Clutch Problems

[weavere]

I've got a 92 Sidekick 4x4 5 speed. The other day while shifting I heard metal pinging off of metal and the clutch pedal went slack, I thought it was the cable but when I checked it looked fine. It seems like the bellhouseing lever doesn't have enough pull to pick the pedal back up. Also even with the clutch pedal depressed it won't start, I assume this is a bad switch.
Any ideas would be great.
Thanks

[the flying scotsman]

I'm absolutely not a tracker expert, but seems like a possible source of your issue has to do with the operating shaft which carries the clutch release bearing. Although both carrier forks have substantial radial welds attaching them to the shaft, I've seen a rare fracture on one side in other vehicles which prevented a positive engagement w/ the pressure plate. Too bad there is no inspection hole in the bottom of the bellhousing. Now, with cable removed from the operating arm, and by manually rotating it by hand as if to disengage the clutch, is any resistance felt at the point of travel at which the release bearing would normally contact the fingers of the pressure plate?

[jtgh]

two fails at same time, that is unlikely ,
get a flash light and look at the pedal, broken aint it.
do you have 1/2 inch of free pedal play or is it 6 inches ?

obviously it is physically broke ,so where?
always start easy and work to the harder areas. so dont pull tranny yet.

get a flash light and look at the pedal linkage.
push pedal and watch the clutch cable move the complete distance.
notice the clutch switch ,sitting right there in full view. see the plunger stroke and release? NO , then you broke it.
weld it ,get one from a wrecker.
if how ever the above is all ok, then do the same and have some one look at right side of the bell houseing at the lever.
you stroke the clutch the other looks at lever ,does it move proportionally and completly
yes?
if yes, , throw out and or Pressure plate fingers are GONE. (dust)

works just like a bicycle or motor cycle (small) front brake. 2 levers and a cable.

[weavere]

Looking at the pedal there doesnt seem to be anything visually wrong, it seems to me that the bellhouseing lever is not moving back into its proper position with enough force to bring the pedal back.

[jtgh]

this might help
see photo

the guts ,

[jtgh]

if linkage is perfect , levers not bent or broken , pedals, brackets not cracked or broken and bent, and cable is not snapped , then clutch is toast.

cable shell MUST be secured at both ends , are they?
at fire wall, and at bracket in front of main clutch lever above.

maybe a rock hit the cable mount.

[jtgh]

cable shell must be mounted on both ends
if main lever does not return to the rear (after dropping cable)
then the fingers above are imbedded into a melted throw out bearing shell.
common for clutch riders or running clutch with no free play or just end of life.
no matter, its toast.

[ranger88den]

Originally Posted by jtgh

cable shell must be mounted on both ends
if main lever does not return to the rear (after dropping cable)
then the fingers above are imbedded into a melted throw out bearing shell.
common for clutch riders or running clutch with no free play or just end of life.
no matter, its toast.

This is almost exactly what happened to me years ago on my Jeep J-10 P/U. Throw out bearing must have locked up and wore down the the fork pins and the and the throw out bearing race. Hope you get it figured out.

[N/A]

I had a Nissan that the clutch fork pivot ball actually broke on me but until that point I had never had it happen on any vehicle before that nor afterwards. I did have a solid hub clutch disc with one of the four pucks to it actually started to shear off and outward from the hub. It took the pressure plate bolts right off!