This is on my 88 std hatch:



The tearout left my clutch pedal inoperable, and me stranded on the side of the road last week.


Check and reinforce your pedal bracket ASAP.

The surface rust / miles / usage / stress from aftermarket clutch may contribute to failure.

Telltale signs include a squeaking pedal when depressed, and occasionally having to adjust or tighten the clutch cable.

 

Already experienced it probably more than 10 years ago. Your tell tale signs are on point. For all you newbs or lucky people that haven't had this happen yet keep it in mind.

 

^ this also seems to happen more frequently on wagons for some reason - I presume they put more leverage on those dinky spot welds.

I'll post up the fix when it's done - sone people weld washer halves around that weak area...

 

checked mine this morning. Thanks!

 

I have broken not 1, not 2, but 3 on my wagons.
Ive just started reinforcing them. About 1" below the pivot rod, i weld a bolt acting as another brace. Stops the pedal from flexing off to the left, which is the cause of failure.
Yes, a creaking pedal or adjusting the cable a lot is a sure sign its about to fail.

 

Damn, great post. Another contributing factor can be a cheap aftermarket clutch cable that doesn't move as freely as it should. DONT DO IT!

 

One last thing I can add for reference, don't forget about the opposite end of the cable. In my case it was pretty extreme (pun intended if you get it) but from continually tightening I was able to do tear this bracket.

 

Dang 24TEN!

How did you have a failure like this 10 years ago?!

That's a lot of stress, or was yours a Friday car?

 

LOL Let's just say that 10 years ago, that "extreme" pressure was brand spanking new. It's still in the car to this day but I believe it's safe to say it's fully "broken" in now...a couple puns in there for sure.

EDIT: I want to say it's more like 13 years now.

 

I had to change mine in 2001 due to an aftermarket dual diaphragm clutch. Heavy as **** did a number on the bracket. New bracket and Oem clutch....smooth and nice!!

 

If I have to change the pedals out again, I'm going with a tilton setup!

These brackets are so damn flimsy.

 

My fix was drilling the holes out and installing a 10mm bolt for the assembly to ride on and I removed the sleeve that the nylon washers sit on. Been working great for the last year.

 

^ got a pic?

 

In for pics as well. I was thinking a shoulder bolt and nylon washers.

 

Update:


I got Kurtis (at Garage Zero in ATL) to weld it back together with some additional bracing:

[URL=http://s27.photobucket.com/user/Black_R/media/SMF/IMG_2909_zpsokumz0vg.jpg.html]





I'm trying to procure an extra set so that I can weld up and bulletproof a spare.

And in retrospect, I think you can use a C-Clamp to hold it together in an emergency.

 

here's another pro-tip, swap your clutch and brake pedal covers before you completely wear out the corners...

 

^ already ordered.

Just waiting on delivery.

 

I broke my first one probably 10+ years ago also. I reinforce every ef pedal assembly that I get my hands on anymore. Even if they're not broken yet, they will be once a stiffer clutch is installed. I always straighten them, weld back together, add welds to all the spot weld joints and finally box in the clutch pivot with 1/8" steel. As a side benefit, doing this stiffens up the pedal feel too.

 

Mine squeaks, but I don;t have to adjust my cable.



I can't tell where I'm suppose to be lookin

 

Adjustment is made under the hood. Follow the cable to where it connects to the transmission.

 

Been there done that 15 years ago. Took me awhile to figure out what was going on. Wish someone had warned me then.

 

I just went through all of my pic's and I can't find them.

 

Maybe this is why my clutch pedal is squeaking. On a 90 sedan is it self adjusting or would I have to manually adjust the clutch cable?

 

There is no "self adjusting" pedal on the EF.

 

For what it's worth there's a thread in the archives here that shows a side by side comparison of the Si CRX pedal assembly to the standard/HF one. The Si has a beefier bracket around that pedal to help prevent this from happening. I killed one in my 120k miles DX with stock clutch, I've had the doom squeak in my Si for awhile but haven't lost it yet (thanks for the reminder to get out there and grease everything).