need help with old vw clutch arm?

i have an old roughly 1964 vw trike, the clutch is way to hard to press in anymore due to bad knees.....its just a cable from the foot pedal to the spring arm on the trans, my question is, can i cut the return spring on the shaft to the arm (that coil spring)? and replace it with a lighter spring since it is just a return spring right? i mean its got nothing to do with the clutch or pressure plate? or just any ideas how to make easier cause its getting to the point for me and my knees to shift it, and if i cant im afraid i`ll have to get rid of it and i really dont want to....so any ideas or thoughts are greatly appreciated thnx bbif i didnt explain this good enough please ask any questions and i will tryto answer thnx

U may want to look at a hydraulic setup-----these days u can find aftermarket master & slave cylinders to fit most any application

Another thing I remember from a VW trike I built about 10 years ago.......if the cable does not pull straight back (as not on a angle) it will cause issues

clutch problems

yea this is as straight an angle as can be on this trike, and i thought about hydraulics but dont have the slightest idea what to look for or where? is there a bolt on setup that u know of?

if u need more info or pix to answer that let me know? thnx bb

How about some pictures of your clutch pedal assembly showing the length of the pedal lever, and the distance from the lever pivot to the cable attachment point? You might be able to change some dimensions and get better leverage (less pressure) on the cable. There are some threads that talk about it.

https://www.triketalk.com/forum/threads/35579-Tech-Tech-Tech-or-So-you-want-to-build-a-trike Page 15 post #148.

Hope this helps.

Ok then....

That is not a 1964 trans.

IRS axles came out on the std shift beetle in 1969.

The single side cover trans case came out 1973-74 range.

I can not see enough engine to know what it is

Clutch then.... Could be any combination of parts imaginable.

A mechanical cable is not a terrible set up.

Most hydraulic clutch kits are still a 1 to 1 ratio and are not lighter on the pedal. You could change the master size and make it lighter.

Do not remove the spring.....it has a function.....first it retracts the throw out bearing from engagement with pressure plate so it don't spin the entire time (would wear out quick)...... secondly it keeps the slack out of the cable (the adjuster wing but would likely vibrate spin off the cable...... thirdly it will not make much change in pedal pressure anyway.

You need more mechanical advantage.

Make the pedal longer......or the lever on the trans longer.

I wonder what pressure plate is in there? A stock coil spring type had a continuous pedal pressure.......where a diaphragm spring type had a "knuckle over" feel to it .

A stock 1964 clutch would be a 600lb spring.

A later clutch would be a 800lb spring.

A super heavy duty would be a 1200lb spring.

A first step up racing clutch is a 1700lb spring.

And they keep getting bigger on up .

Here is an example of a long throw out lever.

Typically used for taming a super hard racing clutch.

clutch torque

hey great info and i never knew my trans was in that year range, ive decided to go to a hydraulic clutch,cause with everything i could do to the arm as far as adding lenght for leverage and so on its nothing compared to hydraulics, so im going with a set up like the picture below and i really do appreciate u guys help all suggestions are alwaz welcome thnx bb

removal of clutch arm?

can any of u guys send me directions of correct way to remove clutch arm and spring on old irs trans?

MrTrike

beachbumtroy said:

can any of u guys send me directions of correct way to remove clutch arm and spring on old irs trans?

Click to expand...

The clutch is on a spline. There may be a C lip on outside. Other wise the only thing holding it is Rust and Time and you maybe able to use a small puller with penetrating oil in advance. You can apply Some heat but not Too much as there is a rubber bushing on the inside of transaxle. I have never had one Slide off easily. If you damage that bushing you have to remove motor to replace and that is not easy but to do so you still have to remove the clutch arm. So i would recommenced penetrating oil, let it soak for a day then use a puller. Then buy that longer clutch arm. Just remember, the longer the clutch arm the longer you will have to push the clutch pedal. Good Luck. KEEP-ON-TRIKEN

MrTrike

beachbumtroy said:

can any of u guys send me directions of correct way to remove clutch arm and spring on old irs trans?

Click to expand...

<br>The clutch is on a spline. There may be a C lip on outside. Other wise the only thing holding it is Rust and Time and you maybe able to use a small puller with penetrating oil in advance. You can apply Some heat but not Too much as there is a rubber bushing on the inside of transaxle. I have never had one Slide off easily. If you damage that bushing you have to remove motor to replace and that is not easy but to do so you still have to remove the clutch arm. So i would recommenced penetrating oil, let it soak for a day then use a puller. Then buy that longer clutch arm. Just remember, the longer the clutch arm the longer you will have to push the clutch pedal. Good Luck. KEEP-ON-TRIKEN DO NOT REMOVE lever spring as it serves a good purpose

<br>

clutch arm

ok i just wanted to make sure i was going to release tension on arm, then unhook spring from arm

then take off c=clip to remove so it sounds like u agree, i`ll soak 1st thnx for ur input and i`ll let

u know how it goes thnx

MrTrike

beachbumtroy said:

ok i just wanted to make sure i was going to release tension on arm, then unhook spring from arm

then take off c=clip to remove so it sounds like u agree, i`ll soak 1st thnx for ur input and i`ll let

u know how it goes thnx

Click to expand...

DO NOT REMOVE RETURN SPRING ON CLUTCH ARM. It is there to keep throwout bearing from spinning with clutch plate when engine is running. You will wear out your throwout bearing in a couple days.

removal of clutch arm?

ok thnx i wont i promise

clutch arm

glad to hear thats what im hoping for. thnx

one thing not said is location of clutch pedal relative to the seat....leg straight out or nearly so..when clutch depressed makes for easier clutching.

clutch torque

ok appreciate that cause we r going to have to move pedal a bit to accommodate master but thnx