Adjusting the clutch?

[cygnusx1]

Is it real or is it friction? I hear lots of people saying my clutch needs to be adjusted. Now I'm not a trained mechanic but I've turned about every wrench and every bolt on several vehicles.

 

When people say, "I have to adjust the clutch", I always here that little, evil, mechanic guy, that sits on my shoulder, say, "I'd love to see this dude actually go and try to adjust the clutch. I wonder what he is going to adjust first...hehe".

 

As far as I can tell, in a hydraulic clutch system, the only adjustment might be the length of the slave rod or the length of the pedal rod. Cable systems are generally self adjusting or you can take up slack in the cable by lengthening the cable housing.

 

These adjustments will only affect the position of your pedal relative to the engagement point of the pressure plate. They won't affect how "good" your clutch grabs, unless the linkage keeps your pressure plate from pressing.

 

Hydraulic clutch metaphor I just made up:

Think of it as a stick in your hand (hydraulic fluid, pedal, and pistons). You have to push a bottle off of a fence with the stick. If the stick is too short, you need to lean in first (dead space in the travel). If the stick it too long, it knocks the bottle off before you push the stick (slipping clutch never fully engages). Make the stick the right length so that it just touches the bottle, and with a small nudge the bottle falls off the fence (just right). Air in the system would be like having a limp stick. And who wants a limp stick?

 

Get it?

 

Anyone care to tell me otherwise. I am willing to learn something new about adjusting clutches. You are not really adjusting a clutch, you are adjusting a linkage.

 

Rant over.