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Disclaimer: I am not a mechanic. These are my opinions based on 2 years of ownership and daily reading of many sites, this one included.
Your car is young in miles. However it is difficult to know exactly what were the driving habits of the previous owner. With that in mind, it is quite possible that all you need is to trigger the ratcheting mechanism in the clutch cable. Like you, this car was my first venture into the world of DIY. Bite the bullet and kick away the fears. Unless you are:
a. Hulk
b. Wonder Woman
c. Superman
d. Your clutch cable is about to go.
Then a good tug of the cable is not going to brake it. If it does brake, then is better than it happens while you are not in the road, leaving your stranded in some barbaric place. Another way to get the cable to re-adjust is to remove the carpets, press the pedal ALL THE WAY DOWN and then let the pedal snap out (release quickly and violently). You do not want to use this method repeatedly of course.
The clutch and the cable mechanism go hand in hand. The cable is nothing but an extension of you leg press. When you push the pedal, the cable is pulled back. The cable head instead is connected to the clutch arm, which instead is pulled when you push down your pedal. You can take a look at arm by staring down the northwest corner of the battery. This will give you a good idea how everything is connected together. If you ever rode a bicycle and paid attention to the gearing mechanism, it is almost the same (at least in the fact that pulling of the cable shifts the position of deraileur).
Back to the clutch arm. As the clutch ages, it releases dust. The dust gets trapped in the grease applied to the base of the arm and the internal components (throw out bearing???). As the dust deposits into the grease, grime forms. This grime lacks the lubricating properties of grease and instead acts to INCREASE THE TENSION required to actually move the arm. Of course, this increase tension translates to decreased life of the cable.
What does all of this means? It means that your cable can only do so much. The simple explanation is that the cable needs adjusment. If that fails to correct the problem, then you really have to start considering alternative #2: Time to replace the clutch with a new clutch kit.
The kit itself is 250-300 USD. However, it takes anywhere from 5-8 hours of labor. Needless to say, it is the labor that is hardest to swallow. The issue here is that unless the person is aware of the problems with Saab clutches, they might fail to address the proper parts and thus, 6 months down the road you need to replace clutch parts just because they were not taken care of the first time through.
If you decide to bite the bullet and replace the clutch, let us know. There is a list of inexpensive items that should be replaced/checked at the same time (to save in labor).
posted by 208.50.1...
, Mon, 13 Dec 2004 14:40:41
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