Heavy cable clutch

[Art b]

My 2004 1.9 has a very hard to depress cable operated clutch ..

is there a way to improve it..?

[polar]

The bushes in the bellhousing can dry out and wear a good spray with GT85 every so often helps, lube the clutch cable and check the routing of the cable.

A heavy clutch can also be a sign of the clutch near the end of its life.

[Art b]

Thanx will investigate those

[dumdum]

Normally when the clutch gets heavy it needs replacing in most cases in my experience

[Art b]

Normally when the clutch gets heavy it needs replacing in most cases in my experience

It's possible 119k,
I don't know when it was replaced..

[cancunia]

Not sure if you're comparing it with other Berlingos?
The cable operated clutch pedal is heavy going anyway so it may just be that you're not used to it.

[Art b]

Not sure if you're comparing it with other Berlingos?
The cable operated clutch pedal is heavy going anyway so it may just be that you're not used to it.

This is true..
I nearly put the pedal thru the floor when I get back in the A6...

[dumdum]

Quite the opposite, a well done and greased clutch and splines will be lovely and relatively light, and very similar to a hydraulic effort as it’s the same throw on the pedal and the same pressure to release the pressure plates

The cable induces very little drag, obviously after 110k miles it may become a little heavier, but when it starts getting noticeably heavy it’s because the change has become bigger so you notice, rather than gradual changes when it’s younger if you see what I mean... I’d put money on it the clutch is on its way out... I’ll await the squealing release bearing post soon, as when it wears the fingers lose leverage ergo pedal feels heavier and the bearing gets three times the pressure applied, this soon wears the bearing out

[Art b]

Quite the opposite, a well done and greased clutch and splines will be lovely and relatively light, and very similar to a hydraulic effort as it’s the same throw on the pedal and the same pressure to release the pressure plates

The cable induces very little drag, obviously after 110k miles it may become a little heavier, but when it starts getting noticeably heavy it’s because the change has become bigger so you notice, rather than gradual changes when it’s younger if you see what I mean... I’d put money on it the clutch is on its way out... I’ll await the squealing release bearing post soon, as when it wears the fingers lose leverage ergo pedal feels heavier and the bearing gets three times the pressure applied, this soon wears the bearing out

Seems to make sense mechanically..?

Hmm I might be doing a clutch over winter...?

[cancunia]

Make sure everything is lubricated & as dumdum says, wait for the squeal, it may never come.
Without trying my left foot on your clutch, it's impossible to say for sure if yours is more difficult than mine, or if there's already a problem. I drove over 15k miles up to 123k in my 2.0 HDi with a 'heavy' cable operated clutch, it was still working fine when I sold it. There's a very real difference between the 2.0 cable & the 1.6 hydraulic clutch that I have now so I'm sure that one is heavier to use than the other. IIRC there's also a big spring on the clutch pedal to assist your left foot.