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RX Turbo clutch link troubles again .
Posted: Wed May 07, 2008 7:49 am
by discopotato03
Hi all , our temporary fix is failing again so if anybody has one they can sell please let me know . Its the bit with the sealed bearing that rolls on the top of the clutch pedal arm .
I'd like to know if anyones given up on these and reverted to the non turbo type pedal box and cable .
Also can anyone tell me if the clutch fork/arm is the same between L turbo and non turbo .
There must be a reason why Subaru had different systems for turbo/non turbo , the 87 WSM quotes diaphragm set loads of 350/450/400kg for 1800/1800T Europe/1800T exc Europe .
I wonder how the normal setup feels with the turbo clutch .
Cheers A .
Posted: Wed May 07, 2008 8:43 am
by FROG
different arms for turbs and non turbs
30531aa031 turbs 62.00 ish
30531aa100 non turbs 61.00 ish
Posted: Wed May 07, 2008 8:39 pm
by discopotato03
I have it on good authority that the std (non turbo 4WD) pedal box and cable fits and works in an RX turbo . Now armed with a late L one so will give it a go hopefully tomorrow .
Also snaffled another bonnet release cable as the ferrule at the business gave up on Ellies original one .
Also bagged a rear caliper mounting bracket off a Z31 300ZX because they take the same floating section as an L rear caliper but have longer legs .
Also by chance I came across an early Honda Prelude which looks like it also uses the same rear caliper floating section as an L series . It also has longer legs than the L bracket and its mounting holes are closer together than the Nissan type or 1st gen Liberty . Fingers crossed they will be the same as the L and I may get away with a standard part when the rear lib discs go on .
Lastly grabbed some anti squeal shims off the back of a 4 wheel disc Pintara because they also use the same floating section and pads as an L series . Hate brake squeal .
Cheers A .
Next time want an L 4WD rear X member so we can do the "works stikaflex" mod to the soft as butter bushings and get rid of the rear steer issues L's have when pushed into corners .
Posted: Wed May 07, 2008 10:49 pm
by AndrewT
All these Nissan and Honda parts ur RX is gonna end up less of an RX than mine is!

Posted: Thu May 08, 2008 2:17 am
by discopotato03
Yess we're both SLLL - tarts !
No really the Japanese are tarts , they often use the same suppliers like in this case either Tokiko or Sumitomo and occasionally things just work out . If the caliper bracket works out then I may be able to make or modify rear backing plates to take the standard caliper on the Liberty disc rotor .
It's also another variation on the rear handbrake caliper theme for anyone who want's to go that way . Also another possible piston size for getting brake bias right in non std apps .
Cheers A .
Posted: Thu May 08, 2008 8:12 am
by ToyRX
The floating part of the calipers from mid 80's Honda Accords (maybe preludes??) do fit the L series rear, this is how my old rally car acieved a rear handbrake.
In fact I have the conversion setup sitting on the bench at home, this setup used the honda cables and handbrake as well but you could easily modift the L series handbrake to work.
Re the clutch pedal, I beefed mine up by welding in a gusset to the other side of the "cam" to stop the "cam" twisting over time.
Posted: Thu May 08, 2008 1:10 pm
by discopotato03
Well I can't get hold of that double link gadget (the bit with the ball bearing on it) so I'm going to change the pedal box over to the cheap/common/available 4WD non turbo type .
Paul from Subareck in Adelaide did this on his own car and said it works fine , slightly higher than normal pedal effort but that beats unreliable parts that can break and strand you in the middle of nowhere with an inoperable clutch .
Not looking forward to this job , awkward and possibly need to partially remove steering column to get out and in .
More later , cheers A .
Posted: Thu May 08, 2008 1:42 pm
by AndrewT
Definitely remove the driver's seat for this, makes it way easier for us big Aussie blokes to get access.
Posted: Thu May 08, 2008 7:01 pm
by discopotato03
Ok , complete and feels really good so far .
I didn't remove the seat but once the steering column is out it's quite straightforward - to a point .
Ellie being an early three plug flapper MPFI RX turbo has the micro switch on the accelerator pedal and a switch on the clutch pedal (same as brake light switch) .
The original accelerator pedal had to be transferred over to the non turbo pedal box , it also uses a larger bushing meaning the return spring has to be kept as well - all fitted thought . If you do this note how the spring sits on the bracket , it's straight end bears against the "channel" side of the bracket not the hole like the smaller NA type spring .
The only real drama is that L's appear to have two alternate holes through the firewall for the clutch cable - turbo and non turbo . The screwy RX type pedal box points the cable at the firewall higher up no doubt to get it a bit further away from the turbo and cat .
The NA pedal box has an outer cable guide that really forces you to use the lower hole which I did so in the near future I'll have to put some kind of thermal insulating wrap around about 6-8" inches of the cable to stop it being cooked . Actually the speedo cable has a length of tubular insulation around it so a bit of that may do at a pinch .
