VW Scirocco Mk II - Clutch Cable

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Sun 17 Sep 2006 15:38
VW Scirocco Mk II - Clutch Cable - mo_ster
I'm having repeated grief from the clutch cable on my RHD 1987 D-Reg Scirocco GTX. That cable had already been replaced twice in the past 10 years (I don't know, is that normal?). Each time it simply broke. On a third incident the cable was so stiff, that it didn't break itself but tore through the bulkhead - which in turn had to be welded. The cable remained stiff and you could actually hear the friction when the pedal was depressed. A local garage applied some WD40 to both ends of the cable and it worked more smoothely for a while, but now the friction noises are back. Is this a losing battle or is there a simple solution somewhere?
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Mon 18 Sep 2006 01:20
VW Scirocco Mk II - Clutch Cable - Dynamic Dave
Given that wd40 is only a temporary fix, it's more than likely dried out since it was appied. What you need is to lubricate the cable with something more permanent.
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Mon 18 Sep 2006 11:57
VW Scirocco Mk II - Clutch Cable - steveo3002
you could easily locate the fault

take the new cable and make sure it slides freely..if it does then thats fine

then move the clutch pedal up and down by hand without the cable on ....that should be free

if both of those move nicely then maybe theres a issue inside the box....or has the cable been routted badly and almost kinked? or melting near the exhaust? does the engine bay get exposed to abnormal amounts of water/sea water??

i might be inclined to get a genuine vw cable
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Mon 18 Sep 2006 12:37
VW Scirocco Mk II - Clutch Cable - bignick
This was an inherent problem with the Golf/Scirocco - the conversion to RHD led to the clutch cable following an awkward route behind the engine. The bulkhead repair became so common that at one time you could buy a special reinforcement plate to counteract it. You need to lube the cable with something better than WD40 that will resist fairly high temperatures.
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Mon 18 Sep 2006 14:12
VW Scirocco Mk II - Clutch Cable - jc2
Most cables are nylon-coated and grease won't do that any good.
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