Squeaky Clutch Pedal and Clevis Pin:

TLDR:  Can anyone think of any problems by drilling out the oblong clevis pin wholes on both the pedal and clevis and replacing the clevis pin with a slightly larger shifter pin?

 

     A couple weeks ago I got around to addressing my squeaky clutch pedal.  I contorted myself under the dash and lubed everything up pretty well.  The squeak was gone, but now there is a pop feeling in the pedal travel.

     Cue some research and it’s the clevis pin.  Got a replacement in the mail and swapped it in.  Removing the seat made it tolerable.  Put the seat back in and gave it a go.  The pop feeling is still there.  Time to remove the pedal and see what’s what.

     After getting the pedal out It’s easy to see the problem.  The whole has worn larger, and metal flared up a bit in the oblong side of the whole on both the pedal and the clevis.  It’s the flared up metal that grinds together to make the pop feel.  Here’s some macro shots of it.  The plan is to drill out the wholes and replace the clevis pin with an extra shifter pin I have and use a couple washers to keep it from moving back and forth. 

No problem using a larger pin. Just make sure it's hardened, ie don't use a bolt. 

Certain crazy people have even gone as far as inserting a bearing in the pedal hole for that velvety smooth clutch feel. They shall remain nameless,  ok, me...

Seconding the above. Going to a larger sized pin should be fine.  Mine squeaks too, but it's further down on my priority list.

31 minutes ago, zKars said:

Certain crazy people have even gone as far as inserting a bearing in the pedal hole for that velvety smooth clutch feel.

Nice! So is it velvety smooth? Did it work out as intended?

Very common issue.  You could also weld up the hole in the pedal arm and re-drill it.  Love the bearing idea.

Thanks everyone for the info.

     For me, welding the hole and re-drilling was not an option.  I ended up re-drilling the whole with a 3/8" drill bit and sanded down the clevis and the pedal where they make contact.  Got a 3/8" clevis pin from McMaster-Carr (Part Number 98306A915.)  Re-assembled and lubed everything.  Feels real nice now.  When it wears out I'll look into using a bearing.  The replacement clevis pin was slightly longer than stock, so used a nylon washer.

Looks great. I bet mine looks like yours did.

@zKars, So did your bearing fix result in the velvety smooth pedal feel you were striving for?

The feel is good. I have quite a heavy pedal with my clutch setup, but it is smoooooth....

@zKars, I've got the clutch pedal out of my 280 at this very moment, and no surprise, the clevis pin and it's associated hole in the pedal is worn and needs to be addressed. Not as bad as what 2377kN found, but bad enough that it's time to do something about it.

Have you got any pics of your solution where you installed a bearing into the pedal hole? I'm hoping you could save me from reinventing the wheel here.

I mean, I could certainly just bore out the hole and use a larger clevis pin, but a bearing... That's sweet.

All I seem to remember was I used a bearing intended for a router bit guide and spot welded it to the pedal metal more or less centered in the hole I drilled to hold the bearing. 

Since then I’ve just welded up such worn holes and re=drilled the 8mm or 5/16 hole. Good for another 50 years I’d think.

I mean a press fit of the bearing might be good enough too, it’s trapped by the brake/clutch fork where the pin goes through if it does come loose.

 

Thanks. So the router bearing you used was a ball bearing, not a sleeve, right? 

Right. Ball

Got it, thanks.  I've got a goal now!!   

10 hours ago, Captain Obvious said:

Got it, thanks.  I've got a goal now!!   

Post pics when you address it. Ultimately I'll need to do mine. Fiat used a plastic bushing, so on the X1/9 I had a bronze bushing made for longevity. Without images I'm not visualizing "tack a bearing to the pedal" in any meaningful way 🤪 More specifics on bearing dimensions would be helpful, when you get to it

Edited May 13, 2024May 13 by HusseinHolland