When I fitted a new clutch we had the discussion about the different types of release bearing. I used a new cable and cone nut at the operating lever and the clutch adjusted up with about a half of the thread length used up.

Approaching 4000 miles now and the cable has been adjusted once to take up the inevitable bedding-in of the clutch and the stretch that might be expected in the cable. But now the cable is at full adjustment although there has to be plenty of life left in the clutch.

I haven't checked if there is room to cut more thread at the end of the cable adjuster but I did think of getting another conical nut and drilling out the threads to make it into a packing spacer to extend the reach of the cable.

Is this a problem that anyone else has faced and are there any solutions out there? A new cable of the same type isn't going to help.

fiat500 said:

When I fitted a new clutch we had the discussion about the different types of release bearing. I used a new cable and cone nut at the operating lever and the clutch adjusted up with about a half of the thread length used up.

Approaching 4000 miles now and the cable has been adjusted once to take up the inevitable bedding-in of the clutch and the stretch that might be expected in the cable. But now the cable is at full adjustment although there has to be plenty of life left in the clutch.

I haven't checked if there is room to cut more thread at the end of the cable adjuster but I did think of getting another conical nut and drilling out the threads to make it into a packing spacer to extend the reach of the cable.

Is this a problem that anyone else has faced and are there any solutions out there? A new cable of the same type isn't going to help.

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I just had look on mine Peter as it is parked next to the back door at the moment. I am pretty sure we fitted the same clutch and bearing judging by our previous conversations but I didn't fit a new cable, so it must be about 20 years old. The threaded portion on the cable must be about 3 to 4 inches long and at the moment it is adjusted so that there is only about an inch adjusted on it, leaving at least another 3 inches adjustment.

I know this doesn't help much but at least it gives you a comparison. It does sound odd that you had to adjust it so far originally, is the threaded part as long as my cable?

Vitesse said:

I know this doesn't help much but at least it gives you a comparison. It does sound odd that you had to adjust it so far originally, is the threaded part as long as my cable?

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I'll check mine tomorrow but I don't think there's much else I can do apart from shopping around for a different cable.

I was going to ask if you checked the length of the new one compared to the previous one,but it looks like you are already questioning this. This is a job for the weekend. What is the adjustment. Are there any tips?

I was going to measure the throw of the lever before I fit the gearbox and work back from there.

cheers, Steve

stevehg said:

I was going to ask if you checked the length of the new one compared to the previous one,but it looks like you are already questioning this. This is a job for the weekend. What is the adjustment. Are there any tips?

I was going to measure the throw of the lever before I fit the gearbox and work back from there.

cheers, Steve

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There really isn't a lot of adjustment that you can do Steve. Just take the throw of the lever out and you will probably find the pedal sits too high and is uncomfortable. You can wind it in a few more turns to adjust the pedal height but obviously not too far as it will start to engage and wear the plate if too far.

You can get it to a pretty comfortable position but being cable it is quite harsh if you are not used to it. Does wonders for you full calf workout though!

It looks like making extra thread is a non-starter because I am at the end of it. The the thread length is approximately 65mm.
DSC_7996 by Peter Thompson, on Flickr

Can you shorten the cable at the other end Peter?

fiat500 said:

It looks like making extra thread is a non-starter because I am at the end of it. The the thread length is approximately 65mm.
DSC_7996 by Peter Thompson, on Flickr

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I have just suffered the rolling eyes treatment from you know who as I ventured out to the garden with a tape measure and a torch, then disappeared under the car.

The thread length on my cable is also 65mm but only about 20mm is sticking out after adjustment.

Rolling eyes seem to be freely given by the other halves of members of this Forum. But your efforts are gratefully received here. The other end of teh cable is an eyelet, if I remember properly, so no take-up possible.
Maybe I just like a higher pedal setting than others? The clutch pedal is just about level with the brake, which seems right to me and there is a definite free movement before the thrust bearing makes contact with the pressure-plate.
I will report back once I have an extra cone nut and maybe some spacers fitted.

fiat500 said:

The other end of the cable is an eyelet, if I remember properly, so no take-up possible.
Maybe I just like a higher pedal setting than others? The clutch pedal is just about level with the brake, which seems right to me and there is a definite free movement before the thrust bearing makes contact with the pressure-plate.
I will report back once I have an extra cone nut and maybe some spacers fitted.

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Making up a new eyelet is pretty easy, you just need a new cable clamp and you can normally use the existing eye.


I don't think my clutch pedal could get any higher . I'll see how it adjusts up with the new engine & gearbox.

cheers, Steve

fiat500 said:

Rolling eyes seem to be freely given by the other halves of members of this Forum. But your efforts are gratefully received here. The other end of teh cable is an eyelet, if I remember properly, so no take-up possible.
Maybe I just like a higher pedal setting than others? The clutch pedal is just about level with the brake, which seems right to me and there is a definite free movement before the thrust bearing makes contact with the pressure-plate.
I will report back once I have an extra cone nut and maybe some spacers fitted.

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Hi Peter,

I put the engine back in yesterday along with connecting everything up including the clutch. In my bag of bits for the clutch there was a spacer tube that looks factory designed, as it has the correct cone shape for the end to fit the profile of the bracket and profiled on the other end to accept the coned adjuster....



I don't know if anyone supplies this part, but if yes it would solve your issue in a neat and seemingly correct way.

cheers, Steve

Yay! I wasn't going mad. I can copy that and it was basically the way I was going.
When the pedal feels right for me it is about level with the brake pedal.
Thanks for that Steve.

Just a thought--are you sure you have the correct clutch cable---could it be off a Giardiniera? The Giardy is a quite a bit longer than the saloon (215mm) and would therefore require a longer clutch cable--just a thought

It might be a wrong cable but if it was off a Giardiniera I guess I would have a,couple on inches of outer sheath that had no place to go?
I bought it way back before I needed it and might have made a mistake, but Steve's supplied spacer makes me think that there is a run of cables somewhere that might be made for another model but are very similar to the 500.
I am ransacking the garage for a box of Rawlbolts that I have somewhere. I think that the hardened steel spacer tube from one of those will cut down to make an effective copy of the necessary item.

I wanted to copy the spacer that Steve has, but in spite of having as big a collection of "useful" bits as anyone else, I couldn't find the right sort of tube.
So as an experiment, I have done some crude engineering on the ends of two of the deep, brass nuts from the exhaust elbow; one wouldn't have been long enough.
DSC_9551 by Peter Thompson, on Flickr
I have yet to fit this bodge, but I figure that the brass might be a help as it has a sort of self-lubricant property. Having said that, everything will be daubed with copper grease.
You could suggest that I just buy another clutch cable, but the one fitted is hardly used and in any case I might just end up with a wrong-un again. I think the problem might come partly from the fact that it has a non-original clutch and release bearing. I was a bit dubious about the appropriateness of using the item, which I assume was really for a 126. But it was as supplied for a 500 and it seems that other people have also been supplied with them.
There is another factor in that I am wondering if maybe I have a preference for having the clutch pedal a bit too high....Haynes will be consulted.

I did consult and was suprised but gratified to read the following:
“should the cable appear too long………put either a short length of tube, or large nuts over the adjuster rod between the clutch lever and the adjustment nut.”