Looking at the pedal it looked the same as a Mk2/3 Astra and Mk3 Cav item, which is far better made as it has a hole for the metal end of the cable to hook into with a spring retainer, instead of the hook and plastic loop of the Saab item. Why anyone alterned this aspect of the design I just do not know. I'm assuming the ratchet is to make the whole thing maitenence free. Which never works!
So a trip to a scrappy secured me a Mk3 Astra pedal, spring and cable to prove the theory. The Vauxhall cable is about £9 instead of the ludicrous £45 for the Saab item, and has a threaded section on the gearbox end so not only can you adjust it to get the bite and release points right, you can also adjust the pedal height to your preference. Much better system I think.
Comparison pics, Saab pedal on the left with the cruise switch pad:
You can see the shape opf the pedal and the rubber is exactly the same. It literally looks like the top hoop has been cut out to use the plastic hoop system. Horrible.
So a few minutes work at the bench has the rivet ground out and the new pedal drilled and the cruise switch pad relocted to the Astra pedal with a 5mm nut and bolt:
Fitting is very easy. Simply refit in the cabin using the same spindle shaft and 15mm nut and circlip but using the Vauxhall pedal spring, then pull the slack through to the engine bay. Then lever the clutch arm back on the 'box with a breaker bar in the gearbox mount to hook the cable end in, then 'screw up' the plastic locating shoe to the point at which the arm rests naturally on the box. When you then let go of the clutch arm, the pedal is pulled tight up to the stop on the pedal. Vauxhalls don't need the pedal stop as the cable cannot be accidently be knocked off the top of the pedal due to the closed hoop on the pedal, and the spring resting against it. Using the Saab method, if the pedal stop is removed and you lifted the pedal up, the cable will simply pop off the end.
Now, not only do I get a far nicer, notch free gear change (reverse is especially better), the pedal feels more positive, is much lighter now with the pedal cleaned and greased AND the clutch judder I usd to have is now completely gone! The clutch is totally smooth and had transformed the whole feel of the car. It really did let the whole quality feel of the car down. The quiet silky smooth engine, the positive gear change, then the illusion shattered by the whole car vibrating if I pulled away with anything under 1500 revs. Now trickling along in traffic is superb.
So, for a tenner all in all a worth while little mod. Of course during the week, with the theory proved, I'll buy a brand new cable.