Favorit clutch slipping

[warwound]

Hi all.

I got myself a 1989 Favorit GLXIE a few months back and am very happy with it - except for one problem....
The clutch occasionally slips - usually only when the engine is pushed hard.

A couple of weeks back i was out driving and it started to slip, not too bad but enough to cause me to drop off the revs.
I'd previously examined the clutch assembly both in the engine compartment and around the pedal but made no changes - planning to fix it 'at a later date'!
I did notice over the course of a few days that the clutch pedal wasn't always returning to it's maximum released position - sometimes a couple of CMs lower than it should be.
Anyway i moved my left foot to underneath the clutch pedal and brought the clutch pedal upwards - instantly the clutch stopped slipping and all was ok.

Over the course of the next few days i made a habit of manually raising the clutch pedal with my left foot behind/underneath it.
Sometime's i detect it starting to slip and as soon as i use my foot underneath it the slipping stops - even under high revs the clutch is then 100% ok.

I've got the Haynes manual and have looked at a permanent solution. Whether to remove the clutch cable and hopefully clean and lubricate it or whether to suspect the clutch return spring needing replacement.
(In fact i intend to try both).

Has anyone else had such a problem?
Any suggestions as to whether the cable or spring may be the culprit?

And more to the point - how much work is involved in removing and refitting the cable? Is it an easy task? Anything to watch out for?

Thanks a lot for any help.

Martin.

[daverapid]

Very likely to be a cable fault.....it's routed fairly close to the exhaust manifold and gets hot,resulting in the internals melting and making the inner cable bind. It's an easy and cheap job, remember to route the new one as far away as you can from the maniflod without kinking it.

Of course I could be wrong and there may be a fault with the clutch itself, but I would always check the cable first!

[ugluk]

Yeah there should be a heat shield on the cable where it passes the exhaust, and that moving and leaving the cable unprotected causes exactly these problems. Well worth checking that out.

[warwound]

Thanks for the info chaps.

I'll take a look under the bonnet tomorrow and pay special attention to the cable where it passes the exhaust parts.

Martin.

[warwound]

WOT A MESS!!

Yep the clutch cable as it passes the exhaust system is a real mess - the heat protective (outer) tube is either inadequate or has slipped along the clutch cable and is no longer protecting it in the critical area.

Gonna cost me £20.56 to replace so it's time for me to start saving.

Martin.

[warwound]

Lucky me!

Got a brand new genuine Skoda Favorit clutch cable on Ebay for £9.50 all in.
(Next day delivery too so i was happy).

Just finished fitting it and it seems to be perfect.
Got it routed as far from the exhaust area as possible.

Anyone interested in an image of the old cable can see it here: http://members.lycos.co.uk/googlepan...utch_cable.jpg
I couldn't even move the old inner cable within the outer cable so it was well overdue for replacement.

Now to give the new cable a few days and see if it needs any further adjustment.

Martin.

[ugluk]

glad to hear your problems are solved