As for the pedal feel ? Its lighter now than it has been for the year that I've owned it and my left calf muscle and ankle are cheering long and loud .
That silly link gadget was just about to fail again , was cracking around the weld and the temporary bush was just about stuffed .
I thoroughly recommend to anyone struggling with an RX Turbo clutch linkage /pedal box to look seriously at the common NA type setup .
Sticky maybe ? Cheers A .
Posted: Thu May 08, 2008 9:25 pm
by Gannon
Could you post some pics of the differences between the different parts cos i never even realised there was a difference between turbo and non turbo clutches
Posted: Fri May 09, 2008 1:32 am
by discopotato03
I'm not really sure how to do that - have looked .
You just change the whole pedal box assembly and cable over and use the alternate firewall hole . There is a bung in whichever was not used originally .
The clutch diaphragm spring is different - heavier in turbo cars I'd say to handle the extra turbo torque . 400Kg vs 350 in 87+ cars . Europe got supposedly 450 kg rated diaphram springs .
The clutch going behind my rebuilt engine is whatever Penrith Brake and Clutch call a heavy duty one , it has an uprated diaphragm spring with its pivot points altered so as to not make it appreciably heavier to use . I asked that its lining material not be too grabby because this is a daily driven car .
I forgot to add , I have to asume my car has not had the non turbo clutch diaphragm fitted if it's clutch was ever replaced - has never slipped either .
Cheers A .
Posted: Fri May 09, 2008 1:59 pm
by steptoe
It seems that many have converted L's to EA82T without any consideration to the clutch pedal mechanism so I'd say you'll be fine with what you have done.
One question though Adrian, did you remove the pedals off the box before you removed the pedal box? Ive done it with pedals attached, bit like a breach birth and physically challenging without remove steering column
Posted: Fri May 09, 2008 2:26 pm
by discopotato03
I started out trying to remove it from around the steering column but there's too many things that get in the way on an EFI car .
It's not that difficult to remove the column , two electrical plugs , three nuts holding the computer on to the column's integral bracket , unclip the EFI and FP relays . You have to remove the clamp bolt on the steering linkages upper universal joint - I marked both halves with a permanent maker so that I could line it up at assembly time .
Then its the two bolts holding the column to the cars body work (under the dash) and pull the whole thing out . You have to pull reasonably hard to get the foot of the column free of the firewalls rubber grommet/weather seal .
When its out you can get at the four pedal box nuts and two bolts much more easily , once the brake master cylinders clevis pin is removed and the accelerator cable disconnected you're nearly there . On an EFI car you need to remove the accelerator cable at the quadrant end to get enough slack at the pedal end . I unplugged the computer because its hanging in the way all the time . There will be either one or three plugs to disconnect which join the pedal switches into the dash loom . Mine has three , a white and a brown pair for clutch and brake switches and a blue pair for the throttle pedals microswitch . The carby NA pedal box has no clutch switch but mine fitted in the place of the adjustable stopper bolt .
Also there's a 10mm (head) bolt holding the fuse panels support bracket to the side of the pedal box which has to be unscrewed - about one flat at a time . Lastly disconnect the clutch cable at the release arm and remove the pedal box assembly while carefully feeding the cable and its grommet back through the firewall .
Mine was a bit more involved when the pedal box was out because as I mentioned mine is a 3 plug MPFI-T car and I had to reuse the accelerator pedal with its unique sheet steel arm and micro switch arrangement .
I should mention that the pedal box I got from Pick and Payless was out of from memory a 92 Carby wagon . I reckon if you had a 4 plug RX-T and used a pedal box from a 4 plug MPFI car it would be virtually one out one in .
Also the manual mentioned to lightly grease the shaft spline when you fit the column back in so the uni joint goes on easily , MAKE SURE you get the universal spline started before you push the column righ into it's grommet because you can't get it started with the column pushed fully home . Silly me had it all the way in and 90% reassembled before I discovered this . After saying gosh darn it (yeah right) I removed the under dash column support bolts so that I could pull it back far enough to get the uni joint started on its spline . After wriggling it around it all slid into place and the bolts were re fitted .
The tools I used were Snap On 3/8 drive sockets with two extensions to get to the boxes retaining nuts . Most of the nuts or bolts need either a 10 or 12mm socket and occasionally a ring or open ended spanner .
You will notice that some clutch and accelerator pedal arms are retained by a circlip or an internal wavy washer which needs care to remove - very easy to lose too ... Be careful prying things up with small flat blade screwdrivers because they slip and puncture fingers , sometimes careful use of wire cutters is easier just to get an edge up . After removal tap the washers flat and they can be reused .
On both assemblies the accelerator pedal pivot was dry and rusty so greased this as well .
Cheers A .